Attorney General Ken Paxton today lauded a federal court decision to dismiss a complaint by three professors at the University of Texas at Austin regarding Senate Bill 11, the campus carry law. In their lawsuit, the professors claimed that the legislation passed by the Texas Legislature would have a “chilling effect” and stifle class discussion in their courses.
The U.S. District Court of the Western District of Texas granted Attorney General Paxton’s motion to dismiss the complaints filed by the professors on the grounds that they were baseless and without legal standing. The court recognized that neither a “chilling effect” nor a possibility of a future illegal action by persons unknown who may or may not have been influenced by the law can constitute proper grounds for a complaint.
The court granted motions to dismiss the complaint filed by the group of professors, ruling in favor of Attorney General Paxton and the University of Texas.
“The court’s ruling today is the correct outcome,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The fact that a small group of professors dislike a law and speculate about a ‘chilling effect’ is hardly a valid basis to set the law aside.”
View the court’s ruling here (PDF).