El Paso judge blocks Ken Paxton from taking legal action against Beto O'Rourke's political group

Source: Texas Tribune

An El Paso judge this week temporarily stopped Attorney General Ken Paxton from prosecuting former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s political group, Powered by People, after Paxton moved to block the organization from financially supporting Texas Democrats who left the state.

Judge Annabell Perez of the 41st Judicial District Court issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday barring Paxton from prosecuting O’Rourke’s nonprofit or otherwise initiating or filing legal proceedings aimed at revoking Powered by People’s charter.

The group has been fundraising for Texas Democrats who decamped to Illinois and other states in protest of a proposed GOP congressional map that would net Republicans up to five more seats in the U.S. House.

Powered by People already donated $1 million to the Democrats, whose two-week absence denied the Texas House the minimum number of present members needed to conduct business. Many of those Democrats have since returned to the state, and Gov. Greg Abbott called a subsequent overtime legislative session after the first one ended last week.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/20/beto-orourke-ken-paxton-temporary-restraining-order-texas-democrats

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