Texas Scorecard 1/3/2022
Attorney General Paxton denounces court ruling that “empowers dishonest campaigns.”Last month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, ruled that the Office of the Attorney General did not have the authority to prosecute election fraud cases. The court asserted that under the state constitution, district and county attorneys have exclusive authority to prosecute criminal cases.
This week, Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a “Motion for Rehearing” with the Court of Criminal Appeals. He is requesting that the court reconsider its decision stripping the Legislature of its power to assign the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) authority to prosecute criminal election law violations.
In a press release, the OAG noted that lawmakers granted the office that authority “approximately 70 years ago” and that the Supreme Court of Texas “has previously and consistently” said it was consistent with the Texas Constitution.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/paxton-to-court-reconsider-ruling-on-election-fraud-enforcement/