Texas AG’s office sends mixed signals about whether it can fine nonprofits that pay for out-of-state abortions

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, center right, walking from the U.S. Supreme Court to a press conference in April. (Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune)

A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s role in enforcing the state’s abortion laws — and whether Paxton should be called to the stand to explain things himself.

The lawsuit was brought by a group of nonprofits, called abortion funds, that help Texans pay for abortions in states where the procedure remains legal. The abortion funds argue that Paxton’s statements since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, coupled with the actions of conservative lawmakers, have made them so fearful of potential criminal and civil penalties that they have stopped their work.