Texas Officials Prepare Lawsuits Against Joe Biden’s Proposals on Immigration, Environment

Texas officials said on Monday that they will be preparing lawsuits against recently inaugurated President Joe Biden for his proposals on immigration and environment, among others.

Some of Biden's policies that the officials plan to file lawsuits against include opening up the U.S. border, forgiving student debt and restricting manufacturing activity, reported One America News.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Biden's policies ran in contrast with the Constitution and a lawsuit would stop "federal overreaches."

Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a post that he'll fight against what he called "the many unconstitutional and illegal actions undertaken by the new administration," reported CBS Austin.

He also vowed to "serve as a major check against the admin's lawlessness."

It was a shift for the Texas AG that filed lawsuits in favor of the administration in the past four years.

Specifically, Paxton led efforts to overturn Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump from the predominantly Republican state.

Texas filed for similar lawsuits against a Democratic administration in the past, specifically when former President Barack Obama was in office.

These suits show that Republicans are going on the offensive now that a Democrat is back in office.

Texas's Long Tradition of Lawsuits Against Democratic Leaders Goes On

Houston Chronicle noted last week that Texas has a long tradition of battling for its Republican leaders.

Even when Abbott moved up to become governor and having Paxton take his place as AG, they made their commitments of pushing back on Democrat-championed proposals known.

Its Republican leaders sued the Obama administration for the Clean Power Plan, the Affordable Care Act and protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

That didn't stop when Trump was elected as president. It, in fact, saw more successes in overturning or challenging Obama-era laws and administrative rules.

Many expect this trend to pick up where it left off as Biden takes office.

"Texas vs. the feds" lawsuits will be back full force as leaders float policy proposals in response to action or inaction they expect from a Democrat-led White House, reported Texas Tribune.

"Where the new administration seeks to go out of bounds of what powers have been delegated to it, or enacts policies and rules that aren't supported by data and science," conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation's general counsel Robert Henneke said.

Texas 'At the Top' of Republican AGs on Aggressive Multi-state Attack vs. Biden

Houston Chronicle predicted some looming legal battles in the Affordable Care Act, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, asylum and the border, energy, taxes and civil rights.

Texas would be "at the top of the heap" among Republican attorney generals who would seek court challenge for these proposals from the new administration, Marquette University professor Paul Nolette told Texas Tribune.

Nolette also noted that multi-state lawsuits against the federal government surged over the past four years. Obama saw 78 in his eight years in office but Trump faced 145 in just four years.

For Nolette, "Republican AGs will take a very aggressive multi-state approach" and they will be moving "quickly."