In Texas, Democratic lawmakers and pro-choice demonstrators have blocked a bill that would have shuttered nearly all the state’s abortion clinics. Senate Bill 5 calls for banning abortion at 20 weeks and imposing harsh regulations that would force all but five Texas clinics to close down. On Tuesday morning, State Senator Wendy Davis rose to her feet to launch a filibuster that lasted nearly 11 hours before Republican senators managed to cut her off. As the midnight deadline for the special session drew near, hundreds of protesters in the gallery erupted into cheers that drowned out the proceedings, but Republican lawmakers attempted to claim they had passed the bill anyway. Hours later, Lieutenant Gov. David Dewhurst conceded the vote had not followed legislative procedures, blaming what he called “unruly mob using Occupy Wall Street tactics.” Despite the overnight victory, Texas Gov. Rick Perry could still call a second special session and tell lawmakers to reconsider Senate Bill 5.