Court denies Attorney General Ken Paxton's appeal on State Fair of Texas gun ban
DALLAS — An appeals court denied Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempts to block a gun ban at the State Fair of Texas on Tuesday.
The Court said it reviewed the motion and the briefing filed by both the state and fair and "denied the State's request for temporary relief and the State's alternative request for an administrative stay."
Paxton's office filed a lawsuit against the State Fair of Texas and the city of Dallas late last month over the fair's policy prohibiting most visitors from carrying guns or other weapons. The lawsuit claimed the city and the fair are violating state law by banning most people from bringing firearms onto public property.
The dispute boiled down to whether the fair, as a private entity leasing public land, is subject to the same legal restrictions around prohibiting guns as the city or another public entity.
Judge Emily G. Tobolowsky ruled in favor of the City of Dallas and the State Fair on Thursday. Paxton filed an expedited appeal later that day. He filed a second appeal on Monday.
The Attorney General said on X he plans to challenge the decision in the Texas Supreme Court.
The 2024 edition of the fair begins Friday.