Attorney General Paxton, 24-State Coalition Sets Forth Plan For Power Plan’s Withdrawal: Coalition outlines suggested path in letter to Vice President-elect Pence, Congress
Attorney General Paxton said: “The Clean Power Plan offers President-elect Trump the opportunity to break with the lawlessness that defined his predecessor’s administration and prove beyond a doubt to naysayers that his tenure in office will work faithfully to reinvigorate the Constitution and the principles of federalism that made this country great.”
AG Paxton Intervenes into Lawsuit to Defend “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
“Once again, public schools have decided that their commitment to diversity does not extend to Christians,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Neither faculty nor students shed their constitutional rights when they step inside the schoolhouse door. The law in fact encourages school districts to take an inclusive approach to religious and secular celebrations that are both respectful and accepting of different viewpoints. Killeen ISD made a clear legal error when it decided it had to censor staff member Dedra Shannon’s Christmas decoration simply because it incorporated some religious terminology.”
AG Paxton: Houston Store Shut Down After Violating Court Order
“My office will not stand by as the health and safety of Texans is endangered by drug peddlers looking for a quick buck,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The sale of illegal, deadly drugs must be put to a stop. My office will continue to work with local authorities across the state to send a message: businesses who sell these dangerous and illegal substances will not escape punishment.”
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 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.”