Tag Archives: Attorney General

Republicans will never hold Ken Paxton accountable for anything

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t be a chump and expect them to. Texas lawmakers are preparing to arm Attorney General Ken Paxton with $43 million to fight Google in court. A key committee in the State Senate on Wednesday amended its proposed budget for … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What is Ken Paxton hiding?

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I was almost tempted to start this post with the rhetorical “Just when you think Ken Paxton couldn’t sink any lower” gambit, but then I realized I have never thought Ken Paxton couldn’t sink any lower. Even with that, this … Continue reading →

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Lee Merritt

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have a new contender for Attorney General. Civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt has announced he’s running for Texas Attorney General in 2022 via his social media pages Saturday. “Texas deserves an attorney general that will fight for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Do not give Ken Paxton any more power

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously, WTF? A new bill would give Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton greater prosecutorial authority over abuse-of-office charges — the very crime for which the FBI is reportedly investigating the state’s top attorney. The bill, proposed by state Sen. Paul … Continue reading →

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Paxton whistleblower lawsuit can proceed

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First step in a long road. The 3rd Court of Appeals on Friday denied a petition from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to stop a trial court hearing in a suit filed by whistleblowers who claim they were wrongfully … Continue reading →

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Austin mask mandate enforcement still in place for now

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

No ruling, just a delay for a fuller hearing. Austin and Travis County officials can continue enforcing their mask mandates after a district judge delayed action on the Texas attorney general’s request to immediately stop the mandates. That means city … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Paxton sues Austin and Travis County over its mask mandate

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Travis County and Austin officials in an effort to force them to rescind their local mask orders, he announced Thursday. “I told Travis County & The City of Austin to comply … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

More storm polling

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure things are as negative as this story makes it sound. Two out of three Texans lost electricity, water or both in last month’s devastating winter storm, though it’s unclear their harrowing experiences will have lasting political consequences, according … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Griddy

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bandwagon time. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday against electricity retailer Griddy, claiming it misled customers using deceptive business practices after some customers reported bills costing tens of thousands of dollars. These charges were incurred during Texas’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Has Ken Paxton been lying about his travel schedule?

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Would anyone be surprised if he had been? When the media reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had flown to Utah with his wife in the middle of the state’s power crisis last week, Paxton called it a business … Continue reading →

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The traveling Paxtons

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? While millions of Texans languished in their homes last week without heat, many of them racking up astronomical electricity bills, the state official in charge of consumer protection left to take an out-of-state trip. According to a campaign spokesman, … Continue reading →

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So how did Paxton’s budget grilling go?

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton violated his budget authority when he transferred $40 million of taxpayer money to cover pay raises for some members of his staff without approval of the Legislature or the governor, triggering an angry response … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quid pro Paxton

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

How tawdry. And I can’t wait to hear more. Late last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fired multiple senior aides who accused him of accepting a bribe. A court filing obtained by The Texas Tribune reveals for the first … Continue reading →

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Might Republican AGs suffer in court for their seditions?

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This AP article considers the effect of the ridiculous Ken Paxton lawsuit and the role that the Republican Attorneys General Association played in the insurrection at the Capitol and asks the question from the title. Some legal experts think the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Paxton the puppet

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is just pathetic. The long-shot lawsuit from Texas, which sought to invalidate the results in four swing states, was not drafted by Republican attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, but by Donald Trump’s own lawyers, revealed a new report. … Continue reading →

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Please don’t ask us about Ken Paxton

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A real profile in courage here. As President Joe Biden’s agenda is dealt an early blow in Texas, the embattled Republican attorney general promising more fights ahead with the new administration is getting little public support from members of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

District court judges to be removed from the felony bail lawsuit case

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, this brings us a step closer to settling the case. Harris County’s 23 felony judges are no longer being sued over uneven bail practices that plaintiffs say discriminate against poor defendants. The civil rights lawsuit against the county and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Beto for Governor?

