Texas AG Ken Paxton's habit of refusing to defend state agencies cost taxpayers

"A few months later, the county judge of Jack County, northwest of Fort Worth, sued the judicial commission in federal court, arguing that he also was at risk of being sanctioned because he did not perform same-sex marriages."

""The law was clear that affirmative action was allowed (at the time)," said Terry Goddard, a Democrat who was Arizona's attorney general from 2003 to 2011."

"Another has been his choice not to represent the State Commission on Judicial Conduct after it issued a public warning to a justice of the peace who refused to perform same-sex marriages despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized the unions."

"The attorney general's office also wrote in the letter that it had filed briefs urging the court to do away with affirmative action because it was "abhorrent to the Constitution.""For these reasons, we are choosing at this time to withhold a decision on your request forrepresentation and for outside counsel," the letter said."

"In late 2019, a justice of the peace in Waco, less than two hours south of Dallas, sued the judicial commission in district court after it issued her a public warning because of statements she made to the media about disagreeing with and refusing to perform same-sex marriages after they'd been legalized, casting "doubt on her capacity to act impartially.""

"Asked in 2020 about not representing the commission, an attorney general spokesman told the Houston Chronicle, "We believe judges retain their right to religious liberty when they take the bench.""

"He alleges that the commission is violating the Waco justice of the peace's rights under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which limits government actions that substantially burden someone's ability to freely exercise their religion, and the Texas Constitution because it violates her freedom of speech and religion."

"In the piece, Suthers criticized three Democratic attorneys general at the time, including California's Kamala Harris, now U.S. vice president, for refusing to defend their state's ban on gay marriage ahead of the Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing the unions."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Paxton and his staff did not directly answer Gonzalez's question but raised the various reasons the office would not take on a case, including instances when it thinks an agency's argument violates the constitution."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Under Abbott's leadership, the attorney general's office defended UT-Austin in federal district court against a lawsuit filed by Abigail Fisher and another student."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Gonzalez, a Democrat, asked Paxton if he had made an active decision to have the attorney general's office take on the lawsuit filed against him."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Although Abbott did not represent the university throughout the entire appeals process, he submitted a nearly 50-page brief in December 2011 when the case first went before the Supreme Court, urging the high court to reject the case."

This is a negative sentiment.

"First Liberty board member Tim Du is among Paxton's biggest individual donors, having given him $820,000 since he first ran for attorney general."

This is a positive sentiment.

"When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton held a news conference in May decrying state lawmakers' anticipated vote to impeach him, he framed the decision as not only a threat to his political career but as one that endangered the slew of lawsuits he'd filed against the Biden administration."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Neither Shackelford nor Dunn responded to a request for comment."

This is a negative sentiment.

"Political action committees associated with Du have also donated more than $950,000 combined to Paxton."

This is a positive sentiment.

"And the record will show that I'm not supporting your position, but I'm going to get you counsel.'"nnAbout a month after Paxton was impeached by the Texas House and suspended from his position, the attorney general's office, while under the leadership of interim Attorney General John Scott, finally allowed the UT System to hire outside lawyers in the affirmative action case.nn"

This is a negative sentiment.

"That choice stands in contrast to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to represent the University of Texas at Austin in a similar case 15 years earlier when he was the state's attorney general."

This is a negative sentiment.

""Ultimately, the attorney general isn't doing his job," Gonzalez said in an interview with the news organizations."

This is a negative sentiment.

"During a legislative committee hearing in February, Mary Gonzu00e1lez, a state representative from the El Paso area, grilled Paxton about his decisions to not represent state agencies."

This is a positive sentiment.