Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on May 1, 2026, that his office has successfully stayed a temporary injunction that would have compelled the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to approve housing documents for the EPIC City development.
The appeal to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals effectively suspends a lower court’s ruling that required the state agency to finalize fair housing paperwork for the project while a legal challenge proceeds.
The dispute centers on whether the TWC can be legally forced to validate fair housing credentials for a development project that is currently the subject of an ongoing federal investigation. Attorney General Paxton argues that the lower court’s injunction required the commission to act inconsistently with its legal obligations and enforcement constraints. By securing the stay, the state ensures that TWC will not be forced to take administrative actions that the Attorney General characterizes as “unlawful” while the developer’s activities are under scrutiny.
The underlying lawsuit was initiated by EPIC City development, which sought a court order to mandate TWC approval of specific fair housing documents necessary to move the project forward. The developers sought the injunction despite the existence of a federal probe into the project’s operations.
Paxton contended that compelling the agency to provide these services would aid the developers in evading legal standards and continuing a “development scheme” in violation of existing law. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals will now review the merits of the injunction, but the immediate effect of the appeal is to halt any action by the state agency.
“I will be relentless in ensuring that any attempt by EPIC City to move its development forward in violation of the law is stopped,” Paxton stated.