NEW: Ken Paxton Wins Major Court Victory Against ‘Rogue’ Democrats

A Texas judge on Friday ruled against former gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke and his nonprofit, which has been openly funding and coordinating with absent Democrat lawmakers who fled the state in order to block legislation advanced by the Republican majority, including a redraw of the state’s congressional maps.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has vowed to take “aggressive” legal action against Texas Democrats and their financial backers after they refused to return to Austin by the House speaker’s Friday deadline. The Texas House – which is currently comprised of 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats – cannot vote on the proposed redraw unless two-thirds of its members are present.

In a press release, Paxton announced that a criminal investigation has been launched into O’Rourke’s “radical” organization, Powered by People. The release cites “unlawful activity, including potentially operating an illegal financial influence scheme to bribe runaway Democrats who fled Texas to break quorum.”

Citing publicly available reports, Paxton’s office noted that Powered by People is among the groups funding the absent Democrats.

Many of the lawmakers have been staying in hotels funded by left-wing activist groups. This includes Powered by People, according to a report from ABC News. “Powered by People, a voter registration and mobilization group, has been donating to the Texas House Democratic Caucus — not members directly, or for any line-item expense — to help cover upfront costs for the group, such as lodging and transportation,” a spokesperson for O’Rourke’s group told the outlet.

O’Rourke has also kept regular contact with the absent lawmakers as the standoff unfolds. “We will have the backs of these heroic state lawmakers for as long as it takes to stop Trump’s power grab,” O’Rourke told ABC News.

On Friday, Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey handed down a temporary restraining order against O’Rourke and Powered by People over alleged “unlawful fundraising practices” tied to efforts to support this absent lawmakers. This includes funding air travel, logistics, lodging and hefty fines incurred as a result of the absences.

“Defendants have and will continue to engage in unlawful fundraising practices and utilization of political funds in a manner that either directly violates or causes Texas Democratic Legislators to violate [the law],” Fahey wrote in her Friday evening ruling. “Consumer have and continue to suffer irreparable harm through these unlawful acts because they are making political contributions that are being used to fund personal expenses and violate state law.”

Fahey’s order bars O’Rourke and his organization from continuing to fundraise or provide financial support to the absent Texas Democrats. The ruling came just hours after Paxton’s office requested a temporary restraining order against O’Rourke.

Fahey, a Republican, was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in 2019.

In response to the ruling, O’Rourke argued that Paxton is trying to shut down his nonprofit “because our volunteers fight for voting rights and free elections,” which he called “the kind of work that threatens the hold that Paxton, Trump, and Abbott have on power in Texas.”