Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood, seeking to ban the organizations from operating within the state. The legal action, filed in February 2026, represents a significant escalation in Texas's efforts against groups it considers threats to state security.
The lawsuit follows Republican Governor Greg Abbott's designation of both organizations as "foreign terrorist organizations" and "transnational criminal organizations" in November 2025. Abbott's proclamation prohibited these groups and their affiliates from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas while authorizing increased enforcement measures against them.
The legal complaint alleges that CAIR serves as a successor organization to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group founded in Egypt that has been designated a terrorist organization by several countries. The suit specifically targets CAIR's Austin, Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth chapters, seeking to prohibit them from engaging in any activities within the state, including fundraising and member recruitment.
"Sharia law and the jihadists who follow sharia law have no business being in Texas," Paxton stated in a press release. "I am in full support of Governor Abbott's lawful declaration that CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood are foreign terrorist organizations, and it's imperative that they are stopped from operating in Texas."
The lawsuit claims the organizations violate multiple state laws, including Texas's ban on entities engaging in terrorism, prohibitions against transnational criminal organizations owning property, and public nuisance statutes barring radical groups from engaging in gang activities legal proceedings reflect an escalation from Abbott's earlier administrative actions. Following the governor's designation, CAIR's Texas chapters filed a federal lawsuit challenging the proclamation, arguing it violated their First Amendment rights. Paxton's new lawsuit represents Texas's counteroffensive, seeking judicial enforcement of the controversial designations.
CAIR has dismissed the lawsuit as "another frivolous, politically motivated anti-Muslim publicity stunt that wastes more taxpayer dollars." The organization has previously succeeded in legal challenges against Texas policies targeting Muslim communities, including three successful challenges to what they characterized as unconstitutional state actions.
The case raises significant First Amendment and civil liberties questions about the state's authority to designate American organizations as terrorist entities and potentially ban their operations without due process. Legal experts suggest the case could set important precedent regarding state power versus constitutional protections for religious and civil rights organizations.
As the legal battle unfolds, Texas Muslims and civil rights advocates have expressed concern about the chilling effect such designations might have on religious freedom and civil rights advocacy within the state's diverse Muslim communities.
