{"id":4345,"date":"2026-06-12T18:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4345"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:31:16","slug":"federal-judge-blocks-paxtons-lawsuit-against-democratic-fundraising-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4345","title":{"rendered":"Federal judge blocks Paxton’s lawsuit against Democratic fundraising platform"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican US Senate candidate, during a campaign event at The Angry Elephant in Magnolia, Texas, US, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The Texas Senate race’s price tag is already up to more than $160 million for bot<\/span> <\/p>

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton must drop his lawsuit against Democratic donor platform ActBlue, a federal judge in Boston ruled Thursday.<\/p>

ActBlue sued Paxton in May claiming the attorney general’s investigation into the donation platform was politically motivated. Paxton’s office claimed ActBlue violated the state’s deceptive trade practice laws by allowing “bad actors” to make donations using fake names and untraceable payment methods.<\/p>

District Judge Richard Stearns sided with ActBlue, pointing out that Paxton’s investigation into the platform “lay dormant” until February, when state Rep. James Talarico announced that his Senate campaign raised more than $2.5 million within 24 hours of his appearance on Stephen Colbert’s late night show. Around $2.2 million came from ActBlue.<\/p>

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At the time, both Paxton and Talarico were each trying to win their party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn.<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“Paxton touted the lawsuit on several conservative podcasts and in his campaign emails during the following few days, linking it to ActBlue\u2019s fundraising for liberal Democrats and to his Senate candidacy,” Stearns said.<\/p>

In his order, Stearns questioned the timing and motivation of Paxton’s lawsuit, which claimed ActBlue allowed donations from people outside the United States and from those who had already hit federal donor limits.<\/p>

“The truth is plain and captured in Paxton\u2019s own declarations: The lawsuit was filed in retaliation for (and in an attempt to suppress) ActBlue\u2019s efforts to fund Talarico\u2019s campaign,” Stearns wrote.<\/p>

Paxton first opened an investigation into ActBlue in 2023. The office later sent a letter to the Federal Eletions Commission claiming to have found evidence “that bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations.”<\/p>

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Stearns said that investigation didn’t move until Talarico filed his fundraising report to the FEC on April 15. Paxton’s office filed a lawsuit in state court five days later.<\/p>

\n Related\n <\/p>

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