Courts ruled Paxton had no authority and “no proof” in his suits against counties’ legal aid for immigrants

What happened

On Feb. 20, 2026, District Judge Mary Lou Alvarez ruled that Paxton lacked any constitutional or statutory authority to sue Bexar County over its immigrant legal-aid funding. ⁰¹

On Feb. 25, 2026, the 15th Court of Appeals refused to shut down Harris County’s program, finding it serves a public purpose, had run since 2021 without objection, and that the state “has yet to produce proof” of harm. ⁰²

In a March 2026 filing, Gov. Greg Abbott backed the legal claim but said Paxton’s push for a ruling in 15 days, ahead of the March 3 primary, “predictably compressed” the courts’ review, suggesting “some other factor dictated a desire for a ruling before a particular date.” ⁰³

Why it matters

Courts found Paxton brought one suit without the authority to do so and another without proof, and the Republican governor suggested the timing was driven by the primary calendar. ^{01 02 03}

What the sources show

The authority and “no proof” findings are court rulings; the governor’s criticism is from his court filing. ^{01 02 03}