Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured an agreed injunction with Castleberry Independent School District (“ISD”) after suing the district for illegal electioneering.
Earlier today, Attorney General Paxton sued Castleberry ISD after its superintendent used state resources to distribute a list of political endorsements and instruct the district’s administration to “vote accordingly.” Doing so was in clear violation of the Texas Election Code’s prohibition against the use of “resources of the district to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.” After being sued, Castleberry ISD agreed that the superintendent and all employees would not use any funds or resources, including emails, to engage in illegal electioneering.
Despite being currently prevented from prosecuting criminal violations of the Election Code due to the Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision in Texas v. Stephens, Attorney General Paxton sought civil injunctive relief and has now obtained an agreed injunction against Castleberry ISD to end its unlawful attempts to influence elections. School districts should be aware that illegal electioneering is criminal conduct and violators could be subject to criminal prosecution by local authorities. While unable to criminally prosecute violators at this time, Attorney General Paxton is committed to using all available means to protect the integrity of Texas elections.
This case is part of an ongoing effort by Attorney General Paxton to ensure that Texas elections are not illegally influenced by public officials improperly using state resources. In addition to Castleberry ISD, Attorney General Paxton also sued Denton ISD, Denison ISD, and Frisco ISD for illegal electioneering. The Office of the Attorney General is currently investigating other possible violations across the state.
To read the agreed injunction, click here.