what is the texas attorney general in charge of

What are the duties of the Texas Attorney General?

May 27, 2021 · A panel of three justices ruled Thursday that the trial for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’s felony fraud charges should be in Collin County — …

How do you contact Texas Attorney General?

University of Virginia ( JD) Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Texas since January 2015. Paxton has described himself as a Tea Party conservative. Paxton was re-elected to a second term as Attorney General in 2018.

What does the Texas Attorney General do?

Jun 19, 2019 · The Texas Tribune. July 2020 marks five years since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on felony securities fraud charges. The criminal case against him has been a cloud over his head ...

How to contact the Attorney General?

12 hours ago · Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gives remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday, July 11, 2021, in Dallas. Paxton, a Republican up for reelection in 2022, issued an ...

What did Paxton say about Obama's deferred action?

Paxton led a coalition of twenty-six states challenging President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) executive action, which granted deferred action status to certain undocumented immigrants who had lived in the United States since 2010 and had children who were American citizens or lawful permanent residents. Paxton argued that the president should not be allowed to "unilaterally rewrite congressional laws and circumvent the people's representatives." The Supreme Court heard the case, United States v. Texas, and issued a split 4-4 ruling in the case in June 2016. Because of the split ruling, a 2015 lower-court ruling invalidating Obama's plan was left in place. In July 2017, Paxton led a group of Republican Attorneys General and Idaho Governor Butch Otter in threatening the Trump administration that they would litigate if the president did not terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that had been put into place by president Barack Obama, although never implemented in Texas because of legal action on behalf of the state. The other Attorneys General who joined in making the threats to Trump included Steve Marshall of Alabama, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Lawrence Wasden of Idaho, Derek Schmidt of Kansas, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Doug Peterson of Nebraska, Alan Wilson of South Carolina, and Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia.

Who did Paxton run against?

President Donald Trump, Paxton won a second term as attorney general in the general election on November 6, 2018, narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Justin Nelson, a lawyer, and Libertarian Party nominee Michael Ray Harris by a margin of 4,173,538 (50.6 percent) to 3,874,096 (47 percent) and Harris receiving 2.4%. Justin Nelson 's campaign ad for attorney general included a comedic depiction of Paxton taking a Montblanc Pen worth $1,000 from attorney Joe Joplin in 2012. The pen was later returned.

What did Paxton say about the border wall?

In 2017, Paxton voiced support for the application of eminent domain to obtain right-of-way along the Rio Grande in Texas for construction of the border wall advocated by President Donald Trump as a means to curtail illegal immigration. Paxton said that private landowners must receive a fair price when property is taken for the pending construction. He said that the wall serves "a public purpose providing safety to people not only along the border, but to the entire nation. ... I want people to be treated fairly, so they shouldn't just have their land taken from them," but there must be just compensation.

Who sued Paxton?

Paxton sued the Obama administration over a new rule by the United States Department of Labor which would make five million additional workers eligible for overtime pay. The new rule would mean workers earning up to an annual salary of $47,500 would become eligible for overtime pay when working more than 40 hours per week. Paxton has said the new regulations "may lead to disastrous consequences for our economy." Along with Texas, twenty other states have joined the lawsuit.

What is the Clean Power Plan?

Paxton has mounted a legal challenge to the Clean Power Plan, which is President Obama's "state-by-state effort to fight climate change by shifting away from coal power to cleaner-burning natural gas and renewable resources." Paxton has said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to "force Texas to change how we regulate energy production" through an "unprecedented expansion of federal authority." The Clean Power Plan would require Texas to cut an annual average of 51 million tons of emissions, down 21 percent from 2012 levels. Paxton says the required reductions would cost the state jobs, push electricity costs too high, and threaten reliability on the electrical grid. Paxton says there is no evidence that the plan will mitigate climate change, directly contradicting studies by the EPA that have shown the regulation will reduce carbon pollution by 870 million tons in 2030. He further asserts that the EPA lacks the statutory authority to write the state's policies.

Who sided with ExxonMobil in 2016?

In 2016, Paxton was one of eleven Republican state attorneys general who sided with ExxonMobil in the company's suit to block a climate change probe by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

What is the Persuader Rule?

Paxton is involved in a legal challenge to a rule by the Department of Labor which forces employers to report any "actions, conduct or communications" undertaken to "affect an employee's decisions regarding his or her representation or collective bargaining rights". Known as the "persuader rule", the new regulation went into effect in April 2016. Opponents of the rule say it will prevent employers from speaking on labor issues or seeking legal counsel. In June 2016, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the rule. Paxton called the injunction "a victory for the preservation of the sanctity of attorney-client confidentiality".

Why did Paxton get charged?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission files civil charges against Paxton for allegedly misleading investors in a technology company. Paxton releases a video defending himself and calling the state’s prosecution political. In June, he fails to get the state’s criminal charges against him dismissed by an appeals court.

What happened to Ken Paxton?

July 2020 marks five years since Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on felony securities fraud charges. The criminal case against him has been a cloud over his head during nearly all of his time in statewide office, including a narrow reelection win in 2018.

Who is the district attorney for Collin County?

Criminal case emerges. After Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis recu ses himself from the investigation because he knows Paxton, a GOP judge appoints special prosecutors Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer and agrees to pay them $300 per hour.

Can Paxton use campaign funds?

Because the charges are unrelated to his public office, Paxton also cannot use campaign funds. Questions emerge about how he is funding his top-dollar legal defense.

What happened to Paxton in Texas?

In April, during Paxton’s bid to become the Republican nominee for attorney general, The Texas Tribune obtains documents showing he was not registered with the state board while he was being paid to solicit clients for a North Texas financial services firm. Paxton’s campaign launches an internal review to determine whether he had broken any laws. Soon after, the Texas State Securities Board reprimands Paxton for soliciting investment clients without being registered. He is fined $1,000 and signs a disciplinary order without disputing its findings.

Who is Paxton running against?

Paxton runs for reelection against Democrat Justin Nelson, a formidable opponent who centers his campaign on the indictment. Weeks after Paxton narrowly wins a second term, the Court of Criminal Appeals sides against the prosecutors in the pay dispute, ruling that the six-figure payments they had expected fell outside legal limits. The prosecutors ask the high court to reconsider its decision to ensure the court’s proceedings “appear fair to all who observe them.”

Who is the judge for Paxton v. Harris County?

After a hearing in December 2019, Judge Robert Johnson spends six months considering the motion to move Paxton’s trial, then returns the case to Collin County — but that June ruling is quickly put on hold by a Houston appeals court. Johnson recuses himself from the case because the Texas Attorney General’s Office is defending him and more than 20 other Harris County judges in an unrelated lawsuit over the county’s bail practices. The case is reassigned to Harris County District Judge Jason Luong.

What is the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act?

Texas is leading the latest major challenge to the Affordable Care Act to reach the Supreme Court. In recent weeks, he has pushed to stop a county clerk from sending out unsolicited ballots, as he raised concerns about election fraud, and has challenged various coronavirus restrictions local governments have imposed.

Who signed the letter to the Attorney General?

The letter was signed by seven of the highest-ranking officials in the Attorney General’s Office, including the first assistant attorney general, Jeffrey C. Mateer, who resigned last week to join the First Liberty Institute, a religious freedom advocacy organization, to focus on elevating conservatives onto the federal bench. (Mr.

Who is Ryan Bangert?

The Texas Tribune reported on Sunday that one of the signatories, Ryan L. Bangert, the deputy first assistant attorney general, sent a message across the attorney general’s office encouraging the staff to continue “its important work without interruption.”.