Following a Texas judge’s approval of a signed agreement that will unseal the divorce record of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Senator Angela Paxton—and the Paxtons’ lawyers’ comments thereafter—Campaign for Accountability Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith issued the following statement: 

“Today’s agreement to unseal Ken and Angela Paxton’s divorce records is a win for transparency. Contrary to his statements today, Ken Paxton fought tooth and nail against unsealing the file. We are pleased Paxton has reversed his position and recognized the public’s right to access these records, which never should have been sealed in the first place.”

In July, Angela Paxton filed for divorce “on biblical grounds” and—unusually—their divorce record was sealed from public view.

In September, CfA filed a motion to unseal the records, arguing that since Mr. Paxton has attempted to position himself as a paragon of Christian virtue and sought to force Texans to abide by his own moral code, the invocation of “biblical grounds” suggests the details of the proceedings may be of great interest to voters.

Later that month, Dow Jones & Company, Inc., The Washington Post, Hearst Newspapers, LLC, ProPublica Inc., The Texas Lawbook, The Texas Observer, The Texas Tribune, and The Texas Newsroom (Media Intervenors) filed a separate motion to unseal the records, similarly arguing that the public should have the right to access the information.

In response to both motions, Ken Paxton filed a brief in opposition, claiming divorce records are presumptively private under Texas law. A hearing was scheduled for December 19th in Collins County, Texas.

On December 16th, CfA and the Media Intervenors filed a joint reply, explaining Mr. Paxton’s arguments did not stand up to scrutiny. CfA also filed its own supplement to the joint reply, which included new research showing that hundreds of Texas divorce matters—dating back to the 1840s—were neither sealed nor presumptively closed to the public.

Yesterday evening, the Paxtons conceded and agreed to unseal the record. This morning, a Texas judge approved the agreement and ordered the release of records.