The legal sparring match between the Texas attorney general and the leader of a Democratic election organization continues, with AG Ken Paxton filing an emergency request on Wednesday to block an El Paso court from interfering with ongoing litigation.
The move escalates a legal battle over alleged deceptive fundraising practices by Beto O’Rourke’s organization, Powered by People. The dispute centers on dueling court orders from judges in El Paso and Tarrant County, raising questions about judicial authority and jurisdiction in Texas courts.
Paxton’s emergency application asks a Tarrant County District Court to protect its jurisdiction after an El Paso judge, Annabell Perez of the 41st Judicial District Court, issued a restraining order on August 19. The El Paso ruling attempts to prevent Paxton from revoking the corporate charter of Powered by People.
O’Rourke announced Judge Perez’s ruling on X: “BREAKING: A DISTRICT COURT JUDGE ISSUED A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST THE CORRUPT, LYING, IMPEACHED, TWICE INDICTED ATTORNEY GENERAL.”
“We took the fight directly to Ken Paxton, and we won,” O’Rourke added.
The attorney general had previously obtained a temporary restraining order in Tarrant County halting what he called a deceptive fundraising scheme. He also moved to revoke the organization’s charter to operate in Texas.
Powered by People has been financially supporting Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled to Illinois to protest the GOP’s attempt to redraw congressional district maps that would give Republicans five more seats in the House. Their two-week absence prevented the Texas House from meeting the minimum number of present members required to conduct business.
“A biased El Paso judge is threatening to ignite a constitutional crisis in a desperate bid to protect Robert Francis [O’Rourke],” said Paxton. “The court has no authority to give itself appellate jurisdiction over an independent court hundreds of miles away.”
Paxton referenced O’Rourke’s own words in the filing, noting that despite claiming “there are no referees in this game, f*** the rules,” O’Rourke now seeks to change both the referee and rules in the Tarrant County proceedings. The attorney general alleges O’Rourke made this move because he is losing the case.
“Beto cannot switch referees nor invent new rules just because he is losing,” Paxton stated. “I will fight to uphold the rule of law and to hold those accountable who violate our laws.”
The competing court orders create an unusual jurisdictional conflict between two Texas district courts. The outcome could determine whether Powered by People maintains its ability to operate in the state.