Several government transparency experts, including those from the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, have told the Statesman that the action appeared to violate state law because the agenda item did not properly inform the public of the expense.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Travis County for holding an "unlawful secret meeting" to approve a taxpayer-funded special security for Travis County District Attorney José Garza.

According to the Attorney General's Office, Paxton is suing the Travis County Commissioners Court for "violating the Texas Open Meetings Act to secretly discuss a measure to allocate public money for security enhancements for the personal residence of Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza."

Paxton’s lawsuit argues the Commissioners Court violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by failing to give the public adequate notice and being overly vague in the agenda language about what public funds were being used for.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Travis County, accusing the county of "violating the Texas Open Meetings Act" when it approved taxpayer money for "security services" for Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza's office.