Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has scored a significant legal victory as the State Bar of Texas drops its lawsuit against him over his attempt to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.
It’s a huge victory for freedom of speech.
At a Glance
- The Texas State Bar has abandoned its complaint aimed at sanctioning Attorney General Ken Paxton.
- The decision was influenced by the Texas Supreme Court’s dismissal of a similar lawsuit against Paxton’s aide.
- Paxton described the complaint as “wasteful politically motivated lawfare.”
- This marks Paxton’s second legal victory in a year, following his survival of impeachment charges.
- The Attorney General remains under federal investigation for corruption allegations.
State Bar Drops Lawsuit Against Paxton
In a great victory for freedom of speech and election integrity, the State Bar of Texas has decided to drop its lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton regarding his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. This decision comes in the wake of the Texas Supreme Court’s dismissal of a similar lawsuit against Paxton’s aide, Brent Webster.
The state bar’s lawsuit aimed to sanction Paxton for allegedly making false claims about election fraud, with potential penalties ranging from a reprimand to disbarment. However, state bar lawyers cited that Paxton’s case “raises identical separation of powers issues” to Webster’s case, which was dismissed by the Texas Supreme Court.
Bar complaint dropped against Texas AG Ken Paxton over 2020 election challenge https://t.co/amTeHCcO69
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 27, 2025
Paxton, who has long maintained his innocence, celebrated the dismissal of the lawsuit. In a statement, he said, “I am pleased to announce that the Texas State Bar has finally ended its baseless and politically motivated attempt to stop me for doing my duty to defend election integrity.”
“The State Bar’s meritless case was not about justice or the rule of law but about weaponizing the legal process to attack me for boldly defending the rights of Texas. For four years, this unfounded lawfare wasted valuable time and resources, but these unethical tactics will never stop me from fighting to uphold the rule of law, protect our elections, and defend the values that Texans hold dear,” Mr. Paxton said.
This dismissal marks Paxton’s second legal victory in a year. Previously, felony securities fraud charges against him were dropped under an agreement requiring community service, legal ethics courses, and restitution payment. Additionally, Paxton survived impeachment charges related to alleged bribery and abuse of office.
So what was the cause of the suit? The 2020 election.
The complaint against Paxton stemmed from his 2020 request for the Supreme Court to address a dispute involving Texas and four other states over election rule changes. The lawsuit alleged unsubstantiated claims of illegal changes to election procedures in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The Supreme Court ultimately declined to get involved in the 2020 election dispute. The state bar had alleged that Paxton misrepresented facts in his petition, suggesting a violation of ethics rules. However, with the dismissal of this lawsuit, Paxton has emerged victorious in yet another legal battle.