The Supreme Court of Texas on Tuesday dismissed a disciplinary action brought by the State Bar of Texas against First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster over his role in a controversial lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential election results. Webster is a top deputy to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the court’s decision effectively ends an attempt to hold Webster accountable for his involvement in a case widely criticized for lacking legal merit.

The lawsuit in question, filed by Paxton’s office, alleged widespread voter fraud without providing substantial evidence and was criticized as an attempt to overturn the election results in favor of Donald Trump. The Commission for Lawyer Discipline had taken the unusual step of initiating the disciplinary proceedings against Paxton and Webster alleging that they had engaged in “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.” The Supreme Court had rejected the lawsuit for lack of standing, noting that Texas had no legal basis to challenge how other states conducted their elections. In its opinion, the court found that the State Bar had failed to demonstrate sufficient grounds to proceed with sanctions against Webster, emphasizing that attorneys must be afforded latitude in representing their clients, even in politically charged cases.

This comes as Paxton himself faces ongoing scrutiny and an impeachment trial over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. Paxton was acquitted by the Texas Senate in 2023, but his legal and ethical challenges have drawn significant attention to his office’s conduct. This also comes after the Texas Supreme Court held in November that Paxton can avoid deposition in a years-long lawsuit brought against him by former employees.