Texas Judge Upholds Austin Marijuana Decriminalization Law, Rejecting GOP Attorney General’s Challenge

A Texas district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the Republican state attorney general who sought to overturn a local voter-approved marijuana decriminalization initiative in Austin.

Travis County District Court Judge Jan Soifer rejected the challenge, as well as a request for a temporary injunction, from Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Tuesday. That means the cannabis reform measure approved by voters in 2022 remains effective, pending any potential appeal from the AG to a higher court.

Paxton’s office filed lawsuits against the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton over the decriminalization policies that voters passed at the ballot over recent years. This marks the first court-level defeat to the challenge, and it comes in the state’s fifth-largest city.

“This is a great victory, not only to protect the will of Austin voters, but also to encourage voters in places like Dallas to support our campaigns this year,” Ground Game Texas, which has led the local decriminalization movement in the Lone Star State, said in an email to supporters on Wednesday.

Things you love to see:
✅ Ken Paxton losing
✅ Austin voters winning https://t.co/IvdXBg3P3t

— Mike Siegel (@MikeSiegelTX) June 12, 2024

The court action comes about

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