A judge in El Paso has issued a temporary restraining order against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton following a lawsuit filed by former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke and his grassroots Powered by People organization.
Judge Annabell Perez of the 41st Judicial District Court in El Paso issued the ruling against Paxton Tuesday, Aug. 19, barring Paxton from initiating, filing or prosecuting proceedings against Powered by People in attempts to strip the organization of its business license.
She ruled that Paxton’s attacks on the political organization are “part of a larger course of attempting to use the legal system to impinge Powered by People’s constitutionally protected activity” and that the lawsuit violated protected speech. The temporary restraining order was welcomed by O’Rourke, who founded Powered by People in 2019.
“We took the fight directly to Ken Paxton, and we won,” O’Rourke said in a news statement. “We will never stop speaking out, organizing, and fighting for our fellow Texans.”
O’Rourke has taken the struggle against Gov. Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump’s efforts to push through redistricting in the state. He has held rallies across the state and the country, challenging Republican efforts to give Trump five more seats in the U.S. Congress by redrawing the Texas map.
Powered by People raised over $1 million to support the dozens of Texas Democrats who broke quorum in the Texas House of Representatives to block Abbott and Trump’s efforts to push through redistricting in the state ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The organization is the largest voter registration group in Texas and one of the largest in the country.
Paxton has sought to derail O’Rourke’s attempts to support Texas Democrats. The Attorney General requested in Tarrant County that O’Rourke be arrested for fundraising for state Democrats.
Judge Perez’s ruling declared that Paxton’s filing in Tarrant County was an improper venue.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@gannett.com;@palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso judge blocks Ken Paxton from targeting Beto O’Rourke’s group Powered by People
Reporting by Jeff Abbott, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
