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 -
How Texas voted in the November 2022 midterms
Follow The Texas Tribune’s coverage of midterm election results for governor, attorney general, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![Election results]()
Credit: Emily Albracht/Texas Tribune -
Texas could get $276 million from opioid settlement with CVS Pharmacy
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced that the state is signing on to the $5 billion proposed settlement but hasn’t yet disclosed how its share of the money would be spent if the deal is finalized. Full Story
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![Tablets of the opioid-based Hydrocodone at a pharmacy in Portsmouth, Ohio, on June 21, 2017.]()
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Watch: Abortion isn’t on the ballot, but here’s how your vote could impact access in Texas
Texans are headed to the polls for the first time since the procedure was essentially banned across the state. Texas Tribune women’s health reporter Eleanor Klibanoff explains how each ballot cast influences the future of abortion policy. Full Story
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![Lee Gaudreau, 49, of Frisco, Texas, chants pro choice slogans while holding signage during a Women's Wave protest, hosted by Bans Off Our Bodies Fort Worth, on Saturday, Oct. 08, 2022 in downtown Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump energizes South Texas voters ahead of early voting as Republicans predict red “tsunami”
Trump rally attendees said they were basing their midterm votes on issues such as the economy and the border and were hopeful Trump would run for president again. Full Story
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![Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Robstown, a western suburb of Corpus Christi, on Oct. 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Lucas Boland/Caller-Times USA Today Network -
Voter fraud charges dismissed against Hervis Rogers, Houston man who waited hours to vote in 2020
Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued charges against Rogers, who was on parole when he voted in the 2020 primary election. But a judge tossed the case after a higher court said Paxton can’t unilaterally prosecute election crimes. Full Story
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![Voter fraud charges against Hervis Rogers were dismissed after a state appeals court found that Attorney General Ken Paxton can’t unilaterally prosecute election crimes.]()
Credit: Courtesy of ACLU of Texas -
Greg Abbott widens lead over Beto O’Rourke with likely voters in latest UT poll
The 11-point margin is one of the wider advantages Abbott has registered among likely voters in a public survey yet. Abbott had a smaller 5-point advantage in the last UT poll, which was done in August, though that was among registered voters. Full Story
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![Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks to a packed auditorium during a stop on his College Tour campaign at Texas State University on Oct. 5, 2022, in San Marcos.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman 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 -
How the debunked conspiracy film “2000 Mules” became Texas Republican orthodoxy
Watchdog groups fear the film will fuel chaos in the upcoming midterm elections and could be a pretext for more restrictive voting laws in the future. Full Story
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![From left: Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge curtails protections for LGBTQ workers, trans kids in response to Texas lawsuit
Ruling in a suit brought by Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk vacated guidance on gender-affirming care for children and pronouns, dress and bathroom protections for LGBTQ workers. Full Story
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![LGBTQ activists and supporters hold a rally outside the U.S. Supreme in Washington on October 8, 2019.]()
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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 -
TribCast: Trouble in Ken Paxton’s office
In this week’s episode, Matthew Watkins speaks with Jake Bleiberg of the Associated Press and Steve Vladeck from the University of Texas School of Law about the turmoil in the Texas attorney general’s office and its litigation success. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton, right, walks into a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s office knew he’d be subpoenaed before he fled his home to avoid being served, emails show
Lawyers for the state argue they didn’t know the attorney general would be served at home. Emails from opposing counsel show they tried repeatedly to serve him through his attorneys. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton at a border security briefing at the Texas DPS airport hangar in Edinburg on Jan. 28, 2022. The four whistleblowers who sued Paxton after he fired them for accusing him of bribery and abuse of office are speaking out against him publicly for the first time since filing their lawsuit.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for 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 will fight to block 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns
A court had ruled that the state’s ban was unconstitutional. The attorney general’s office — usually a supporter of gun rights — said it will appeal but didn’t explain why. Full Story
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![A revolver handgun in Austin on April 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Photo Illustration by Evan L'Roy/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 -
Judge dismisses attempt to discipline Texas AG Ken Paxton’s top aide for trying to overturn the 2020 election
The State Bar of Texas brought the complaint after the aide worked on a suit to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in four states. Full Story
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![First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster speaks during an Attorney General press conference in the William Clements Building in Austin on June 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tells court not to trust Biden in Trump records case
Several other Republican attorneys general joined Paxton in bashing the Biden administration, largely over previous policy decisions they disagreed with. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton greets President Donald Trump as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick follows at Austin Bergstrom International Airport in 2019.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS