A Texas judge dismissed another of Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuits over voter-approved marijuana decriminalization ordinances. It is Paxton’s second legal loss in as many cases.
"On Monday, Judge Sherri Tibbe dismissed Ken Paxton's lawsuit seeking to force the City of San Marcos to devote scarce local resources to arresting people for marijuana possession," according to Ground Game Texas in a Tuesday news release. "This ruling follows last month's dismissal of Paxton's lawsuit against the City of Austin and reaffirms that the AG has no business telling cities how to enforce drug law."
Ground Game has been instrumental in organizing cannabis reform initiatives across multiple Texas cities. The cities still waiting for Paxton to pounce include Denton, Elgin and Killeen. In June, a judge dismissed Paxton’s lawsuit against Austin.
"Judge Tibbe rightly recognized Paxton has no legal basis for interfering with the will of local voters or municipal governments," said Catina Voellinger, executive director of Ground Game Texas, reported the Killeen Daily Herald. "This decision, along with the recent verification of our petition in Dallas, is a welcome reminder that this is a winning movement, and one we look forward to continuing to build across the state this November."
On Monday, Tibbe denied Paxton's application for an injunction and granted the plea to jurisdiction that had been filed by the City of San Marcos. Paxton next move could be an appeal of the judge's decisions to a higher court. As of Wednesday, a notice of appeal had not yet been filed.
A Full-Time Job For The AG?
Since his vendetta against cannabis decriminalization began this past January, Paxton has spent many billable hours prosecuting cities, large and small, across Texas that have decriminalized marijuana … most with over 70% voter approval, we might add.
Paxton’s Motive?
Apparently, Paxton is deathly afraid of the crime he presumes will reign on the streets if the possession of small amounts of marijuana is sanctioned for consenting adults.
“I will not stand idly by as cities run by pro-crime extremists deliberately violate Texas law and promote the use of illicit drugs that harm our communities,” Paxton wrote in a press release earlier this year.
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Photo: El Planteo
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