Texas AG Ken Paxton Takes Legal Action Against NY Clerk Over Abortion Pill Case

AUSTIN, Texas (TXAN 24) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a legal petition against Ulster County, New York’s Acting County Clerk, Taylor Bruck, in an effort to enforce a $100,000 civil penalty against a New York-based doctor accused of violating Texas abortion laws.

The legal action stems from a December 2024 lawsuit in which Dr. Margaret Carpenter was sued by the state of Texas for allegedly mailing abortion-inducing medication to a resident in Collin County. According to Paxton’s office, the medication led to the termination of a pregnancy and medical complications for the recipient. A Texas court issued a $100,000 judgment and a permanent injunction against Dr. Carpenter.

However, Texas officials claim that the Ulster County Clerk’s office has refused to recognize or process the enforcement of that judgment, prompting Attorney General Paxton to seek a writ of mandamus—a legal order compelling compliance from a public official.

“Dr. Carpenter is a radical abortionist who must face justice, not get legal protection from New York liberals,” Paxton said in a press release. “Pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state’s pro-life laws.”

This legal standoff could test the limits of interstate enforcement of civil judgments, particularly in cases involving abortion, where state laws differ widely.

For updates and full legal filings, visit www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.