In a major win for the State of Texas, the State Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the Agency has wasted public resources for years. The Texas Supreme Court conditionally granted the OAG’s petition for a writ of mandamus, ordering the Travis County District Court to stop abusing its discretion by attempting to force senior OAG officials to undergo depositions in a case with no pending factual disputes. In so doing, it enabled this litigation finally to come to an end.
In January 2024, Attorney General Paxton chose to end litigation with former employees by enabling the trial court to enter a final judgment without contesting the baseless claims. However, the judge forced the litigation to continue in violation of Texas court rules in an apparent effort to prolong the political charade and interfere with the OAG’s day-to-day business. The OAG appealed to the Third Court of Appeals and ultimately requested the Supreme Court of Texas to intervene and end the politically motivated lawfare.
To read the decision, click here.