Ken Paxton can’t be deposed in whistleblower suit, court says
The attorney general has agreed not to contest a lawsuit brought by former employees accusing him of retaliation after they said he abused his office. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton and Texas House members accuse each other of mischaracterizing Robert Roberson’s case
After the attorney general insisted on the death row inmate’s guilt in a graphic press release, four lawmakers issued a point-by-point rebuttal. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG can’t use “request to examine” statute, judge says
A federal judge said Texas’ “request to examine” statute amounts to unconstitutional search and seizure, Bloomberg reported. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton attends the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland on Feb. 23, 2024.]()
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Texas GOP investing in South Texas races as some Republicans worry about party's performance in November
Several local party officials have signed an open letter warning that “grave and deteriorating” fundraising and voter outreach efforts could leave some candidates vulnerable. Full Story
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![Newly elected Republican Party of Texas Vice-Chair D’rinda Randall, left, and Chair Abraham George and speak during the Texas GOP Convention Saturday, May 25, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton withdrew an opinion on gun bans weeks after suing Texas state fair for a similar restriction
Paxton sued Dallas and state fair officials last month, arguing the fair’s private organizer had violated state law by banning firearms on the fairgrounds. Full Story
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![The State Fair of Texas in 2016.]()
Credit: Allison V. Smith for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton takes Dallas to court over gun ban at State Fair
With the State Fair opening in less than a month, the Attorney General is asking a Dallas County judge to overturn the ban on guns. Full Story
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![The Texas State Fair in Dallas on Oct. 19, 2024.]()
Credit: Allison V. Smith for The Texas Tribune -
Warrants detail allegations that led to search of Democratic candidate for Texas House
The Texas attorney general’s office searched the home of Cecilia Castellano and a Democratic legislative aide. It said it’s investigating vote harvesting. Activists called it “intimidation.” Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
LULAC condemns Paxton’s election fraud raids as “intimidation”
The group said that searches the attorney general’s office carried out this week targeted at least six Latinos, including a Democrat running for the Texas House. Full Story
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Texas sues Biden again to block federal protections for transgender workers
The Texas Attorney General is following his familiar playbook by taking the case to a federal judge with a record of rulings against the Biden administration’s agenda. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge in Texas expands ruling that blocks Biden administration protections of LGBTQ students
The decision in the case brought by the Texas Attorney General preempts any future Title IX regulations that extend federal protections to LGBTQ students. Full Story
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![Scenes from Austin Pride 2024 on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at on Congress Ave in Austin. The day-long celebration featured drag performances, booths and floats of Austin’s businesses and many Texans clad in rainbow.]()
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Texas activist frustrates election officials with lawsuit about threat to ballot secrecy
Laura Pressley claims she found an “algorithmic pattern” that links voters to their ballots. But she won’t make it public. Full Story
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![Laura Pressley and an illustration of public records from court filings.]()
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Meta to pay Texas $1.4 billion for using facial recognition technology without users’ permission
Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Facebook parent company in 2022, claiming it had used personal biometric data without permission. Full Story
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![A man stands in front of a sign of Meta, the new name for the company formerly known as Facebook, at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Oct. 28, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria -
Search the newly updated Government Salaries Explorer
The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees’ compensation is updated to represent salaries as of July 1. Full Story
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![Government Salaries Explorer]()
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Fixing Texas’ ballot secrecy problems won’t be easy, experts say
The burden will fall on local officials to determine which records they’re obligated to release or redact. Full Story
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![Elijah and Melissa Lillo leave the Phillip Center in Gastonia after casting their votes in the North Carolina primary on March 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Mike Hensdill/The Gaston Gazette/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
Voter advocacy groups ask feds to step in after Texas allowed some voters’ ballots to be identified
The request comes as state and local officials undermined ballot secrecy in their bids for election transparency. Full Story
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![People walk past a 'Vote Here' sign outside of the Austin Oaks Church on Mar. 1, 2024. Early voting ends today for the primaries.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Judge upholds Austin ordinance decriminalizing pot
The Texas attorney general accused Austin of violating state law after voters in 2022 approved an ordinance decriminalizing marijuana possession. Full Story
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![An Austin police officer on patrol in downtown Austin on Aug. 2, 2019.]()
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Texas AG Ken Paxton launches new team to prosecute online privacy and security cases
The new initiative will target companies that illegally collect and sell users’ data, Paxton’s office said. Full Story
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
How Ken Paxton is stretching the boundaries of consumer protection laws to pursue political targets
The attorney general repeatedly uses laws meant to protect against fraudulent or deceptive practices to target hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and LGBTQ+ groups. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, is using consumer protection laws to target organizations like Annunciation House, run by Ruben Garcia, left, whose work conflicts with Paxton’s political views.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by ProPublica. Source photos: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune, Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Here are the organizations that Ken Paxton targeted using consumer protection laws
Attorneys general have increasingly used their power to pursue investigations targeting organizations whose work conflicts with their political views. Paxton is among the most aggressive. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, has been using consumer protection laws to target organizations like Annunciation House, run by Ruben Garcia, right, whose work conflicts with Paxton’s political views. El Paso-based Annunciation House serves immigrants and refugees seeking shelter.]()
Credit: Photo illustration by ProPublica. Source photos: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune, Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to reimburse landowners for damages caused by border property crime
Lawmakers created the program during last year’s legislative session. Full Story
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![Department of Public Safety Special Operations agents escort a group of migrants through private property as part of Operation Lone Star after catching them in Kinney County near Brackettville, Texas on Nov. 9, 2021. The owner of the property did not sign the affidavit to allow DPS to arrest undocumented migrants in their property, so they will be processed by Border Patrol.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune
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