January 5 – Governor Greg Abbott makes controversial comments about Texas shooting migrants who cross the Mexico–United States border on a Dana Loesch Show which leads to condemnations from Democratic party members and Mexico.[6][7][8]
January 22 – The Supreme Court of the United States issued an order to vacate an injunction by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that prevented Border Patrol agents from cutting Concertina wire, which the National Guard has been using to make a fence in Shelby Park. On January 24, Abbott released a statement in defiance of the Court, stating that Texas would refuse to let federal authorities access the park, vowing to "protect the sovereignty of our state."[9]
January 31 – Attorney General Ken Paxton launches lawsuits against the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, and Denton to block voter-approved ordinances (adopted in 2022) instructing local police not to enforce state laws against possession and distribution of cannabis.[12][13]
April 29 – Gov. Abbott sends a letter to the Texas Education Agency instructing it to ignore U.S. President Joe Biden's revisions to Title IX adding protections for LGBTQ+ students.[18]
Following the April 29 letter to the Texas Education Agency, Gov. Abbott sends a letter to Texas public university systems and community colleges directing them not to comply with U.S. President Joe Biden's revisions to Title IX adding protections for LGBTQ+ students.[22]
May 14 – The Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Texas Senate holds a hearing to gather testimony from students and university leaders on issues concerning universities, including anti-Semitism, pro-Palestine protests, free speech, and to ensure universities have complied with Senate Bill 17 banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices.[23]
May 16 – Abbott pardons Daniel Perry, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing a man at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020.[24]
Attorney General Ken Paxton files a lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and members of the Biden administration to contest EEOC guidance stating that denying employees accommodations for their gender identity is workplace harassment.[26]
May 23 – The Republican Party of Texas begins its biennial convention. Several Republican officials including Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, and Party Chair Matt Rinaldi criticize Texas House SpeakerDade Phelan for not being conservative enough, intensifying the Texas GOP civil war.[27]
June 21 – Shortly after Louisiana passed a bill into law that makes Louisiana the first state to mandate the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick stated that he would pass a similar bill requiring the Ten Commandments in schools in the next legislative session, known as Senate Bill 1515. He criticized Speaker of the Texas House of RepresentativesDade Phelan for failing to put the bill to a vote on the floor in the last legislative session on Twitter.[30]
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