Newly released files in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce lay out a sharper picture of the breakup between Paxton and his wife, Angela, who blames him for the marriage’s collapse and seeks temporary control of key assets and a “disproportionate” share of the couple’s estate.
In the records a judge unsealed Friday, Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate, denied her allegations that he committed adultery and said Angela should “take nothing.”
Angela Paxton, a Republican state senator from McKinney, filed for divorce in July in Collin County, saying the couple separated in June 2024 after nearly four decades of marriage. In her petition, she asks the court to grant a divorce on grounds that the marriage is “insupportable,” partly because of his infidelity.
The disclosures offer the first and most extensive look at the claims and defenses in the case involving two high-profile elected officials. The dispute adds personal detail to a statewide race already shaped by questions of character as Paxton campaigns for higher office.
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Attorney Tyler Bexley, who represents the media coalition, is interviewed after a hearing at the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, Texas, Friday, December 19, 2025. A hearing was be held to determine whether the divorce files in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce case should remain sealed or be open to the public.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor
‘A victory’ for Texas voters
The divorce case records were released Friday after legal wrangling between the Paxtons and several media organizations and a government watchdog group that sought access to the documents. The conflict tested how far Texas courts can shield family-law filings involving elected officials.
Dow Jones & Company Inc., The Washington Post, Hearst Newspapers, ProPublica, The Texas Lawbook, Texas Newsroom, The Texas Observer and The Texas Tribune, joined by the Campaign for Accountability, argued that because Ken and Angela Paxton are elected constitutional officers, the need for transparency is heightened.
The coalition argued that records involving finances or conduct are of legitimate interest to constituents.
Angela Paxton initially asked that the case be sealed, and Ken Paxton joined her in the request. But late Thursday, the couple unexpectedly agreed to make the files public just hours before the two sides were scheduled to argue before a judge in Collin County District Court as to whether the records should remain sealed.
Tyler Bexley, an attorney representing the coalition of media organizations, said the judge’s decision to release the files benefits the press and the public, calling it “a victory not only for the media clients, the First Amendment and Texas voters.
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He said the groups would continue pursuing “the truth for the American people.”
The Campaign for Accountability said Paxton’s efforts to keep the file sealed raised accountability questions. “Paxton’s constituents can fairly wonder what he is so desperate to hide,” the group wrote, calling public disclosure “clearly in the public interest.”
During Friday’s brief court hearing in Collin County, Laura Roach, one of two attorneys representing Ken Paxton, told visiting Judge Robert “Bob” Brotherton Jr. that her client had “no problem unsealing the file and [believed] in complete transparency.”
The judge approved the release without offering extended comment.
Neither Ken or Angela Paxton attended the hearing, which lasted only a few minutes in sparsely filled courtroom. Roach and Bexley were the only attorneys who appeared before the judge. No representatives for Angela Paxton appeared on her behalf.
Paxton says wife should ‘take nothing’
In her motion for a divorce, she said their 38-year marriage had become “insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities.”
She argued that if the couple does not come to an agreement on dividing property, she should get a larger cut of their assets, because Ken Paxton is at fault and earns more.
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The senator also asked the court to give her exclusive use of their home, a 2021 Chevy Silverado, electronic devices and more while the divorce case is pending.
She said her husband should be ordered to pay her attorney’s fees, temporary financial support, their mortgage and expenses on their home, taxes and insurance.
In a one-page response, Ken Paxton denied his wife’s allegations and asked that she “take nothing” and that he be “granted all relief.”
Paxton was first elected attorney general in 2014 after having served as a state senator in the same district that his wife now represents. He recently filed to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in the March Republican primary.
Cornyn has attacked Paxton over character issues but has avoided direct comment on the divorce.
In 2023, Paxton was acquitted of all charges in a 2023 Senate impeachment trial on misconduct allegations. Among the revelations from the proceedings was that Paxton had engaged in an extramarital affair.
The couple has four grown children and several grandchildren.
Both Paxtons have agreed to use Randall B. “Randy” Wilhite as a mediator in the case. A longtime family law attorney, Wilhite also is a certified public accountant and adjunct professor at SMU’s Dedman School of Law.
What each side is seeking in the divorceAngela PaxtonFiled for divorce on grounds the marriage to Ken Paxton is “insupportable,” alleging infidelity. Asks for a larger share of the estate, temporary control of key assets, and payment of attorney’s fees and living expenses while the case is pending.
Ken Paxton
Denies the allegations and asks the court to rule that Angela Paxton should “take nothing,” seeking all relief in his favor.
Next steps
Both sides have agreed to try mediation to resolve the case.Media groups hail ruling to unseal AG Ken Paxton’s divorce recordsAttorney General Ken Paxton and wife agree to unseal divorce records after media challenge