October 8, 2015 5:19 PM

AG Paxton offers recommendations for interim charges on religious liberty and abortion

Paxton returns to court in the criminal case against him next week.

Indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton asked Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Joe Straus to consider focusing their investigative resources on two of the most heavily investigated, regulated, and litigated areas of government interest: abortion and religious liberty.

Paxton’s letter bears yesterday’s date but was announced today—about half an hour after Gov. Patrick released his first set of interim charges. Based on the Office of the Attorney General’s ongoing investigation of abortion providers who have been informally accused of talking about the idea of profiting from the sale or donation of fetal remains, Paxton made several suggestions for potential methods of “Protecting the Life and Dignity of Unborn Babies.”

Many of these suggest Paxton has an innovative interpretation of the relationship between state law and U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

By Emily DePrang