Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sends employees home to ‘celebrate’ Roe v. Wade news

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent employees home on Friday to “celebrate” the overturning of Roe. v Wade, according to an email sent throughout the agency.

In the email, Paxton said the day will be an annual holiday at the state agency “to commemorate the sanctity of life.”

“Today we celebrate life and the protection of the unborn with the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade,” the email said.

The Office of the Attorney General offices will be closed for the day and employees should plan not to work after noon, the email said.

“Attorney General Paxton and the entire Executive Leadership Team wish you and your families a safe and enjoyable ‘Sanctity of Life’ holiday,” the email said.

In a statement on Roe v. Wade being overturned, Paxton said “today the question of abortion returns to the states.”

“And in Texas, that question has already been answered: abortion is illegal here,” the statement said. “I look forward to defending the pro-life laws of Texas and the lives of all unborn children moving forward.”

Abortion is not yet illegal in Texas. Paxton clarified in an advisory that the state’s trigger law that further restricts abortion access goes into effect 30 days after a judgment from the Supreme Court.

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued its opinion reversing Roe, but it has yet to issue its judgment.

If the law goes into effect, a person who performs, induces, or attempts an abortion could face up to 20 years in prison if the abortion is unsuccessful and up to life if it is successful. A person who performs an abortion could face a fine of at least $100,000 for each violation A judgment is distinct from the court’s opinion and comes after the window to file a rehearing motion has closed.

Texas last year enacted a law that effectively bans most abortions in the state.

This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 11:36 AM.