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The State Bar of Texas is investigating Attorney General Ken Paxton for professional misconduct.
Gershon Gary Ratner, the co-founder of Lawyers Defending American Democracy, filed a 31-page complaint against the Attorney General in late July. Ratner is asking for Paxton to be suspended or banned from practicing law in Texas.
Ratner’s original filing was in response to Paxton’s lawsuit attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in four states.
“The lawsuit that Mr. Paxton asked the Supreme Court to entertain was against Pennslyvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin,” the filing says. “Former Vice President Joseph Biden has won the popular vote in the November election over then-president Donald Trump in all four of these states, and their electoral votes provided the critical margin of victory. Mr. Paxton’s lawsuit urged the Court to enjoin these four States from using the results of their presidential elections to appoint electors and, instead, to have the states legislatures appoint new electors to replace any electors the states had already appointed or to appoint no electors at all.”
“After this investigation, if the Bar finds that the allegations set forth in our complaint are valid, Mr. Paxton should be suspended from the practice of law or permanently disbarred based on his extreme misconduct,” Ratner said.
“We’re pleased that the State Bar took seriously the ethics violation allegations against Attorney General Paxton by Texas Bar leaders and Lawyers Defending American Democracy and is demanding that he respond to our complaint,” Jim Harrington, founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said.
The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas responded to Ratner’s complaint directing Paxton to file a response and give Ratner a copy within thirty days of receiving the complaint.
“After receipt of the lawyer’s written response, the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel shall investigate the Complaint to determine whether there is Just Cause to believe that the lawyer has committed Professional Misconduct or suffered from a Disability,” the letter to Ratner reads.
The Republican Attorney General has been under fire for his efforts to have the Supreme Court overturn the 2020 Presidential election results.
“When people tell you there is no election fraud, let me just tell you my office right now has 511 counts in court because of COVID waiting to be heard,” the Attorney General said. “We have another 386 that we’re investigating. If you add those together, that’s more election fraud than my office has prosecuted since it started investigating election fraud years and years ago.”
Last week, Paxton was one of eight state government officials named in a letter whose communications with the Trump administration are under scrutiny in connection with the Capitol insurrection.
