Tag Archives: Ken Paxton

A sudden surge in potential candidates

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg may be running for Governor. Sources say former Mayor Ron Nirenberg has been telling fellow Democrats he’s considering a run for governor in 2026 — a potentially grueling race against the formidable Republican Gov. … Continue reading →

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Allred 2.0 launches

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He’s back. Democrat Colin Allred launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, making a second run at the upper chamber after failing to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz last year. “Texans are working harder than ever, not getting as … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s State Fair gun ban lawsuit tossed

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Dallas County district judge dismissed state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s suit against the State Fair of Texas and the City of Dallas, for gun restrictions that were enacted following a 2023 shooting that injured three people at the … Continue reading →

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Another assault on mifepristone

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Jesus Christ. A North Texas man charged with capital murder this month after he allegedly slipped his girlfriend abortion-inducing medication and caused a miscarriage marks the first time a murder charge has been brought in an abortion-related case in Texas. … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Texas’ anti-porn law

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Texas’ law requiring Pornhub and other adult websites to verify users’ ages is constitutional and can remain in effect, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The case stems from a 2023 law, HB 1181, that required websites to verify … Continue reading →

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Paxton minions hurl accusations at each other

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What a nest of vipers the AG’s office must be. Several former and current top aides of Attorney General Ken Paxton are trading explosive accusations in legal and administrative filings, the latest of which alleges that Paxton’s right-hand deputy obstructed … Continue reading →

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ACLU and other interest groups seek to intervene in Texas Dream Act lawsuit

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Democracy Forward, National Immigration Law Center, and the Dallas-based firm of Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann filed a motion to intervene today in ongoing federal court litigation — on … Continue reading →

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Virts becomes first official Dem Senate candidate

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not the last. Terry Virts, a former astronaut and International Space Station commander, announced Monday he is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas as a Democrat. With his campaign launch, Virts became the first Democrat to join what … Continue reading →

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The Paxton opportunity

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Axios: A new private GOP poll is showing Republicans facing a growing problem in the Texas Senate race, the third such survey in just a month. Why it matters: Republicans haven’t lost a statewide race in Texas in more than three decades, … Continue reading →

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Counties get temporary restraining order on prosecutor reporting requirements

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but we’ll see how long it lasts. A Travis County Judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of a new rule requiring prosecutors in counties with 400,000 or more residents to turn over data on active and closed criminal cases to … Continue reading →

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A few 2026 statewide candidate tidbits

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This Politico story is mostly a lot of chatter from Texas Dems who have many different opinions about what kind of candidates ought to be running statewide next year. I’m not interested in that, but there were some newsy bits … Continue reading →

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Undocumented students want to challenge that ridiculous settlement

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Seems clear to me that they should be allowed to intervene, but the same judge that allowed the settlement has to allow this as well. A group of undocumented students on Wednesday asked a judge to let them intervene in … Continue reading →

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Add Rep. Talarico to the “thinking about running for Senate” list

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Join the party, there’s plenty of room. State Rep. James Talarico, a former schoolteacher who often goes viral on social media for his feisty exchanges with Republicans, told Hearst Newspapers he is considering a bid for the U.S. Senate in … Continue reading →

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Texas DREAM Act suddenly killed by activist judge

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is some bullshit. Undocumented students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition after Texas agreed Wednesday with the federal government’s demand to stop the practice. The abrupt end to Texas’ 24-year-old law came hours after the U.S. … Continue reading →

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SCOTx gives Paxton another crack at Annunciation House

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can move forward with his efforts to gather records from El Paso’s Annunciation House to investigate his claims that the migrant shelter network was harboring undocumented immigrants, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday. “We … Continue reading →

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Two former Paxton lieutenants sued for sexual harassment

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Damn. Two of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top deputies were forced to resign in 2023 over allegations of harassment, according to court filings included in a lawsuit Tuesday. Judd Stone, the former solicitor general, and Chris Hilton, an assistant … Continue reading →

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Trojan “abortion exceptions” bill passes

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For better or worse. A bill clarifying when doctors can perform abortions under Texas’ near-total ban will now go to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after the House approved the bill with wide bipartisan support. Despite some concerns raised by conservative … Continue reading →

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Lege set to do more social media bans

