Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a petition Monday seeking documents from the City of San Antonio after their city council banned Chick-fil-A from the San Antonio airport.
The petition calls for the city to hand over “documents deemed public under state law” to determine if unlawful, discriminatory motives were at play in their March decision to exclude Chick-fil-A from an airport concession contract.
The San Antonio City Council passed a motion March 21 banning the fast-food giant from its airport after a ThinkProgress report was released that revealed Chick-fil-A donated $1.8 million to organizations they deemed anti-LGBT. Among these groups were the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Paxton announced an investigation into this action March 28.
San Antonio claims that the current investigation might exempt them from following the Public Information Act. They are looking to the Open Records Division of the attorney general’s office to help make that determination.
“The Texas Attorney General should allow the Open Records Division to issue a ruling on the City’s request,” the San Antonio City Council Statement read. “The City will comply with any ruling from the Open Records Division.”
Paxton’s office said a Monday statement that “the city’s extreme position only highlights its fear about allowing any sunshine on the religious bigotry that animated its decision.”
