Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
State Government: Agencies/Departments/Divisions | State Elected - Attorney General
Recent News About Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
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Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Injunction Against Castleberry ISD for Illegal Electioneering
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured an agreed injunction with Castleberry Independent School District (“ISD”) after suing the district for illegal electioneering.In response to the legal action, Castleberry ISD agreed that the superintendent and all employees would refrain from using any funds or resources, including emails, to engage in illegal electioneering. Paxton filed the lawsuit after the superintendent of Castleberry ISD allegedly distributed a list of political endorsements and instructed the district’s administration to “vote accordingly,” a clear... -
Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Frisco ISD for Illegal Electioneering
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken legal action against the Frisco Independent School District (“FISD”) for alleged illegal electioneering, accusing the district of using official resources to sway voters in favor of specific policies.According to Attorney General Paxton, the Government Affairs department of Frisco ISD has been utilizing official resources to promote certain policies and political measures, a practice that violates the Texas Election Code's prohibition on the use of public funds for electioneering purposes.In response to these allegations, the... -
Attorney General Ken Paxton Wins Case Declaring $1.7 Trillion Federal Funding Bill Unconstitutional
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton celebrated a significant legal triumph as a court declared the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 as unconstitutional due to the lack of a physical quorum. Paxton successfully sought an injunction against the implementation of certain provisions of the law affecting Texas.In response to the ruling, Attorney General Paxton criticized the actions of the House of Representatives, stating, “Congress acted egregiously by passing the largest spending bill in U.S. history with fewer than... -
Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Major Pornography Distributor for Violating Texas Age Verification Laws
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken legal action against Aylo Global Entertainment, a prominent pornography distributor, for breaching Texas age verification laws. The lawsuit targets Aylo Global for failing to implement adequate age verification measures on its websites, including popular platforms like Pornhub, as mandated by Texas law HB 1181. Instead, the company is accused of immediately exposing minors to explicit content upon accessing their sites.Attorney General Paxton is pushing for an injunction against Aylo Global to enforce proper age verification... -
Texas Attorney General Secures $350 Million Settlement with Publicis Health Over Role in Opioid Epidemic
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a $350 million settlement with global marketing and communications firm Publicis Health, resolving investigations into the company's involvement in the prescription opioid crisis. The State of Texas will receive approximately $21 million as part of the settlement.Publicis Health collaborated with major pharmaceutical corporations, including Purdue Pharma, to promote highly addictive opioids such as OxyContin. Their sales tactics included exploiting medical data obtained from recordings of discussions between doctors and... -
National Coalition of Attorneys General Supports AG Paxton’s Efforts to End Biden’s Border Invasion
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has received a letter of support from more than two dozen states, praising Texas's commitment to securing the border and exercising its right of self-defense. The letter, signed by 25 attorneys general, as well as the Arizona Senate President and Arizona House Speaker, recognizes the work done by Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Paxton to address the ongoing crisis of illegal immigration, which has been exacerbated by the Biden Administration.In response to the letter, Attorney General Paxton expressed his gratitude to his... -
Office of the Attorney General Seeks Relief From Texas Supreme Court in Lawsuit with Former Employees
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has announced its plans to file a petition for mandamus with the Supreme Court of Texas in a case involving four former employees. The OAG had previously requested the Third Court of Appeals to intervene and halt the unnecessary depositions ordered by a Travis County judge. However, the court denied relief, despite the OAG's decision to not contest liability.The OAG's primary concern is to focus on the critical challenges facing the State of Texas, particularly the unprecedented influx of illegal immigration at the southern border.... -
Barclays Ineligible to Participate in Texas's Bond Market Over Failure to Verify ESG Policies
The Office of the Attorney General ("OAG") has announced that Barclays will no longer be allowed to underwrite Texas's municipal bonds due to its failure to provide information regarding its "net zero" carbon emissions commitments. The OAG had sent a letter to all bond counsel on November 1, in which Barclays was identified as a member or affiliate of the Net Zero Alliance while also having a standing letter with the OAG. This raised concerns about whether Barclays' activities could classify it as a "fossil fuel boycotter" under Texas law.Barclays was asked to provide... -
Office of the Attorney General Requests Review of Judge’s Ruling in Litigation with Former Employees
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has filed a mandamus request with the Third Court of Appeals, seeking to halt a Travis County judge's orders for unnecessary and harassing depositions in a case initiated by four disgruntled former employees.In a strategic move to avoid the time and expense of a lawsuit in an unfavorable and biased court, the OAG chose not to contest the former employees' lawsuit, without admitting any fault. This decision is not uncommon, as the majority of civil litigation cases are resolved without going to trial.However, what sets this case... -
Texas Attorney General Rejects Biden Administration's Demand to Surrender Shelby Park and Maintain Border Security
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has firmly responded to the demands made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), stating that Texas will not comply and will continue its efforts to secure the border. In a letter addressed to DHS, Attorney General Paxton also made several counter-demands, seeking specific information and documents related to the alleged authority of the federal agency.The dispute arose after the Texas Military Department took action to secure Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on January 11. This move was intended to protect the public and... -
