![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces Lawsuit Against Delaware Over Unclaimed Checks Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to reporters at a news conference outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on June 9, 2016.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ken-paxton.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
A federal judge dismissed a Texas lawsuit Thursday, in which Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged the Obama administration’s process for resettling Syrian refugees in the state.
The lawsuit — filed in December with the backing of Governor Greg Abbott — pressed federal authorities to block Syrian refugees from entering Texas, as well as for more information on refugees already slated for resettlement. U.S. District Judge David Godbey was urged by both the Obama administration and the International Rescue Committee, which had also been sued by Texas, to dismiss the lawsuit, the Austin American-Statesman reports. The order officially dismissing the legal action was signed Wednesday.
Godbey had previously denied Texas’ request for a temporary restraining order against Syrian refugees after determining that there was no “substantial threat of immediate injury.”
In November, following the Paris attacks, Abbott wrote in a letter to Obama that “Texas cannot participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees — any one of whom could be connected to terrorism — being resettled in Texas.”
Jennifer Sime, Senior Vice President of US Programs with the International Rescue Committee, released a statement celebrating the ruling. “Today’s decision upholds and affirms America’s proud history in providing refuge for the world’s most vulnerable,” Sime said. “Refugees are fleeing violence and persecution and want nothing more than to live a safe and peaceful life.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com