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He says he’s thinking about it. Democrat Beto O’Rourke has left no doubt that he’s weighing a run for governor next year. “You know what, it’s something I’m going to think about,” O’Rourke said in an exclusive interview on an … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The financial benefit of filing seditious lawsuits

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, your Attorney General: Campaign contributions to embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton all but dried up last fall after senior staff accused the Republican of abusing his office to help a friend and political donor. But Paxton’s fortunes … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

A brief summary of what the next two years will be like

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What will Republicans do without Trump? “The Republican Party is at a crossroads like it’s never been before, and it’s gonna have to decide who it is,” said Corbin Casteel, a Texas GOP operative who was Trump’s Texas state director … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Bail reform plaintiffs want Paxton booted from case

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I for one am a fan of kicking out Ken Paxton in any context. In a strategic move that could speed up their case against Harris County, the plaintiffs challenging felony bail practices are hoping to kick two dozen players … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

It’s going to be lawsuit season again

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking forward to it, but it’s better than the alternative. President-elect Joe Biden has big plans for his first 100 days in office, when he’s vowed to roll back the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, push policies addressing climate change … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SCOTUS rejects TDP petition on vote by mail

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Back to the lower court, I think. The U.S. Supreme Court turned away a Democratic bid to force universal vote-by-mail in Texas, leaving intact a state law that lets people cast no-excuse absentee ballots only if they are 65 or … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton couldn’t be more on brand if he tried

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Texas laws protecting whistleblowers don’t apply to Attorney General Ken Paxton, his agency argues in bid to quash lawsuit. Who among us didn’t already know that Ken Paxton doesn’t think the law applies to him? The Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why would he condemn something he supported?

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We know who and what Ken Paxton is. Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is the only state attorney general to decline to join letters over the past week condemning the Capitol riot. In a Jan. 12 letter, 50 state … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

What to do about Ted and Kenny?

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You wouldn’t think it would be possible for Ted Cruz to become more loathesome, but if you think that you seriously underestimate him. Two nights before the Electoral College certification in Congress, Ted Cruz was in vintage form. The junior … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Another way Ken Paxton is costing you money

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s something else, this guy. Texas may pay tens of millions of dollars to outside attorneys hired to handle a major lawsuit against Google — money the state did not plan to spend before a scandal enveloped Texas Attorney General … Continue reading →

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PAC to boot Paxton formed

Posted on December 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

No time like the present to start the fight against America’s worst AG. Thursday, the Boot Texas Republicans Political Action Committee launched a campaign that is dead set on kicking Paxton out of office. Treasurer Zack Malitz said the PAC … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton’s attempted jihad against Harris County

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Attorney General Ken Paxton tried to get the Trump administration to revoke millions in federal COVID relief funding that Harris County budgeted for expanding mail-in voting earlier this year, newly revealed records show. Paxton wrote in a May 21 … Continue reading →

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You’d think with all that voter fraud out there, they could actually find some

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So much effort, so little to show for it. The Texas Attorney General’s office this year almost doubled the amount of time it spent looking into and working on voter fraud cases in 2018 — more than 22,000 staff hours … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A closer look at the Aguirre/Hotze debacle

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This WaPo story was pointed out in the comments here, and it’s worth your time to read. I should note that while the Houston Chronicle has not (at least so far) identified the air conditioning repairman that Aguirre attacked, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

TDP asks SCOTUS to review age discrimination claim in mail voting

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today, the Texas Democratic Party and voters filed their final brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking its review of the case filed last Spring which challenged the constitutionality of Texas’s law that limits voting by mail, … Continue reading →

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Paxton denies whistleblower allegations

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty standard response. The Texas attorney general’s office will pay outside counsel $540 an hour to defend the state agency against accusations that it was retaliating against top aides when it fired them just weeks after they reported their boss, … Continue reading →

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Now we wait on SCOTUS

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas filed its reply to the defendants’ responses to its democracy–killing lawsuit, and, well, it’s something. This brings us the Texas AG Ken Paxton’s reply–or, rather, replies, as there are multiple filings, including a motion to enlarge … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments