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This article is published in collaboration with the Texas Newsroom and the Texas Tribune.
A group of state and national media organizations, including Texas Newsroom, Producer Publica and Texas Tribune, have argued in court that records of the divorce case of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton should be made public.
The organization filed a lawsuit Tuesday to intervene in Collin County District Court, which handles the Paxtons case. The filing calls for the court to reverse its July decision to seal off the litigation record, claiming that both the Attorney General and his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, have been elected to officially scrutinize the officials. According to media organizations, documents should be available for “reviews and inspections” with limited exceptions.
“The reason for the claim to divorce and disposal of property is in considerable public interest, as it endures the integrity of public office, the potential use of public resources, and the transparency of judicial procedures,” the media organization argued.
The organization noted that family law cases across the country, including divorce cases, are presumed to be public, and that the couple’s political status in April would add to the public interest to Paxton’s April decision to run for the US Senate.
Paxton served as state attorney general in 2014 for more than a decade in the Texas House and the Texas Senate prior to the election. Angela Paxton was first elected to the state Senate in 2018.
“If parties, like here, are not private citizens and are elected as constitutional officers, the need for transparency will increase and not decrease,” Filing reads. “All allegations that could suggest abuse of marital assets, concealment of financial information, or personal conduct that is inconsistent with public liability are not merely private. They are the result of the public.”
The eight organizations that signed the filing are Dow Jones & Company (Publisher of the Wall Street Journal), Washington Post, Hearst News (owned by the Austin American Stateman, the Houston Chronicle, and the San Antonio Express News), Produce Publica, Texas Robe Books, Texas Libroom and Texas Tribune.
Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July and accused her husband of adultery. Soon afterwards, she requested that all records of the incident be placed under seal, claiming that doing so “will not have any adverse effects on public health or safety.”
Judge Ray Wayless granted her request in mid-July. He then rejected himself. For reasons not clear, his wife, who is also a district court judge in Colin County, has previously donated to Paxton’s campaign.
The current judge governing the case is Lindsay Wynn.
After news of the divorce was released, Ken Paxton posted on social media site X that he and his wife “we have decided to start a new chapter in our lives.” He attributed his divorce to the work of his political enemy. In court, his lawyer filed a brief general denial of Angela Paxton’s divorce petition.
In their submissions that demand that records be sealed, media organizations point out that Paxton has been accused of fraud at least six times while in an elected office, including fraud, office abuse, and self-dealing.
In one of the most serious cases, he was accused in 2015 of encouraging investors to buy from McKinney, Texas and a technology company. A few years later in court, Paxton cut contracts to provide community service instead of facing trial. He does not admit his guilt in this case and is not convicted of the crime.
Then, in 2023, the Texas home fired him each on suspicion of official misconduct. Part of it was linked to accusations that he had exchanged political benefits for a campaign donor in exchange for the work of a woman he allegedly had a relationship with. Paxton called it a political witch hunt and denied that he had broken the law.
After the trial, the Texas Senate acquitted him and he took office.
“These persistent, serious, well-known issues raise questions about Ag Paxton’s conduct in public office and his fidelity to the law,” the organization argued.
The married couple’s assets scrutinized during the blast-each process become the subject of the divorce case.
Paxtons purchased multiple homes and land plots in several states, but for years they failed to disclose them regarding state ethics applications.
“Just let me die”: One psychiatrist was their last hope after insurance repeatedly denied the couple’s claims.
This summer, the couple listed detailed information on the real estate acquisition in their annual financial statements after the Texas newsroom revealed a lack of disclosure. In a memo about the document, Paxton said he believes the disclosure rules are vague and contradictory, and only discloses property that “continuing to supply bank notes by the filer and/or the filer’s spouse.”
Angela Paxton sought a “disproportionate share” of the couple’s assets in the first divorce application the Texas newsroom obtained before the records were sealed. She wanted the sole use of their McKinney home while the incident was pending exclusive access to her business accounts.
She also wants Ken Paxton to be acknowledged for the split in her marriage.
Attorneys for Ken and Angela Paxton did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the media organization’s request.
Lauren McGaughy is a journalist in the Texas newsroom and is a collaboration between Texas NPR and public radio stations. She is based in Kut, Austin. I’ll reach her [email protected].