Office of the Attorney General Denounces Court's Bias in Litigation with Former Employees
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has expressed its concern over a court's biased ruling in an employment dispute case with four former staff members. The OAG has filed motions to reconsider and enter judgment after the judge's decision to continue depositions despite all facts being conceded and the defendant withdrawing its opposition. This ruling goes against Texas court rules and case law, as there were no disputed issues to be tried. The judge, who is a former Travis County Democrat Party Chair, made this decision hastily based on an email that misrepresented... -
Attorney General Ken Paxton Responds to SCOTUS Ruling on Concertina Wire Case
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has responded to the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) regarding the destruction of concertina wire barriers on the Texas side of the Rio Grande riverbank. In a statement, Paxton expressed his disappointment with the decision, stating, "The Supreme Court's temporary order allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America."Paxton has been a vocal opponent of the Biden Administration's actions in dismantling the concertina wire fencing that Texas had put in place to address the... -
Attorney General Ken Paxton Ends Litigation with Former Employees
Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced the end of a long-standing employment lawsuit against his office by four former employees. In a statement released by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Paxton expressed that the decision to end the litigation was made in the best interests of the State of Texas and to avoid wasting taxpayer resources.Paxton highlighted that last year, the OAG had already chosen to settle the case with the plaintiffs and their attorneys. However, the plaintiffs withdrew from the settlement after Paxton was fully acquitted in an impeachment... -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Pushes Back Against Biden Administration's Demand to End Border Security Measures
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has responded to a cease-and-desist letter from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which demanded that Texas end its enhanced border security measures in Shelby Park, Eagle Pass. The letter, sent on January 14, requested compliance by January 17, and threatened further escalation if Texas did not comply.The Texas Military Department had taken steps on January 11 to secure Shelby Park in order to protect public safety and address structural degradation that had occurred. However, DHS alleged that the increased security measures led... -
Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures En Banc Rehearing in Border Buoys Lawsuit
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully obtained an en banc rehearing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding the Biden Administration's push to have Texas remove buoys placed in the Rio Grande at the Texas-Mexico border. The buoy system was implemented by Texas as a means to decrease the number of unvetted individuals attempting to enter the United States through an unsafe and illegal river crossing instead of using a designated port of entry.In December 2023, a panel from the Fifth Circuit issued a divided ruling that upheld a district... -
Texas Attorney General Opposes Biden Administration's Effort to Resume Destruction of Border Barriers
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a response with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), opposing the Biden Administration's request to vacate an injunction that protects Texas concertina wire barriers near the United States-Mexico border from being destroyed by federal agents. This response comes after Attorney General Paxton sued the Biden Administration in October 2023 for destroying the concertina wire fencing that Texas had deployed to reduce illegal immigration.Attorney General Paxton quickly obtained an emergency restraining order from a federal... -
Attorney General Paxton Observes Human Trafficking Awareness Day
On January 11, Attorney General Paxton acknowledged Human Trafficking Awareness Day by delivering remarks from the Texas Capitol building. The event was attended by officials and community partners from the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force and Coordinating Council.During his speech, Attorney General Paxton expressed his commitment to fighting human trafficking and bringing criminals to justice. He acknowledged the collaborative efforts between his office, law enforcement partners, and community organizations in making Texas a safer place. Attorney General... -
Texas Attorney General Recovers over $200 Million in Medicaid Fraud Investigations
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office has recovered more than $200 million in fiscal year 2023 from entities and individuals who defrauded the Texas Medicaid system or were accused of doing so. The Office of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and Civil Medicaid Fraud Division released a joint annual report with the Texas Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, detailing their findings.According to the report, the Office of the Attorney General returned over $203 million to the state in remedies, penalties,... -
Supreme Court to Review President Trump's Ballot Eligibility Case After Attorney General Paxton Files Amicus Brief With 26 Other States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has agreed to review a case concerning the eligibility of former President Donald Trump to appear on the ballot in the upcoming presidential primary election in Colorado. This comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with 26 other attorneys general, filed an amicus brief arguing against a decision made by the Colorado Supreme Court to remove Trump from the ballot.The amicus brief highlights the alleged errors made by the Colorado Supreme Court in its ruling. It argues that the court's interpretation of a... -
Texas Attorney General Announces $700 Million Settlement with Google for Anticompetitive Practices
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a landmark $700 million settlement with technology giant Google over allegations of anticompetitive conduct related to the Google Play Store. The agreement, which was reached with the participation of attorneys general from all states and several territories, marks a significant victory in the ongoing battle to hold big tech companies accountable for their monopolistic practices.Under the terms of the settlement, Google will pay $630 million in restitution to consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between...