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The Texas Legislature is poised to impose sweeping restrictions on how minors use social media, from banning them from signing up for accounts and requiring parental consent to download applications, to placing … Continue reading →

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Five DAs sue Paxton over new reporting requirements

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them good luck. Five Texas district attorneys are suing Attorney General Ken Paxton in two separate lawsuits filed Friday over new rules that would give the state’s top law enforcer meticulous access to their office’s records. The two … Continue reading →

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Houston hospitals have done worse with the abortion ban than Dallas hospitals have

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Unacceptable. Nearly four years ago in Texas, the state’s new abortion law started getting in the way of basic miscarriage care: As women waited in hospitals cramping, fluid running down their legs, doctors told them they couldn’t empty their uterus … Continue reading →

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Maria Rojas appeals clinic shutdown order

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye on this. The Texas Attorney General’s Office can’t prove that a Houston-area midwife provided an illegal abortion, her lawyers say. In an appeal submitted to the Texas First Court of Appeals on Monday, lawyers for Maria Rojas … Continue reading →

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One more poll item

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of points to note here. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) trails Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by 16 points in a new poll commissioned by the Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP-leadership backed super PAC. SLF is supporting Cornyn. Their … Continue reading →

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Once more with Trump’s approval ratings in Texas

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. President Donald Trump is viewed favorably by 47% of Texas voters and unfavorably by 50%, putting his net favorability at -3. This is a significant decline since November, when Trump’s net favorability was +12 (55% favorable, 43% unfavorable). … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of Dems looking at the Senate race

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, from Thursday’s “Texas take with Jeremy Wallace” newsletter. The more endangered U.S. Sen. John Cornyn looks in early polling against Ken Paxton in the GOP primary, the more Democrats are buzzing. While a Democrat has not won … Continue reading →

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Beto 3.0?

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. Beto O’Rourke, a one-time Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Texas Governor, is holding town halls across the state. It’s the kind of thing someone running for office would do. O’Rourke is not currently a candidate, but on Saturday … Continue reading →

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Terry Virts

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We may have an astronaut candidate for Senate. In the latest sign that Democrats are turning a new leaf after their dismal 2024 defeat, astronaut and political neophyte Terry Virts is planning to launch a run for the US Senate … Continue reading →

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San Marcos and Austin marijuana ordinances struck down

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Strike one. A state appeals court has shot down a voter-approved ordinance that decriminalized marijuana in San Marcos. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals last week overturned a ruling that denied a temporary injunction to block the law’s enforcement in the … Continue reading →

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Just another reminder that abortion bans kill women

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

In case you needed it. Pregnant people living in states with abortion bans are almost twice as likely to die during pregnancy or soon after giving birth, a report released Wednesday found. The risk is greatest for Black women in … Continue reading →

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Nate Paul avoids prison

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The whimpering end of this saga, barring anything extraordinary in the future. An Austin real estate developer who was central to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment case was sentenced on Wednesday to supervised release and a $1 million fine for … Continue reading →

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More from Maria Rojas’ attorney

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff from the Press. During a March 27 hearing, Waller County District Judge Gary Chaney granted an injunction declaring that a network of three Houston-area clinics must remain temporarily closed. Marc Hearron, senior counsel for the Center for Reproductive … Continue reading →

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Paxton officially running against Cornyn

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The campaign no one asked for. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s midterm elections, setting up a barnburner clash of two Republican titans that is poised to reverberate across … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues San Antonio over abortion funding

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

First, this happened. In an election-year reversal, San Antonio city leaders voted 6-5 Thursday to fast-track distribution of $100,000 to organizations that provide reproductive services, including emergency contraception and transportation for out-of-state abortion care. Just months ago, city staff shut down a … Continue reading →

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Paxton whistleblowers get what they asked for

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them, and good in general. A Travis County district court judge on Friday awarded $6.6 million to four former senior aides to Attorney General Ken Paxton who said they were improperly fired after reporting Paxton to the FBI. … Continue reading →

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Yeah, the Paxton federal prosecution was officially dropped

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Please take several deep breaths before and as you read this. The Justice Department quietly decided in the final weeks of the Biden administration not to prosecute Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, effectively ending the corruption investigation that cast a long … Continue reading →

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