As Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton's office won Texas's lawsuit against federal guidance that warned employers against blanket bans on hiring people with criminal records, a practice that falls harder on Black applicants. In August 2019 a federal appeals court upheld an injunction barring the EEOC from enforcing the guidance against Texas.
Paxton urged the Senate to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general, and the Justice Department she led ended agreements over redlining and illegal dumping in Houston's Black and Latino neighborhoods. Since January 2025 its Civil Rights Division has walked away from at least 36 cases and investigations of discrimination against Black, Latino and Native American people. He also praised Trump's order to close the Education Department, whose Dallas civil rights office was shut.
Ken Paxton's Lawsuits and Statements on Civil Rights Enforcement
- Paxton's Office Won Texas's Fight Against Federal Limits on Blanket Bans on Hiring People With Records. On February 1, 2018, Ken Paxton praised a federal court ruling for Texas in its lawsuit against the EEOC's 2012 guidance on hiring people with criminal records, saying "Texas has the sovereign right to impose categorical bans on the hiring of criminals for such jobs as state troopers, school teachers and jailers." In August 2019, a unanimous Fifth Circuit panel concluded that the EEOC overstepped its statutory authority in issuing the guidance and upheld a lower court's injunction. The guidance had concluded that criminal record exclusions have a disparate impact based on race and national origin and urged employers to eliminate blanket exclusions. According to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which sided with the EEOC, when a background check turns up a record, the callback rate drops by half for white applicants and two-thirds for African-American candidates.
- Paxton Urged Pam Bondi's Confirmation; Her Justice Department Ended Agreements Protecting Black and Latino Houston Neighborhoods. On December 3, 2024, Ken Paxton signed a letter of attorneys general urging the Senate to swiftly confirm Pam Bondi as the next United States Attorney General, calling her "a superb choice to serve our nation and the public interest." In 2025, with Bondi as attorney general, the department ended early a 2021 consent order over redlining of majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Houston area and a 2023 settlement over the city's response to illegal dumping in Black and Latino Houston neighborhoods, according to Red Line for Civil Rights, a tracker run by former Justice Department lawyers. Since January 20, 2025, the Civil Rights Division has shut down, withdrawn from, or sought to end at least 36 cases and investigations addressing discrimination against Black, Latino and Native American people, Red Line counts. Red Line knows of no new civil case or investigation the division has announced since January 20, 2025 involving systemic discrimination against Black, Latino or Native American people.
- Paxton Praised the Order to Close the Education Department, Whose Dallas Civil Rights Office Shut. On March 20, 2025, Ken Paxton posted "I'm proud to stand with @POTUS as he returns education back to the states" as President Trump signed an executive order instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the Department of Education. The department's Office for Civil Rights closed seven of its 12 regional offices, including Dallas, which was handling every civil rights complaint coming out of Texas. The AP found the total number of resolved cases is down about 40% while complaints rose, and by December 2025 the office had about 25,000 pending complaints.
What Ken Paxton's Civil Rights Record Means for Texans
- Job applicants with records. Texas prohibits the hiring of felons for certain state jobs, and after Paxton's win the federal government cannot limit Texas' use of criminal background checks in hiring for state jobs, Route Fifty reported.
- Houston neighborhoods. Houston residents in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods lost a 2021 federal redlining consent order and a 2023 illegal-dumping settlement when the Justice Department ended them early.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ken Paxton on Civil rights
What is Ken Paxton's record on civil rights under Trump?
Ken Paxton's office won Texas's case against federal guidance discouraging blanket bans on hiring people with criminal records, which civil rights lawyers say fall harder on Black applicants. He urged Pam Bondi's confirmation, and her Justice Department ended two agreements protecting Black and Latino Houston neighborhoods. He also praised the order to close the Education Department, whose Dallas civil rights office handled every Texas complaint before it shut.
Did Ken Paxton sue to let Texas refuse to hire people with felony records?
Ken Paxton's office argued in Texas's lawsuit against the EEOC that "Requiring Texas to issue badges and guns to felons is bad policy and unlawful," and won. The Fifth Circuit ruled that the federal government cannot limit Texas' use of criminal background checks during the hiring process for state jobs.
What happened to the Education Department's civil rights office in Dallas?
The Dallas regional Office for Civil Rights, which handled Texas complaints, was closed in the Education Department's March 2025 layoffs, days before Ken Paxton praised Trump's order to dismantle the department. Texas complaints will likely be redirected to the Kansas City office, the Texas Tribune reported.
Last updated: 2026-10-25