Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has joined ongoing litigation alongside President Donald Trump (R) to oppose California’s efforts to enforce its own vehicle emission standards nationwide.
Partnering with America First Legal as co-counsel, Paxton filed legal action to intervene in a lawsuit that challenges California’s attempt to override federal emissions policy.
“I am standing with President Trump in his effort to stop Gavin Newsom and California from shoving its insane so-called ‘green energy’ vehicle standards down the Nation’s throat,” said Paxton. “Texas will not look the other way while the failed state of California undermines our sovereignty, attacks America’s energy independence, and intentionally adopts destructive policies that would harm the other States.”
At issue is California’s push to maintain stricter car emissions rules under a previously granted waiver in the Clean Air Act. In 2025, Trump signed legislation revoking that waiver, arguing that national standards must take precedence to prevent regulatory fragmentation and protect consumer choice.
In response, California sued to retain its autonomy in setting vehicle regulations which, if applied nationally, could reshape automotive manufacturing standards across the country. Texas argues that these changes would harm its economy, particularly the oil and gas sector, and limit consumer access to traditional fuel-powered vehicles.
Daniel Epstein, Vice President of America First Legal, characterized California’s efforts as a legal overreach.
“California’s crusade is not about innovation—it is about abusing the legal system to flout federal law and impose its radical agenda on all Americans.”
With this intervention, Paxton aims to defend what he describes as Texas’s economic sovereignty and consumers’ rights to choose their preferred vehicles without interference from another state’s environmental policies.
The case is now one of the highest-profile legal battles in the ongoing conflict over state versus federal authority in climate and energy policy.
