Weeks ahead of implementation, cities receive victory against discriminatory law
Austin, TX – Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks dismissed the state of Texas’ lawsuit against cities and localities that have taken a stand against SB4, a discriminatory and anti-immigrant law set to take effect onSeptember 1.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this summer, was Attorney General Ken Paxton’s preemptive effort to force the courts to declare SB4 constitutional – before the law could be implemented. This week’s court ruling is a setback for Paxton, but it does not affect the imminent ruling expected from U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio on whether the law will be enjoined or allowed to go forward.
According to Greg Casar, Austin City Councilman:
Attorney General Paxton’s frivolous lawsuit against me and my colleagues was a shameful attempt to silence our advocacy against Senate Bill 4. No matter what Paxton and Abbott try next, we won’t stop fighting for the constitutional rights of everyone in our community.
Mario Carrillo, State Director of America’s Voice: Texas, added:
SB4 will undermine local autonomy, public safety, civil rights, and the safety of communities of color in Texas. If Paxton was trying to intimidate local jurisdictions who object to it, then this defeat shows that local communities need not fear the heavy-handed bullying of the Attorney General. Let’s hope that his defeat in this court foreshadows the upcoming decision out of San Antonio. We believe that SB4 violates the Constitution, and its implementation should be blocked and the law ultimately repealed.
