The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has petitioned the Supreme Court of Texas to review a Fifth Court of Appeals ruling that has allowed politically motivated legal actions by the State Bar of Texas against OAG leadership to continue.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Texas, citing concerns over unconstitutional conduct by states during the 2020 presidential election. In response, the State Bar of Texas attempted to sanction Paxton and First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster for filing that lawsuit and initiated disciplinary actions against them.
The OAG argues that these attempts to sanction Paxton are an unconstitutional violation of the Texas Constitution’s Separation of Powers Clause and infringe upon his sovereign immunity. Despite these arguments, a sharply divided court of appeals permitted the Bar’s lawsuit to proceed, albeit with a notable dissenting opinion.
In April 2024, a coalition of seventeen attorneys general from across the country filed a brief supporting Paxton and Webster while condemning the actions taken by the State Bar.
To read the filing, click here.
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