Paxton sues to stop Austin overnight dine-in shutdown order

BEXAR COUNTY (Texas News Radio) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the City of Austin and Travis County to stop a dine-in restaurant shutdown order.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown issued the order Tuesday that would shutdown dine-in food and beverage services from 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. starting New Year’s Eve through Sunday morning.

Paxton said the order violates Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s pandemic executive order.

The attorney general said Adler and Brown do not have the authority to make their order.

“The fact that these two local leaders released their orders at night and on the eve of a major holiday shows how much contempt they have for Texans and local businesses,” Paxton said in a statement. “They think breaking the law is a game of running the clock before anyone can do anything about it. Texas is a law-and-order state, and these are lives and livelihoods that are at stake. I’ll continue to defend them against the arbitrariness of the mayor and county judge.”