Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck has, once again, rejected an attempted court filing by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is seeking to impose a summary judgment against a local New Paltz doctor charged in Texas for providing mifepristone (RU-486) to a Texas resident via telehealth.
The judgment in question seeks a civil penalty exceeding $100,000 due to the doctor’s failure to appear in a Texas court.
The letter, received on July 9, sought to compel the Clerk to reconsider his decision and established an arbitrary deadline of July 16 for him to do so.
In March, Bruck formally rejected Paxton’s filings under New York’s Shield Law — a first-of-its-kind action by a New York Clerk. In his latest response, Bruck reiterated that position clearly: “The rejection stands. Resubmitting the same materials does not alter the outcome.”
He added pointedly, “While I’m not entirely sure how things work in Texas, here in New York, a rejection means the matter is closed.” He signed the letter with a one-word reminder of New York’s values: “Excelsior.”
Bruck’s response is grounded in New York state law – a law designed to protect New York health care providers from out-of-state prosecutions and judgments that are designed to punish or inhibit them from lawfully providing their services.
For both reproductive and gender-affirming health care, New York’s shield laws provide protections against out-of-state investigations and prosecutions, professional discipline, and civil liability.
New York’s shield laws also provide protections for health care providers’ professional liability insurance and protections for medical information and other data related to reproductive and gender-affirming care.
In March, Bruck became the first Clerk in New York State to invoke the Shield Law, declining to docket a judgment seeking over $100,000 in civil penalties against the Ulster County resident. His action earned praise from Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and local and state officials across New York.
After Joe Biden won the 2020 U.S. presidential election and Donald Trump refused to concede while making claims of election fraud, Ken Paxton aided Trump in his efforts to overturn the result.
He filed the unsuccessful Texas v. Pennsylvania case in the U.S. Supreme Court and spoke at the rally Trump held on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Throughout the course of Biden’s presidency, Paxton pursued legal action against the administration nearly 50 times.
In 2015, Paxton was indicted on state securities fraud charges relating to activities before taking office; he pleaded not guilty. Those charges were dismissed in 2025.
In October 2020, several high-level assistants in Paxton’s office accused him of “bribery, abuse of office and other crimes.”
In May 2023 Paxton was impeached by the Texas House of Representatives by a vote of 121–23, leading to his suspension from that republican controlled body.
The articles of impeachment included allegations that Paxton gave preferential treatment to a political donor who bribed him, misapplied public resources and made false statements against whistleblowers, obstructed justice in the securities fraud trial against him, and made false statements regarding his financial interests.
In September 2023, the Texas Senate voted 16–14 to acquit Paxton of all articles of impeachment, ending his suspension from office.
Last week, Paxton’s wife, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, announced that she has filed for divorce citing extramarital affairs and criminality. Paxton is currently primarying fellow Trump accolade U.S. Senator John Cornyn.
Photo: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2015 mug shot.
