AG Paxton Files Friend of Court Brief Asking Texas Supreme Court to Strike Down Laredo’s Bag Ban
“The Legislature did not mince words when it removed the authority of Texas cities to restrict or prohibit plastic checkout bags,” Attorney General Paxton said. “That Laredo and Austin, among others, would persist in their foolhardy policy despite the statute’s clear language shows how Texas cities have grown more and more contemptuous of the rule of law. This case presents an opportunity for the Texas Supreme Court to uphold the intent of the Legislature in a ruling that could ultimately invalidate ordinances across the state.”
AG Paxton: Texas Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Take Up Voter ID Case
“The success of American democracy hinges on whether or not voters trust the integrity of the election process,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Voter ID laws both prevent fraud as well as ensure that election results accurately reflect the will of Texas voters. The Legislature enacted common sense reforms, which should be respected by this nation’s courts.”
AG Paxton Releases Letter Sent to Killeen ISD Board of Trustees
Attorney General Ken Paxton today sent a letter to the Killeen Independent School District Board of Trustees in response to their forced removal of a Christmas decoration. The attorney general strongly urged the school board to reverse their decision and move back into compliance with state and federal law.
AG Paxton: Texas Wins Final Judgment in “Persuader Rule” Case
“The Department of Labor took this administration’s scorn for the rule of law to new heights when it implemented its so-called persuader rule,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Our adversarial legal system hinges on the right of Americans to access good counsel; that right, however, only thrives when Americans are able to seek legal advice without the fear of harassment and intimidation. The federal government may elect to appeal the final judgment, but I am confident the administration’s arguments will break under the weight of its own error.”
AG Paxton Files Amicus Brief to Protect Private Property Rights in Texas
“The Obama administration is abusing its power under the Endangered Species Act by unlawfully listing a species on the endangered list that only lives in the state of Texas and has no impact on interstate commerce whatsoever,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Under the Constitution, the federal government can only act when there is a direct logical connection between the subject being regulated and interstate commerce. A spider that only exists underground in two Texas counties and is neither a bought nor sold commodity fails that test by definition. For such localized species, it is the state and county, not the federal government, which can best address conservation.”
AG Paxton: Texas and 42 States Reach $19.5 Million Settlement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
“BMS put Texans’ lives at risk when it marketed Abilify for uses not approved by the FDA,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The integrity of our healthcare system depends on patients and doctors being able to trust the representations made by pharmaceutical companies. Our Consumer Protection Division will continue to prosecute vigorously any company, like BMS, which chooses exploitation over the safety of their consumer.”
Texas, 17 Other States File Lawsuit Challenging New Federal Rules Designed to Push the Obama Administration’s Environmental Agenda
“This is nothing more than yet another end run around Congress by a president who is desperate to establish his environmental legacy by any means necessary before his time in office ends in less than 60 days,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The Obama administration is hiding behind bogus rules to perpetrate land grabs, kill energy projects and block economic development.”
Court Grants Nationwide Injunction Against Obama Administration’s Unlawful Overtime Rule
“The Obama administration proved true to form when it ordered the Department of Labor to revise its interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Namely, the administration assumes that through force of will alone, it could order a new economic reality into existence. The finalized overtime rule hurts the American worker. It limits workplace flexibility without a corresponding increase in pay and forces employers to cut their workers hours. All in all, it exchanges the advantages of negotiated benefits, personal to each worker, with a one-size-fits-all standard that only looks good in press statements. Not on my watch.”
AG Paxton: Texas Defeats Obama Administration’s Request to Stay Nationwide Injunction in School and State Rights Case
“No amount of legal gamesmanship can alter the fact that Title VII’s plain language does not grant the Department of Education the power to foist novel theories of gender identity onto Texas schools,” Attorney General Paxton said. “President Obama has made it his administration’s policy to bypass Congress whenever the democratic process resists his call for radical social change. My office will continue to push back against executive overreach until the president learns to respect the Constitution.”
AG Paxton Releases Statement After the Death of a San Antonio Police Officer
“Texans grieve today, yet again, as a courageous police officer was senselessly murdered in the line of duty in San Antonio. My office will support the San Antonio Police Department however we can now and in the days ahead. Angela and I extend our prayers and deepest sympathy to this officer’s family and to his colleagues in San Antonio and around Texas.”