Paxton opens investigation into SPLC as judge sets trial for fraud case

Published May 18, 2026 6:02pm ET | Updated May 18, 2026 6:02pm ET



Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a new investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center on Monday as a federal judge in Alabama moved forward with a criminal fraud case against the civil rights organization, setting a jury trial for October. 

Paxton said his office has opened an investigation into the Alabama-based nonprofit group over allegations tied to its funding of “certain violent extremist groups that it claimed to oppose,” according to a press release from the attorney general’s office.

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