A federal judge found Paxton acted in bad faith against a Latino voter-registration group
Paxton tried to dissolve Jolt, a Latino civic group that registers young voters. In January 2026, a federal judge ruled he had offered no “plausible proof” of illegal voter registration, found he acted in bad faith, and said he was “harassing” the group and “fishing for reasons to investigate.”
What happened
In 2025, Paxton sued to revoke the nonprofit charter of Jolt, a Latino civic group, saying in a press release that it was “attempting to register illegals, who are all criminals.” His probe began after a Fox News host’s 2024 claim that local officials, including a Republican county chair, said had no evidence behind it. 02
In November 2025, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman paused the suit, finding Paxton had offered no “plausible proof” of wrongdoing. 02
On Jan. 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled that Paxton had failed to offer “any plausible proof” of illegal voter registration and was “harassing [Jolt] and fishing for reasons to investigate.” Finding bad faith, he took the unusual step of halting Paxton’s state-court case. 01
Why it matters
A federal court found that the state’s top law enforcement officer used his office in bad faith against a group that helps Latino Texans register to vote. 01
Timeline
- Paxton tries to shut down a Latino voter group, calling the people it registers “illegals, who are all criminals”
- Federal judge finds Paxton acted in bad faith against Latino voter group Jolt
What the sources show
The bad-faith finding is a federal court ruling. 01
Paxton’s response
Paxton’s office has defended its investigation as enforcement of election law. 01
Sources
- 01Texas attorney general acted in bad faith against Latino civic group Jolt Initiative, judge rulesVotebeat / The Texas Tribune · Jan. 29, 2026
- 02AG Ken Paxton cannot shut down Texas Latino voting group, judge rulesThe Texas Tribune · Nov. 10, 2025
Updates and corrections
- Case file published.