Tag Archives: Ken Paxton

Beware the trojan “abortion exceptions” bill

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Jessica Valenti warns us. Texas Republicans are poised to pull a fast one: They’ve convinced Democrats and doctors to support a bill they claim will protect life-saving abortion care and ‘clarify’ the state’s ban. But the rapidly advancing “Life of … Continue reading →

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Yet another part of the omnibus vote suppression law struck down

Posted on March 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s taken awhile, but I can’t argue with the outcome. A federal judge in San Antonio has ruled that the state of Texas’ ID requirements for mail ballot applications are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez on Thursday found that … Continue reading →

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Order issued to temporarily close Maria Rojas’ clinics

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This was expected. A Texas court has temporarily shut down a group of Houston-area clinics run by a midwife accused of performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license. Waller County Judge Gary W. Chaney on Tuesday signed an … Continue reading →

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More on Paxton’s abortion arrests

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Mother Jones. In what appears to be the first arrests of healthcare providers for allegedly violating a post-Roe v. Wade state abortion ban, Maria Margarita Rojas, a midwife working in the region around Houston, and her employee, medical assistant … Continue reading →

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Waller County midwife arrested on abortion charges

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. A Houston-area midwife has been arrested on allegations she performed illegal abortions, the first criminal charges brought under the state’s near-total abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday. Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, was charged with the illegal … Continue reading →

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Paxton opines against birth certificate and drivers license changes

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This fuckin’ guy… State agencies should not honor court orders to change the sex on someone’s driver’s license or birth certificate, according to an opinion filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Friday. He also said state agencies should retroactively … Continue reading →

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Roberson files another appeal

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him luck. Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson filed a new appeal with the state’s highest criminal court on Wednesday in his first attempt to overturn his death sentence since an unprecedented intervention by a state legislative committee … Continue reading →

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Paxton whistleblowers ask for $6.7 million in damages

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Senior officials who were fired after reporting Attorney General Ken Paxton to law enforcement for alleged criminal conduct in 2020 asked a Travis County judge Thursday to award them $6.7 million in damages. Paxton’s office has … Continue reading →

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Dr. Carpenter ordered to stop sending abortion pills to Texas

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re off. A Collin County judge has ordered a New York doctor to stop prescribing abortion-inducing medication to Texas residents and ordered her to pay a $100,000 fine. Thursday’s ruling is the opening salvo in what’s expected to be … Continue reading →

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Appeals Court hears Catholic Charities case

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping for a good outcome. A Texas appeals court panel on Wednesday appeared skeptical of the procedure used by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office as it sought to question under oath the leader of one of the state’s largest migrant … Continue reading →

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One of the judges Ken Paxton helped elect wants to reform judicial campaign finances

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And I support him! Honestly, I’m as surprised as you are. David Schenk, the new presiding judge on Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals, is on a mission to make sweeping changes to the rules governing judicial elections in the Lone … Continue reading →

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Paxton appeals SCOPE Act rulings

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. An Austin-based federal judge ruled Friday that some aspects of a Texas law limiting minors’ access to digital platforms likely violate the First Amendment, a decision Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately appealed. Northern District of Texas Judge Robert … Continue reading →

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More on the legal attacks against Dr. Carpenter of New York

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Slate legal expert Mary Ziegler weighs in on Louisiana’s attempt to prosecute New York doctor Margaret Carpenter for sending abortion pills to a woman in that state. Dr. Carpenter has also been sued by Ken Paxton for the same thing … Continue reading →

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More blocks on the SCOPE Act

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Some late Friday news. A federal district court on Friday has issued more temporary blocks on provisions of a Texas law designed to restrict what kinds of materials and advertisements minors can see on social media and age verification requirements. … Continue reading →

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Louisiana indicts NY doctor for providing mifepristone

Posted on February 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And the stakes get raised again. A New York doctor was criminally indicted Friday for allegedly prescribing abortion pills to a girl in Louisiana in what appears to be the first time an abortion provider has been prosecuted since Roe … Continue reading →

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State Bar to drop its lawsuit against Paxton

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The State Bar of Texas on Wednesday moved to drop its lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, extending a cascade of legal and political wins for the … Continue reading →

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Of course the Paxton investigation is dead

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I strongly disagree with the use of the word “could” in this story. When President Donald Trump appeared in a New York courtroom last spring to face a slew of criminal charges, he was joined by a rotating cadre of … Continue reading →

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What happens now with Colony Ridge?

