A judge disqualified Paxton’s office after it abandoned its own client, the Texas Medical Board, and switched sides
Paxton’s office agreed to defend the Texas Medical Board against a lawsuit by Dr. Mary Talley Bowden over a reprimand tied to her COVID-19 treatment. It then withdrew and joined the case on the doctor’s side. The board said the office had “abandoned a client to switch sides in litigation,” and in late August 2026 a judge disqualified Paxton’s office from the case.
What happened
Paxton’s office had agreed to represent the Texas Medical Board, the state agency that licenses doctors, in a lawsuit brought by Dr. Mary Talley Bowden over a reprimand. 01
The office then withdrew and intervened on Bowden’s side. The board argued the office had “abandoned a client to switch sides in litigation,” in breach of its ethical duties. 01
In late August 2026, a Travis County district judge disqualified Paxton’s office from the case. The office did not respond to questions. 01
Why it matters
Lawyers are barred from switching sides against their own clients. A court found the state’s top law office did exactly that to a state agency it was supposed to defend. 01
Timeline
- Judge disqualifies Paxton’s office for switching sides against its own client
What the sources show
The disqualification is a court ruling. 01
Paxton’s response
His office did not respond to questions about the ruling. 01
Sources
- 01Why a judge disqualified Ken Paxton’s office from a Houston doctor’s lawsuitHouston Chronicle · Sept. 3, 2026
Updates and corrections
- Case file published.