A federal judge on Thursday blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from suing ActBlue, citing concerns that the lawsuit is an attempt to sabotage his political rival’s campaign. U.S. District Judge Richard Gaylore Stearns’s ruling in Massachusetts marks a loss for Paxton, who filed a lawsuit against the Democratic donor platform in April, alleging it was allowing fraudulent and foreign donations and lying about its donor vetting policies and operations. Stearns sided with ActBlue’s counter lawsuit, brought against Paxton in May, in his ruling, arguing that the attorney general’s litigation was little more than a “retaliatory” play against Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. The judge suggested Paxton felt threatened by Talarico’s fundraising prowess, as the two political rivals in the U.S. Texas Senate race compete in November’s general election.
“The truth is plain and captured in Paxton’s own declarations: The lawsuit was filed in retaliation for (and in an attempt to suppress) ActBlue’s efforts to fund Talarico’s campaign,” Stearns wrote in a 15-page order. “
“The lawsuit in Texas is undoubtedly an adverse action,” he continued. “And having previously found bad faith, the court agrees with ActBlue that the evidence in the record compels the conclusion that, far from protecting Texas consumers, the action was filed in retaliation for ActBlue’s fundraising on behalf of Talarico, Paxton’s current political rival for the Senate seat.”
