AUSTIN – The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that a whistleblower lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton can move forward.
The ruling comes just days after four former top deputies Paxton fired in 2020 asked the court to reinstate their lawsuit. It was on hold while under a tentative settlement that fell apart after the Legislature refused to fund the deal that would have paid the whistleblowers $3.3 million.
The ruling is a loss for Paxton and allows the suit to proceed in Travis County, where the recently reinstated attorney general has said he has little chance of a fair trial because of liberal elected officials.
The four whistleblower plaintiffs in the case were sacked by Paxton after they reported their former boss to the FBI over his alleged use of the attorney general’s office to benefit friend and campaign donor Nate Paul. Paul has since been indicted on federal bank fraud charges.
Their complaints became the centerpiece of the articles of impeachment against Paxton that included allegations of bribery, obstruction of justice and abuse of office. The Texas Senate cleared Paxton of all charges on Sept. 16, reinstating him as the state’s top law enforcement official after being suspended for nearly four months.
On Monday, lad plaintiff James “Blake” Brickman had said they wanted their case to move forward in a “real court.” With the swift ruling from the state’s highest court, it appears the whistleblowers’ allegations are not going away.
Paxton did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
