Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into several utility companies linked to last year's destructive Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires, stating that they "possibly" prioritized environmental, social, and governance (ESG) or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agendas over safety and necessary maintenance.

Ken Paxton has long pushed legal boundaries — riling up conservatives and using the courts to place himself at the center of political fights with national consequences, even when his lawsuits have little chance of success.

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Eli Lilly for alleged bribery to promote diabetes drugs, claiming violation of state fraud laws and exploitation of Medicaid.

Burrows and Paxton filed their lawsuit in Illinois westernmost county, which recorded a 47 percent vote for Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election. This was some distance from DuPage County, the Chicago suburb and Democratic stronghold where The Texas Tribune reports the Democratic lawmakers are staying.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to reporters in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2022. STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Live updates: Texas Senate finds AG Ken Paxton not guilty of all impeachment charges Paxton, first elected as attorney general in 2014, had been suspended without pay since May 27, when in the ...

Update: 1 p.m. Xcel Energy and Southwestern Public Service Company issued a statement to MyHighPlains.com after the announcement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s investigation into utility companies in connection to the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires in 2024 in the Texas Panhandle.