January 22 – TheSupreme Court of the United States issued an order to vacate an injunction by the5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that prevented Border Patrol agents from cuttingConcertina 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."[11]
January 31 – Attorney General Ken Paxton launches lawsuits against the cities ofAustin,San Marcos,Killeen,Elgin, andDenton to block voter-approved ordinances (adopted in 2022) instructing local police not to enforce state laws against possession and distribution ofcannabis.[14][15]
April 29 – Gov. Abbott sends a letter to theTexas Education Agency instructing it to ignore U.S. PresidentJoe Biden's revisions toTitle IX adding protections for LGBTQ+ students.[21]
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. PresidentJoe Biden's revisions toTitle IX adding protections for LGBTQ+ students.[25]
May 14 – The Subcommittee on Higher Education of theTexas 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.[26]
May 16 – Abbott pardonsDaniel Perry, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing a man at aBlack Lives Matter protest in 2020.[27]
Attorney General Ken Paxton files a lawsuit against theEqual 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.[29]
May 23 – TheRepublican Party of Texas begins its biennial convention. Several Republican officials including Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, and Party ChairMatt Rinaldi criticizeTexas House SpeakerDade Phelan for not being conservative enough, intensifying the Texas GOP civil war.[30]
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 criticizedSpeaker of the Texas House of RepresentativesDade Phelan for failing to put the bill to a vote on the floor in the last legislative session onTwitter.[33]