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Probably nothing good, but how much of that remains to be seen. A newly elected state representative this week suggested Colony Ridge, a 33,000 acre majority-Latino residential development in Liberty County, will be a focus of immigration enforcement for President-Elect Donald Trump’s administration. … Continue reading →

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Paxton asks SCOTx to get him off the State Bar hook

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As the sun rises in the east. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office wants the Texas Supreme Court to throw out a State Bar ethics complaint against him — two weeks after the court dismissed a similar complaint against his assistant attorney general. … Continue reading →

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Nate Paul takes a plea

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another anticlimactic end to an ongoing saga. Nate Paul, a prominent Austin real estate developer and head of World Class Holdings, has pleaded guilty to a single count of making false statements to a lending institution. The plea, entered Wednesday, … Continue reading →

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El Paso doctor responds to Paxton’s gender affirming care lawsuit

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Dr. Hector Granados felt puzzled when he first heard of the allegations. The El Paso pediatrician had just finished his hospital rounds early in the morning last fall when he received a call from a friend. The friend … Continue reading →

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SCOTx hears Paxton’s appeal of the Annunciation House case

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A big one. The Texas Attorney General’s Office told sometimes skeptical Texas Supreme Court justices Monday that El Paso’s Annunciation House migrant shelters are harboring undocumented immigrants and can’t use Catholic religious beliefs as a legal justification for its actions. … Continue reading →

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Where the Lege might go next on abortion

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There’s always further to go. Last legislative session was the quietest in decades for abortion. After successfully banning nearly all abortions, Republicans were wary about continuing to push an issue that is widely unpopular with voters. This session, coming off … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues TikTok

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Feels like this is about to be moot, but here we are. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday sued TikTok for the second time in recent months, accusing the social media company of violating deceptive trade law by downplaying … Continue reading →

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SCOTx lets Brent Webster off the hook

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta love a pre-holiday news dump. The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday ended a professional misconduct case against a top aide to Attorney General Ken Paxton for his role in challenging the 2020 election results, previewing a likely outcome for … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Senate 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: President The US Senate race between Colin Allred and Ted Cruz was easily the best Democratic result, the race most like 2020, with Allred winning by over 11 points and 175K votes. The precinct numbers reflect this margin of … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues NCAA over trans athletes

Posted on December 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Never not on brand. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Sunday he sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association, accusing the organization of misleading college sports fans by allowing transgender women to participate in events marketed as women’s competitions. Paxton said … Continue reading →

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Uplift Harris 2.0 still on hold

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just part of the process at this point. Harris County’s second version of a guaranteed income program has been blocked as it awaits a final appeal after a recent court order stopped the county from distributing funds under the revamped … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues out of state abortion provider

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The thing about rot is that it has a tendency to spread. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing abortion drugs to a Texas resident in violation of state law. This … Continue reading →

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Will Cornyn get MAGAed in the 2026 primary?

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From The Downballot (scroll to the bottom of the “Senate” section). Republican Sen. John Cornyn has long been a loud and proud supporter of Donald Trump, but his occasional apostasies have drawn the ire of MAGA purists and could land … Continue reading →

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Paxton versus 404Media

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. In October, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed 404 Media, demanding that we hand over confidential information about our reporting and an anonymous source to help the state of Texas in a wholly unrelated case it is pursuing … Continue reading →

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Phelan withdraws his Speaker bid

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Palace intrigue time. House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced he is dropping his bid for another term leading the lower chamber, ending a bruising, monthslong intraparty push to remove him from power. Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, had previously insisted … Continue reading →

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Paxton won’t be deposed by the whistleblowers

Posted on November 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Alas. Attorney General Ken Paxton will not have to sit for a deposition in a longstanding lawsuit filed by four former senior aides who said he improperly fired them after they reported him to the FBI, the Texas Supreme Court … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Dallas over its marijuana decriminalization law

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Dallas over the newly approved Proposition R — which decriminalizes up to four ounces of marijuana in the city. The filing names the entire Dallas City Council, Mayor … Continue reading →

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