A judge struck down Paxton’s rules that would have let him push big-county district attorneys out of office
Paxton issued rules requiring district attorneys in the state’s largest counties to report case data to his office, with removal from office as a possible penalty. A judge blocked them, an all-Republican appeals court unanimously ruled he had no power to issue them, and in May 2026 a judge declared them invalid. Paxton appealed.
What happened
In 2025, Paxton issued rules covering counties with more than 400,000 people that required district and county attorneys to report case data to his office and allowed removal from office for noncompliance. 01
Nine district and county attorneys sued. A Travis County judge blocked the rules in June 2025, 02 and on Dec. 30, 2025, the all-Republican 15th Court of Appeals unanimously upheld that block, finding the Legislature never gave the attorney general rulemaking power. 03 On May 7, 2026, Travis County District Judge Catherine Mauzy ruled the rules invalid. 01
Paxton appealed. 01
Why it matters
The rules would have given the attorney general leverage over locally elected prosecutors in the state’s biggest counties. A court found he had no power to impose them. 01
Timeline
- Judge blocks Paxton’s rules targeting big-county district attorneys
- All-Republican appeals court unanimously rules Paxton had no power to impose his DA rules
- Judge strikes down Paxton’s rules targeting big-county district attorneys
What the sources show
The invalidation is a court ruling now on appeal. 01
Paxton’s response
Paxton appealed the ruling. 01
Sources
- 01
- 02Travis County judge blocks AG Ken Paxton’s rule to access ‘rogue DA’ criminal filesSpectrum News · June 19, 2025
- 03Texas AG Ken Paxton again blocked from enforcing reporting rules against Democratic DAsKERA News via Houston Public Media · Dec. 31, 2025
Updates and corrections
- Case file published.