Ken Paxton argues divorce records should remain private, accuses press of invading his personal life
District Judge Lyndsey Wynne, who is presiding over the case in Collin County, will decide whether the records remain sealed. There is a hearing scheduled for Dec. 19.
Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, declined to comment for this story.
Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July, accusing her husband of adultery. Soon after, she requested all records in the case be placed under seal, arguing that doing so would “not have an adverse affect on the public health or safety.”
The judge presiding at the time, Ray Wheless, agreed and made all the case records private, including those that had already been released. Wheless later recused himself from the case. While he did not give a reason why, he has longtime ties to the Paxtons and has made contributions to the attorney general’s campaign.
A group of eight media organizations in September requested the decision to seal be reversed. They are Dow Jones & Co. (publisher of The Wall Street Journal), The Washington Post, Hearst Newspapers (which owns the Austin American-Statesman, Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News), ProPublica, The Texas Lawbook, the Texas Observer, The Texas Tribune and The Texas Newsroom.
