Breaking: TX Attorney General Ken Paxton Agrees to Unseal Divorce File
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2025
Contact: Michael Clauw, mclauw@campaignforaccountability.org, 202.780.5750
MCKINNEY, TEXAS – On the eve of a hearing before a Texas court considering a motion by Campaign for Accountability (CfA) and numerous media organizations to unseal the divorce record of Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton and Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, the Paxton’s abruptly dropped their efforts to keep the record sealed.
Read the signed agreement here.
CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith stated, “Given Ken Paxton’s role as the chief law enforcement officer of the state and a candidate for U.S. Senate, the public has every right to consider any material that may reflect upon his character. We’re glad the Paxtons have finally recognize this.”
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.
This evening, the Paxtons conceded and agreed to unseal the record. Ms. Kuppersmith continued, “While, under Texas law the divorce record should never have been sealed in the first place and litigation should not have been necessary, we’re pleased to have enforced the public’s right to know.”
Campaign for Accountability is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization that uses research, litigation, and aggressive communications to expose misconduct and malfeasance in public life and hold those who act at the expense of the public good accountable for their actions.