Overview
- District Judge Mary Lou Alvarez granted Bexar County’s jurisdictional challenge, finding the state lacked authority to bring the case.
- Ken Paxton’s lawsuit sought to block county funding for deportation defense, arguing it violates the Texas Constitution’s gift clause.
- The court set a Feb. 27 hearing where the state may attempt to substitute outside counsel to continue the case.
- Bexar County’s current $566,000 contract with American Gateways ends Feb. 28, creating a near-term risk to program funding.
- The decision echoes a setback Paxton faced in a similar Harris County case, where a judge denied his request to temporarily halt that program.