Abbott was a more resounding winner in terms of success percentage than the AG, as 12 of the 14 candidates he backed either won their race or forced the incumbent into a runoff. But Paxton, going after a larger number of elected officials than Abbott, still celebrated some big victories for the challengers he supported over incumbents he had previously been aligned with.
Paxton missed on 21 of the more than 35 House races he lent his endorsement to. That sounds like a defeat on the surface, but he did help send eight incumbents packing and another seven to a runoff, something an incumbent shouldn’t feel too great about. Add to that, one of the Paxton-impeaching incumbents is Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan from Beaumont, perhaps the AG’s chief nemesis. That alone might’ve been a worthy result for Paxton, but the challengers to all three Court of Criminal Appeals judges defeated the sitting officials that Paxton had a beef with as well.
We know what Abbott wants to accomplish with a new-look House. He supported candidates who would in turn support his long-hoped-for plans to introduce school vouchers in Texas. But what about Paxton? So far, he’s been lawsuit happy as always, with school districts he accused of illegal electioneering among the more recent targets. But one of the first things he did to give his latest augmentation of political power a test spin was to file suit against a bunch of places where people go to have fun.
It’s right there in a press release: Paxton is taking a shot at five places, including four in North Texas, that allegedly do not want people carrying guns while others have fun.
Lawsuits Against Fun Places in North Texas
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed five lawsuits to enforce state law against establishments that refused to allow police officers to enter the premises with their firearms, thereby jeopardizing public safety,” read the press release sent out on the afternoon of March 8. “The lawsuits allege that The Factory in Deep Ellum (in Dallas), Texas Trust CU Theatre (in Grand Prairie), Meow Wolf (in Grapevine), The Lucky Duck (in San Antonio), and the State Fair of Texas have violated state law by restricting peace officers, including off-duty officers, from entering the premises with their authorized firearms.”In the lawsuit against Texas CU Trust Theatre, owned by the city of Grand Prairie and operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group and AEG Texas, the state claimed, “From at least 2021, to the present the defendant has repeatedly prohibited and restricted numerous off duty peace officers from entering its establishment with a weapon that such peace officers were authorized to carry.”
Each of the suits contains wording similar to the one for the Grand Prairie concert venue. Also noted in the suit for each of the five venues are examples of officers who were allegedly denied access into the venue with a firearm after the AG’s office received written confirmation from the venue that it would permit such gun-toting officers in the future. Not explained in the suit is how the AG verified these instances, outside of simply receiving the individual officers’ complaints.
"The State Fair of Texas takes seriously its legal obligations to allow peace officers to lawfully carry their weapon at the fairgrounds." – Karissa Condoianis, The State Fair of Texas
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In the case of Texas Trust CU Theatre, the lawsuit also pointed out that the venue’s website stated that weapons are not allowed, even for off-duty officers, thereby violating state law.
Officials from the city of Grand Prairie and AEG Texas, Meow Wolf and the Factory in Deep Ellum did not respond to a request for comment, but Karissa Condoianis, a State Fair spokesperson, did provide a statement regarding the AG's lawsuit.
"The State Fair of Texas takes seriously its legal obligations to allow peace officers to lawfully carry their weapon at the fairgrounds," Condoianis wrote in an email to the Observer. "To that end, the State Fair requires at least one Dallas Police Officer to be posted at each admission gate to check credentials and ensure compliance. This policy allows peace officers to deal face-to-face with fellow peace officers to ensure compliance and safety for all our guests. We are looking into the alleged incident referenced in the lawsuit to find out what may have happened."
