Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a motion for contempt against Frisco Independent School District (“ISD”) for failing to abide by a temporary restraining order preventing the district or its employees from engaging in illegal electioneering.
On February 28, Attorney General Paxton sued Frisco ISD for repeatedly using official resources to violate Texas law by encouraging people to vote in favor of a specific policy. Such actions directly violated the Texas Election Code’s prohibition against the use of “state or local funds or other resources of the district to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.”
The following day, a judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the school district from using governmental funds or resources to publish any additional statement similar to the original instances of illegal electioneering. However, just four hours after the restraining order was issued, Frisco ISD used an official account to once again to voice support for certain policy positions in clear violation of the order.
Despite being currently prevented from prosecuting criminal violations of the Election Code due to the Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision in Texas v. Stephens, Attorney General Paxton sought civil injunctive relief against Frisco ISD and several other districts that engaged in illegal electioneering. School districts should be aware that such actions constitute criminal conduct and violators could be subject to criminal prosecution by local authorities. While unable to criminally prosecute violators at this time, Attorney General Paxton is committed to using all available means to protect the integrity of Texas elections.
To read the filing, click here.