Federal judge at center of FDA abortion drug case has history with conservative causes
U.S. District Matthew Kacsmaryk was once deputy counsel for the First Liberty Institute, the Plano-based conservative Christian law firm. Full Story
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![Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.]()
Credit: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas -
Aging state vehicle fleet fuels tens of millions in new money requests by agencies
Many state-owned vehicles are aging past the standards for replacement. Early budget drafts signal that lawmakers are considering funding some $237.6 million in requests for new ones. Full Story
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![Sec. of State Jane Nelson stands beside a 25-year-old Ford Ranger with over 30,000 miles on it, the agency’s only vehicle since 1998, on Feb. 8, 2023. "She's a grand old dame, but it's time for her to retire," Nelson said.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directory
Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you. Full Story
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![State Representatives and their families sit on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton agrees to apologize and pay $3.3 million to whistleblowers in settlement
Paxton and the four whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until they can finalize the settlement, after which they’ll move to end the case. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton looks into the crowd at his primary election results watch party in McKinney on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Three Texas counties are suing the attorney general to get clarity on when the public can access post-election ballots
For decades, the attorney general’s office advised counties to keep ballots for 22 months after an election. Then Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion saying they could be quickly released to anyone who requested them. Full Story
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![Election workers sort provisional ballots and forms from the polling centers at the Tarrant County Election Administration building in Fort Worth on November 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton wants more power to prosecute election crimes. These bills in the Texas Legislature would give it to him.
Although no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been actively pursuing election-related crimes since he took office in 2015. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gave a speech in the Senate chamber during his swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 10, 2023. This is Paxton's third term in the office.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court orders Harris County to include more than 2,000 late-cast ballots in certified election results
After a last-minute challenge from the attorney general, county commissioners agreed to certify those provisional votes in time for the canvassing deadline. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line after 7 p.m at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Nov. 8, 2022. The polling location was one of the Harris County polling locations open until 8 PM on Election Day.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for the Texas Tribune -
Photos: Election Day 2022 in Texas
Texas Tribune photographers spread out all over the state to document a momentous midterm election. Full Story
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![Voters are in line at the Lark Community Center in McAllen on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton wins third term as attorney general, beating Democrat Rochelle Garza
In a difficult cycle for Democrats, the race was widely seen as the most competitive statewide election because of Paxton’s laundry list of legal troubles. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to supporters Paxton Watch Party Barn in Plano after being re-elected on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Google for compiling Texans’ biometric data
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, claims Google illegally collects and indefinitely stores information about Texans’ facial geometry and voiceprints without their consent, even if they’re not the ones using Google devices. Full Story
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![A Google stand at the Paris book fair at le Salon du Livre in Paris, France in 2006.]()
Credit: Mehdi Taamallah Mehdi/ABACA via REUTERS -
Ken Paxton, Texas’ election denier-in-chief, closes in on third term
That Paxton is so close to securing his reelection this November as the state’s chief legal officer is raising alarms from election experts about the impact he could have on future contested elections, particularly if Donald Trump runs for president again in 2024. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at his primary election results watch party in McKinney on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered to testify in abortion lawsuit after evading subpoena
A federal judge who previously quashed the subpoena ruled that the attorney general must take the witness stand in a lawsuit from abortion funds. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court. (Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune).]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Rochelle Garza is the Democrats’ best chance of winning statewide office in Texas, but she still faces an uphill battle
Garza remains the underdog, battling her own low name recognition and a fundraising disadvantage in an expensive statewide race that is already demanding considerable resources for travel and TV ads. Full Story
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![Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general Rochelle Garza campaigns at a meet and greet held at the Sokol Athletic Center in Dallas on Sept. 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Hunter Lacey for The Texas Tribune -
State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government
Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the state’s most vulnerable populations. Full Story
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![Exterior of the Texas State Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG’s office sends mixed signals about whether it can fine nonprofits that pay for out-of-state abortions
Lawyers for abortion funds want Ken Paxton to testify in their lawsuit. He fled his home Monday while being served a subpoena that was later quashed by a judge. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, center right, walks with Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone II, center left, and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, right, to a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court. (Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune).]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home to avoid being served with subpoena, court record says
In an affidavit, a process server said that the state’s top attorney tried to evade him as he attempted to deliver a subpoena from an abortion fund’s lawsuit against the state. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends a campaign event during a Bulverde Spring Branch Conservative Republicans meeting in Bulverde on May 16, 2022. Paxton criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, championed voter fraud in Texas and praised the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for the Texas Tribune -
Texas AG says counties can spend COVID relief funds on extra pay for elected officials without public notice
The nonbinding legal opinion states local elected and appointed officials can receive up to $25,000 for work done during the COVID-19 pandemic on top of their regular salaries. Unlike other pay raises, these “premium pay” bonuses don’t need to be declared to the public ahead of time. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends a campaign event during a Bulverde Spring Branch Conservative Republicans meeting on May 16, 2022, in Bulverde. Paxton criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, discussed voter fraud in Texas and praised the leaked SCOTUS draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
Texas suing USDA over requirement to add LGBTQ protections to nutrition programs’ nondiscrimination policies
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service announced in May that it would expand its definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Paxton and other attorneys general are suing in response. Full Story
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![Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG Ken Paxton bans staff lawyers from speaking at state bar events, escalating feud sparked by 2020 election
The bar, which licenses lawyers and offers training sessions, is suing Paxton in an attempt to sanction him for trying block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas charity that backs Trump’s stolen-election lie has deep ties to Ken Paxton
The Texas attorney general would be the one to hold True the Vote accountable on allegations that it swindled a $2.5 million donor. But the nonprofit’s founder has been a friend and an ally. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton participates in an interview while in attendance at former President Donald Trump's Save America Rally in Conroe on Jan 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune