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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Biden over minimum wage hike for federal contractors
Source: kut.org
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over a mandatory increase to the minimum wage for federal contractors that the White House implemented late last month.
In a complaint filed in federal court in Victoria, Paxton alleges the executive order raising contractors' minimum wage to $15 per hour is federal overreach that would harm the state’s economy.
The current minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 and has been in place for more than a decade.
The states of Mississippi and Louisiana are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which names U.S. Labor Secretary Martin J. Walsh and the department’s Acting Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, Jessica Looman, as defendants.
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Read more: https://www.kut.org/texas/2022-02-10/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-biden-over-minimum-wage-hike-for-federal-contractors
Just in case someone did not know who these Republicans represent.
Link to tweet
17 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
They definitely want modern-day serfs. 
This is the same idiot who tried to sue PA for how we voted. 
No state has control over policies that relate to FEDERAL employees.
The disbarment talk has already been underway thankfully -
Facing disbarment, Texas AG Ken Paxton backs away from Trump's fraud claims
By Jon Skolnik
Published July 30, 2021 5:45AM (EDT)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, an ardent Trump supporter who was the lead plaintiff in a last-ditch Supreme Court case aimed at overturning the 2020 election, appears to be backing away from his past claims of widespread election fraud. Facing discipline or even potential disbarment in Texas, Paxton now merely alleges that there were "irregularities" in battleground states, while still suggesting those could somehow have affected the overall result
Paxton's apparent retreat came earlier this month in response to an array of grievances filed by several members of the Texas bar: retired lawyer Neil Cohen; Kevin Moran, president of the Galveston Island Democrats; former Texas Court of Appeals Chief Justice David Chew; and Dr. Brynne VanHettinga. In their initial complaint, the group argued that Paxton should face professional discipline over his bid to undermine the 2020 presidential election, saying that Paxton's December petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that President Biden's victory should be set aside, was both frivolous and unethical.
(snip)
https://www.kut.org/texas/2022-02-10/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-biden-over-minimum-wage-hike-for-federal-contractors
By Jon Skolnik
Published July 30, 2021 5:45AM (EDT)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, an ardent Trump supporter who was the lead plaintiff in a last-ditch Supreme Court case aimed at overturning the 2020 election, appears to be backing away from his past claims of widespread election fraud. Facing discipline or even potential disbarment in Texas, Paxton now merely alleges that there were "irregularities" in battleground states, while still suggesting those could somehow have affected the overall result
Paxton's apparent retreat came earlier this month in response to an array of grievances filed by several members of the Texas bar: retired lawyer Neil Cohen; Kevin Moran, president of the Galveston Island Democrats; former Texas Court of Appeals Chief Justice David Chew; and Dr. Brynne VanHettinga. In their initial complaint, the group argued that Paxton should face professional discipline over his bid to undermine the 2020 presidential election, saying that Paxton's December petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that President Biden's victory should be set aside, was both frivolous and unethical.
(snip)
https://www.kut.org/texas/2022-02-10/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-biden-over-minimum-wage-hike-for-federal-contractors
A complaint was subsequently filed last August -
State Bar of Texas Investigating AG Ken Paxton Over Alleged Ethics Violation
Colin Kalmbacher Aug 30th, 2021, 12:42 pm
The State Bar of Texas has agreed to investigate an ethics complaint filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). In a letter, the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas told complainant Gershon Gary Ratner, co-founder of Lawyers Defending American Democracy, that his late July ethics complaint–filed along with 15 other Lone Star State attorneys–contained facts alleging that Paxton had engaged in professional misconduct. The letter notes that the Republican attorney general will, as part of the formal process, be provided a copy of the 31-page complaint, be “directed to file a response, and provide [Ratner] a copy of the response within thirty (30) days of receiving notice of the Complaint.”
The State Bar of Texas communication, however, does not contain any details about the nature of the complaint. The legal credentialing organization typically treats the complaint process as confidential until the end. The communication, obtained by Law&Crime, simply notes that the Bar has accepted the complaint is moving forward by alerting Paxton to the process and demanding his response. “After receipt of the lawyer’s written response, the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel shall investigate the Complaint to determine whether there is Just Cause to believe that the lawyer has committed Professional Misconduct or suffers from a Disability,” says the letter to Ratner from Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel Deputy Counsel for Administration Royce LeMoine.
The letter also says the complainant will be “notified in writing of further proceedings” related to the Paxton grievance. While the confirmation letter from the organization does not refer to the details of the allegations against Paxton, Ratner’s original complaint is focused on the conservative attorney general’s failed efforts at the Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in four states. “The lawsuit that Mr. Paxton asked the Supreme Court to entertain was against Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin,” the filing notes.
“Former Vice President Joseph Biden had won the popular vote in the November election over then-president Donald Trump in all four of these states, and their electoral votes provided the critical margin of victory. Mr. Paxton’s lawsuit urged the Court to enjoin these four States from using the results of their presidential elections to appoint electors and, instead, to have the states’ legislatures appoint new electors to replace any electors the states had already appointed or to appoint no electors at all.” The coalition of attorneys, including four previous State Bar of Texas presidents, claim Paxton’s pro-Trump lawsuit was unethical because it contained frivolous pleadings of fact and law as well as false, dishonest, deceptive or misleading statements.
(snip)
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/state-bar-of-texas-investigating-ag-ken-paxton-over-alleged-ethics-violation/
Colin Kalmbacher Aug 30th, 2021, 12:42 pm
The State Bar of Texas has agreed to investigate an ethics complaint filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). In a letter, the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas told complainant Gershon Gary Ratner, co-founder of Lawyers Defending American Democracy, that his late July ethics complaint–filed along with 15 other Lone Star State attorneys–contained facts alleging that Paxton had engaged in professional misconduct. The letter notes that the Republican attorney general will, as part of the formal process, be provided a copy of the 31-page complaint, be “directed to file a response, and provide [Ratner] a copy of the response within thirty (30) days of receiving notice of the Complaint.”
The State Bar of Texas communication, however, does not contain any details about the nature of the complaint. The legal credentialing organization typically treats the complaint process as confidential until the end. The communication, obtained by Law&Crime, simply notes that the Bar has accepted the complaint is moving forward by alerting Paxton to the process and demanding his response. “After receipt of the lawyer’s written response, the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel shall investigate the Complaint to determine whether there is Just Cause to believe that the lawyer has committed Professional Misconduct or suffers from a Disability,” says the letter to Ratner from Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel Deputy Counsel for Administration Royce LeMoine.
The letter also says the complainant will be “notified in writing of further proceedings” related to the Paxton grievance. While the confirmation letter from the organization does not refer to the details of the allegations against Paxton, Ratner’s original complaint is focused on the conservative attorney general’s failed efforts at the Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in four states. “The lawsuit that Mr. Paxton asked the Supreme Court to entertain was against Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin,” the filing notes.
“Former Vice President Joseph Biden had won the popular vote in the November election over then-president Donald Trump in all four of these states, and their electoral votes provided the critical margin of victory. Mr. Paxton’s lawsuit urged the Court to enjoin these four States from using the results of their presidential elections to appoint electors and, instead, to have the states’ legislatures appoint new electors to replace any electors the states had already appointed or to appoint no electors at all.” The coalition of attorneys, including four previous State Bar of Texas presidents, claim Paxton’s pro-Trump lawsuit was unethical because it contained frivolous pleadings of fact and law as well as false, dishonest, deceptive or misleading statements.
(snip)
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/state-bar-of-texas-investigating-ag-ken-paxton-over-alleged-ethics-violation/
Copy of the complaint (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21051579/texas-state-bar-letter-ag-paxton-complaint.pdf
He's also now under threat of suit related to January 6 and violations of an open records request -
AG Ken Paxton denies violating open records law in newspapers' request for Jan. 6 communication
Taylor Goldenstein, Allie Morris, John Tedesco The Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News
Published 6:42 p.m. CT Jan. 21, 2022 | Updated 7:01 p.m. CT Jan. 21, 2022
Attorney General Ken Paxton denied Friday that he violated the state’s open records law, rejecting allegations by a Travis County prosecutor that his office should release communications from the week of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Paxton had given a speech at a pro-Trump rally just hours before the violence erupted in Washington, but his office hasn’t released messages to Texas media outlets that sought the records under the Texas Public Information Act. Travis County District Attorney José Garza’s office launched an investigation after top editors at several of the state’s largest newspapers wrote a joint complaint about Paxton’s denials of their information requests. Those papers are the Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.
(snip)
Paxton has denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson with the district attorney’s office confirmed officials received the letter but declined to answer further questions. The Texas Public Information Act guarantees the public’s right to government records, even if those records are stored on personal devices or public officials’ online accounts. The attorney general’s office enforces this law, determining which records are public and which are private. A coalition of Texas news outlets in March sought to bring attention to the issue by reporting a joint story on the denied requests for information and their finding that the office lacked a policy for releasing work-related messages stored on Paxton’s personal devices or accounts.
On Jan. 4, five newspaper editors filed a complaint asking the district attorney to investigate the alleged violations. Anyone who files an open records request in Texas can also file a complaint with a local prosecutor if they believe a public agency is withholding information in violation of the Public Information Act. The district attorney’s office had thoroughly reviewed the editors’ complaint and agreed with each concern they raised, according to a Jan. 13 letter to Paxton from Jackie Wood, director of the public integrity and complex crimes unit.
Wood said Paxton’s office was violating the law by claiming all his messages around the time of the Jan. 6 rally were excluded from public release under attorney-client privilege. Wood noted nearly 500 pages of communications to and from First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster during that same time frame had been released, and no exemption was cited for those records. The attorney general’s office responded that all non-privileged communications were released and that complainants did not have evidence that Paxton or his office has not complied with the law.
(snip)
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/01/21/ken-paxton-open-records-law-jan-6-capitol-insurrection-trump-rally/6614810001/
Taylor Goldenstein, Allie Morris, John Tedesco The Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News
Published 6:42 p.m. CT Jan. 21, 2022 | Updated 7:01 p.m. CT Jan. 21, 2022
Attorney General Ken Paxton denied Friday that he violated the state’s open records law, rejecting allegations by a Travis County prosecutor that his office should release communications from the week of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Paxton had given a speech at a pro-Trump rally just hours before the violence erupted in Washington, but his office hasn’t released messages to Texas media outlets that sought the records under the Texas Public Information Act. Travis County District Attorney José Garza’s office launched an investigation after top editors at several of the state’s largest newspapers wrote a joint complaint about Paxton’s denials of their information requests. Those papers are the Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.
(snip)
Paxton has denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson with the district attorney’s office confirmed officials received the letter but declined to answer further questions. The Texas Public Information Act guarantees the public’s right to government records, even if those records are stored on personal devices or public officials’ online accounts. The attorney general’s office enforces this law, determining which records are public and which are private. A coalition of Texas news outlets in March sought to bring attention to the issue by reporting a joint story on the denied requests for information and their finding that the office lacked a policy for releasing work-related messages stored on Paxton’s personal devices or accounts.
On Jan. 4, five newspaper editors filed a complaint asking the district attorney to investigate the alleged violations. Anyone who files an open records request in Texas can also file a complaint with a local prosecutor if they believe a public agency is withholding information in violation of the Public Information Act. The district attorney’s office had thoroughly reviewed the editors’ complaint and agreed with each concern they raised, according to a Jan. 13 letter to Paxton from Jackie Wood, director of the public integrity and complex crimes unit.
Wood said Paxton’s office was violating the law by claiming all his messages around the time of the Jan. 6 rally were excluded from public release under attorney-client privilege. Wood noted nearly 500 pages of communications to and from First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster during that same time frame had been released, and no exemption was cited for those records. The attorney general’s office responded that all non-privileged communications were released and that complainants did not have evidence that Paxton or his office has not complied with the law.
(snip)
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/01/21/ken-paxton-open-records-law-jan-6-capitol-insurrection-trump-rally/6614810001/
Indeed, albeit I would use a kissing an anatomical part metaphor. 