Between May 13 and May 19, 2026, Attorney General Ken Paxton's office produced five distinct legal or administrative actions — a settlement, a lawsuit, warning letters to more than 130 cities, a compliance deadline to a county sheriff, and a presidential endorsement — none of which required a trial or jury verdict. The window coincides with early voting in the Republican Senate primary runoff against incumbent John Cornyn. The ledger below ranks each action by the scale of its immediate institutional effect.
institutional effect of each action (settlement dollars, entities affected, or compliance deadlines imposed) · May 13–19, 2026
- 1
Texas Children's Hospital settlement
Announced May 15, the settlement requires Texas Children's to pay $10 million to the state and open what Paxton's office described as the country's first state-mandated detransition clinic. The hospital did not admit wrongdoing; no jury was seated.
$10 million payment + mandatory detransition clinic★ - 2
Warning letters to 130+ cities on property taxes
On May 14, Paxton's office sent letters to more than 130 cities — most of them small — accusing them of violating a state law limiting property tax increases. No court ruling preceded the action.
130+ cities blocked from raising property taxes★ - 3
Trump endorsement in Senate runoff
Donald Trump endorsed Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn on May 19, partway through the early voting period. Cornyn had finished first in the March primary but did not secure Trump's backing.
Presidential endorsement received mid-early-voting↑ - 4
Compliance deadline to Dallas County Sheriff
On May 13, Paxton demanded Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown enter a formal partnership with ICE, setting a December 1 deadline. Brown said her office already cooperates with federal immigration authorities.
Dec. 1, 2026 deadline to formalize ICE partnership★ - 5
Lawsuit against Texas American Muslim University
On May 18, Paxton sued TexAM, accusing it of misrepresenting itself as a university and using branding too similar to Texas A&M. TexAM's leaders said they were already complying with state demands before the suit was filed.
1 lawsuit filed (consumer-protection and branding claims)★ - 6
Waco child sex abuse plea deal (scrutiny item)
Reported May 19, Paxton's office offered a plea deal amounting to one day in jail to a Waco man charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a child. Critics noted two prior serious felony cases taken to trial by the office ended in mistrials before eventual plea deals.
1-day jail plea deal offered in felony abuse case↓