Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater dismissed the complaint of pornographers, Three Expo Events L.L.C., demanding the right to use the Dallas Convention Center to hold an illicit convention. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stood with leaders of the City of Dallas and the Dallas Citizens Council in defending the city’s right to keep taxpayer resources from being used to promote the pornography industry.
“It is vital that governmental entities have the ability to exclude sexually-oriented businesses from property that they own,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The City of Dallas, through its democratically-elected officials, rightfully decided that its convention center and taxpayer monies should not be home to an event where obscenity and criminal activity occurs.”
Attorney General Paxton originally became involved in the case in 2016 when he filed an amicus brief supporting the City’s decision to not host a pornography convention on city-owned property. Attorney General Paxton submitted a second amicus brief in March 2017 supporting the city’s motion to dismiss the case. The court granted the City’s motion to dismiss on May 11, 2017. Joining Attorney General Paxton on his amicus briefs was the Dallas Citizens Council, a nonprofit organization comprising business and civic leaders in the Dallas region whose sole purpose is to provide leadership on public policy issues to improve the lives of Dallas citizens.
Attorney General Paxton is fighting pornography in Texas because of its demonstrated harm on children. The Texas Attorney General’s Office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online. Attorney General Paxton’s Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) proactively seeks out and arrests predators who commit crimes against children using technology and online sources. Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks our children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their children’s safety. Find more information on cyber safety.
View General Paxton’s 2016 amicus brief