|
The decision, revealed Wednesday in court filings, ends a
yearslong attempt to potentially sanction Paxton over making
false claims of fraud when he filed a lawsuit that questioned
Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Republican President Donald
Trump.
The move comes a month after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that
Paxton's top deputy could not be sanctioned over similar
accusations. A disciplinary commission for the state bar cited
that December ruling in moving to drop its lawsuit against
Paxton.
A spokesperson for the State Bar of Texas declined to comment
Thursday. Spokespeople for the attorney general did not
immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Paxton has long attacked the accusations against him as baseless
and politically motivated.
The disciplinary commission accused Paxton of making false
claims of fraud to the U.S. Supreme Court in his lawsuit
challenging the election. The bar association pursued its own
lawsuit against Paxton in 2022, and at the time, the committee
said it sought to punish Paxton through disciplinary action as
an attorney and not as a public official.
The bar complaint alleged that Paxton “misrepresented” facts to
the Supreme Court in the suit seeking to overturn Biden’s
victory. The suit was backed by Trump. The high court threw out
the lawsuit.
The state bar disciplinary group’s punishments against an
attorney can range from a written admonition to a suspension or
disbarment.
The potential sanctions were among several legal clouds that had
hung over Paxton. Last year, Paxton reached a deal to end
criminal accusations of securities fraud, and the Texas Senate
in 2023 acquitted him of corruption accusations in an
impeachment trial.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
