An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office

"Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh called it “an extraordinarily unusual lawsuit,” and Justice Neil Gorsuch chastised Texas for attempting “government by lawsuit.”"

"In one fell swoop, the agency had lost Paxton’s first assistant, his deputy first assistant and the deputy attorneys general overseeing the divisions of policy, administration, civil litigation, criminal investigations and legal counsel."

"Three decades ago, state attorney general offices were, by and large, bureaucratic workhorses that chased down child support and defended state agencies when they got sued."

"Paxton also made a habit of refusing to represent state agencies when they faced lawsuits, a key aspect of his office’s work."

"But in the late 1990s, state attorneys general began to step into their power, taking a more proactive role in federal litigation."

"u201cThe Biden administration is messing around with detention standards, or public health regulations, or migrant protection protocols."

This is a negative sentiment.

"The office helped launch the careers of now-Sen. Ted Cruz, conservative firebrand Jonathan Mitchell and almost a dozen lawyers who went on to be appointed to the federal bench under President Donald Trump."

This is a negative sentiment.

"The office helped launch the careers of now-Sen. Ted Cruz, conservative firebrand Jonathan Mitchell and almost a dozen lawyers who went on to be appointed to the federal bench under President Donald Trump."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Webster also supported Paxtonu2019s long-shot federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 election results in four battleground states that went for Biden, which other conservative attorneys, inside the agency and out, cautioned him against filing."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Among those who reported were Mateer, Bangert, Blake Brickman, a former chief of staff to conservative Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, and David Maxwell, a longtime Texas Ranger with a sterling law enforcement reputation."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Among those who reported were Mateer, Bangert, Blake Brickman, a former chief of staff to conservative Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, and David Maxwell, a longtime Texas Ranger with a sterling law enforcement reputation."

This is a negative sentiment.

"After he was acquitted, Paxton said in a statement that his full focus would now be on challenging the Biden administration in court: u201cBuckle up because your lawless policies will not go unchallenged."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Paxton has said his focus will be national u2014 continuing to challenge the Biden administration in federal court and, itu2019s safe to assume, trying to rebuild the officeu2019s stature in the eyes of the national conservative legal movement."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Beginning under now-Sen. John Cornyn, and accelerating significantly under his successor, now-Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Office of the Attorney General took an ambitious, aggressive stance in court, barraging the federal government with increasingly partisan lawsuits."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Beginning under now-Sen. John Cornyn, and accelerating significantly under his successor, now-Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Office of the Attorney General took an ambitious, aggressive stance in court, barraging the federal government with increasingly partisan lawsuits."

This is a negative sentiment.

"This strategy worked in front of hand-picked, Trump-appointed judges like Matthew Kacsmaryk, Mateeru2019s former colleague at First Liberty, and on the newly super-conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."

This is a negative sentiment.

"When it came to the all-important federal litigation against the Biden administration, the agency continued to push a relentless pace."

This is a positive sentiment.

"The office was known as u201ca beacon for the conservative legal movement,u201d said Ryan Bangert, who joined the office in 2019 after working for Josh Hawley in Missouri."

This is a negative sentiment.