In a bold show of interstate legal fraternity, the National Coalition of Attorneys General has stepped up to back Ken Paxton’s top aide in the face of what they condemn as baseless, politically charged legal sparring. The group underscored its disapproval by filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Texas in solidarity with First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster, who, alongside Paxton, is tangled in a legal kerfuffle with the State Bar of Texas, as reported by the Texas Attorney General's office.
The controversy stems from a lawsuit, Texas v. Pennsylvania, which Paxton and Webster saw as essential to address purported unconstitutional actions around the 2020 elections. Filed only after the complaints met dismissal, the Bar has hit back, citing alleged misrepresentations from the Texan pair during the suit's proceedings. The move by the State Bar, perceived by some as an underhanded retaliation, prompted the national coalition's defense.
The particulars of the coalition's brief paint a tableau where the independence of an attorney general's constitutional responsibilities could risk being undermined by politically motivated bar complaints. In the document sourced from the Texas Attorney General's website, the coalition warned of a "real question in this case" revolving around "whether courts will permit the politicization of the State Bars and weaponization of disciplinary rules against elected executive officers discharging their constitutional duties," as per the Texas Attorney General's office. They argue that such actions pose a risk of obstructing attorneys general and their aides from fulfilling constitutional obligations.
Attorney General Paxton accepted the coalition's support gratefully, slamming the State Bar's actions as a shabby use of "politically-motivated lawfare" attempting to strong-arm officials who abide by their oaths. "Thank you to my fellow attorneys general for siding with law and order," Paxton stated. "The State Bar is using a disgraceful tactic: weaponizing politically-motivated lawfare to intimidate elected leaders and their staff from upholding the Constitution when it inconveniences their political agenda," said Paxton, according to the Texas Attorney General's website.
