By james art 
Texas sues to keep civil rights monitors out of polling centers.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has gone to federal court in an attempt to block Justice Department monitors in eight Texas counties.
A Justice Department press release announced the monitors would monitor compliance with “federal criminal laws that prohibit voter intimidation and suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion” and other civil rights laws.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The press release identified 86 jurisdictions in 27 states, including eight in Texas: Atascosa County, Bexar County, Dallas County, Frio County, Harris County, Hays County, Palo Pinto County and Waller County.
Paxton, a Trump supporter, filed his complaint in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, on Monday.
Democrats have long complained that Texas’ Republican attorney general has repeatedly filed complaints with the only federal judge in Amarillo, Matthew Kaczmarik, a right-wing judge who was appointed by Trump.
In May, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer described Kaczmarik as Trump supporters’ “favorite judge in the entire country.”
In his appeal, Paxton states that no reasons were given for the selection of the eight Texas jurisdictions.
“The press release does not cite a specific authority for the actions referred to in the press release,” the document states.
“The press release simply notes that the Department of Justice has general authority to enforce certain federal laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Uniformed and Foreign Absentee Voting Act citizens, the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and “federal criminal laws that prohibit voter intimidation and suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion.”
“The presence of Department of Justice or Office of Personnel Management officials at Texas polling places on Election Day violates Texas law. No federal law preempts Texas law,” the complaint added.
Newsweek sought comment by email from the Justice Department and Paxton’s office on Tuesday.
Paxton, who is suing on behalf of Texas, wants the court to “temporarily bar federal authorities from monitoring voting in Texas in the 2024 election,” “temporarily bar officials from the Department of Justice and the Office of Personnel Management from attending the voting and central counting stations for the 2024 election,” and “permanently prohibits Department of Justice and Office of Personnel Management officials from attending voting locations and central counting stations in Texas.”
He also seeks “an award of attorneys’ fees and other legal costs reasonably incurred in this action.”
Republicans have long been accused of “seat shopping” before Kasmarik to get the best result.
Venue shopping is the phenomenon where attorneys file a complaint with the judge they believe will most favor their case.
In 2023, Kacsmaryk suspended the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.
This was later overturned on appeal.
In May 2024, he blocked a Biden administration rule requiring background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows. In response, Chuck Schumer blasted Republicans for taking their cases to Kaczmarik.
“Surprise, surprise: MAGA radicals froze background check reforms by going to their favorite judge across the country, in the Northern District of Texas, and getting him to rubber stamp a nationwide ban,” he said in a statement.
“Today’s ludicrous ban is yet another consequence of judge-seeking, that deeply dishonest practice in which radicals virtually guarantee favorable outcomes by going to court with a sympathetic judge of their choice.”