Texas judge dismisses Attorney General Paxton's lawsuit over irregular voter registration

Texas District Judge Antonia Arteaga dismissed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempt to block a voter registration drive in one of the state's most populous urban counties.

"On Monday, State District Judge Antonia Arteaga dismissed the Republican attorney general’s lawsuit against Bexar County, the home of San Antonio," explained The Hill.

The judge's decision will be challenged by Paxton. The D.A.'s office released a statement highlighting that the program illegally sent thousands of unsolicited voter registration applications to unverified recipients.

In that regard, Paxton's office explained that on the Friday before the hearing, Bexar County filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, in which it disclosed that it had been acting in secret to expedite the mass mailings.

"Because the unsolicited voter registration forms had already been distributed to residents regardless of the legality of the contract or the eligibility of the recipients, the judge dismissed the State’s motion as moot," Paxton’s office highlighted.

For Paxton, the action amounted to a show of bad faith. He argued that, in his view, Bexar County resorted to dirty tricks to avoid proper judicial review "of a clearly illegal program that invites voter fraud."

"These actions demonstrate that Bexar County knew what they were doing was wrong, yet expedited the mailout of unsolicited registration forms before the issue could be argued in court. I will fight every step of the way to hold them accountable and uphold the integrity of our elections," Paxton said.