Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked a judge to throw former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke in jail over his fundraising appeals, another escalation in the state’s redistricting battle.
The emergency motion for contempt and show cause comes after Paxton sued O’Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, last week. That suit involves the group’s financial support for Texas Democrats who have fled the state in order to prevent new, partisan redistricting supported by President Donald Trump that would give Republicans an advantage.
Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey granted Paxton’s demand in that suit that temporarily prevents O’Rourke and the group from covering those Democrats’ expenses or fundraising for them.