AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued an opinion reiterating that Texas courts don’t have to enforce foreign laws or court rulings, amid some conservatives’ fears Sharia law could be imposed in the state.
Paxton’s opinions aren’t legally binding and federal statue already prohibits enforcement of foreign laws that violate U.S. ones. Still, state Rep. Dan Flynn asked Paxton about the mater – prompting Wednesday’s opinion.
Flynn, a Republican from Van, laid out several hypothetical situations, including Texas family courts contending with foreign tribunal rulings involving arranged marriages.
In the past, Flynn and other Republican state lawmakers have introduced legislation expressly barring the Islamic code known as Sharia law from being enforced in Texas.
Those measures failed, but the issue continues to generate attention in some conservative circles.
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