Texas Doctor Seeks Gag Order in Controversial Lawsuit on Gender-Affirming Care

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Attorneys for Dr. M. Brett Cooper, a Dallas-based physician, are requesting a judge to impose a gag order in a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The suit alleges that Cooper and others illegally provided gender-affirming care to minors, in violation of the Texas law that prohibits such treatments, effective since 2023.

In a court filing dated Feb. 19, Cooper’s legal team characterized Paxton’s public declarations regarding the case as a politicized media spectacle. They argue that his comments could unduly sway public opinion and jeopardize the integrity of the jury pool. “Attorney General Ken Paxton has turned this case into a politicized media spectacle that risks misleading the public, poisoning the jury pool, and harming innocent patients whose privacy and safety may be threatened by unwarranted media attention,” the filing states.

Texas’s statute against gender-affirming care allows certain exceptions, particularly for patients who were already on medication; however, attorney representatives have criticized Paxton for allegedly neglecting these provisions in his public statements.

The attorney general’s office has not commented on the matter as of Friday afternoon. Cooper is represented by attorneys from Lawson & Moshenberg, based in Houston, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, based in San Francisco.

In addition to the gag order request, Cooper’s attorneys have motioned to change the venue of the trial, currently set in Collin County. Cooper is affiliated with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas.

Dr. May Lau, another Dallas physician cited in the lawsuit, is also contesting the jurisdiction, as is Dr. Hector Granados, an El Paso doctor, who has been sued in Kaufman County. Both Lau and Granados are seeking to have their respective cases moved to different courts, according to court records.