Editing Greg Abbott (section)

===Tenure===
Abbott expanded the attorney general's office's law enforcement division from about 30 people to more than 100.<ref name="TXMonthSweany102013"/> He also created a new division, the Fugitive Unit, to track down convicted sex offenders in violation of their paroles or probations.<ref name="TXMonthSweany102013"/>

In 2003, Abbott supported the [[Texas Legislature]]'s move to [[Non-economic damages caps|cap non-economic damages]] for [[Medical malpractice in the United States|medical malpractice]] cases at $250,000, with no built-in increases for rising cost of living.<ref name="Malpractice">{{cite web |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/04/candidate-faces-questions-turnabout-and-fair-play/ |title=Abbott Faces Questions on Settlement and His Advocacy of Tort Laws |author=Root, Jay |work=The Texas Tribune |date=August 4, 2013 |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref>

In a 2013 speech to fellow Republicans, when asked what his job entails, Abbott said: "I go into the office in the morning, I sue Barack Obama, and then I go home."<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2013/feb/19/abbott-shares-views-with-local-republicans/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424004833/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2013/feb/19/abbott-shares-views-with-local-republicans/|title=Greg Abbott shares views with local Republicans|work=SAST|date=February 19, 2013|access-date=June 25, 2016|archive-date=April 24, 2013 |last1=Rios |first1=Jennifer }}</ref> Abbott filed 31 lawsuits against the Obama administration,<ref name=texastrib20170117>{{cite news |title=Texas vs. the Feds — A Look at the Lawsuits |first1=Neena |last1=Satija |first2=Lindsay |last2=Carbonell |first3=Ryan |last3=McCrimmon |date=January 17, 2017 |access-date=October 4, 2017 |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/17/texas-federal-government-lawsuits/ |work=[[The Texas Tribune]]}}</ref> including suits against the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]]; the [[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]], including challenges to the [[Affordable Care Act]] ("Obamacare"); and the [[U.S. Department of Education]], among many others.<ref name="TXMonthSweany102013"/> According to ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', from Abbott's tenure as attorney general through his first term as governor, Texas sued the Obama administration at least 44 times, more than any other state over the same period; court challenges included carbon-emission standards, health-care reform, transgender rights, and others.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frosch |first1=Dan |first2=Jacob |last2=Gershman |title=Abbott's Strategy in Texas: 44 Lawsuits, One Opponent: Obama Administration; Former Attorney General, Now Governor, has Led a Red-State Revolt Against the White House |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=June 24, 2016 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/abbotts-strategy-in-texas-44-lawsuits-one-opponent-obama-administration-1466778976 |access-date=October 5, 2017}}</ref> ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]'' compared Abbott to [[Scott Pruitt]], noting that both attorneys general had repeatedly sued the federal government over its environmental regulations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/environment/2016/12/07/new-epa-administrator-oklahomas-answer-greg-abbott|title=Trump's EPA pick sued Obama's agency early and often with anti-climate change ally Greg Abbott|date=December 7, 2016 |website=dallasnews.com |access-date=February 18, 2018}}</ref> The ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' noted that Abbott "led the charge against Obama-era climate regulations".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/texanomics/article/The-problem-with-the-blue-state-governor-s-11191549.php|title=Why the blue states' climate alliance may not work |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |access-date=February 18, 2018}}</ref>

Abbott has said that the state must not release [[Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act#Inventory Reporting|Tier II Chemical Inventory Reports]] for security reasons, but that Texans "can ask every facility whether they have chemicals or not".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.texastribune.org/2014/07/01/abbott-ask-chemical-plants-whats-inside/ |title=Abbott: Ask Chemical Plants What's Inside |last1=Root |first1=Jay |date=July 1, 2014 |work=The Texas Tribune |publisher=texastribune.org |access-date=July 1, 2014}}</ref> [[Koch Industries]] has denied that its contributions to Abbott's campaign had anything to do with his ruling against releasing the safety information.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20140703-koch-industries-says-gifts-abbotts-chemical-ruling-not-linked.ece |title=Koch Industries says gifts, Abbott's chemical ruling not linked |last1=Slater |first1=Wayne |date=July 3, 2014 |website=The Dallas Morning News |publisher=The Dallas Morning News Inc. |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref>

In March 2014, Abbott filed a motion to intervene on behalf of [[Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano]] in three federal lawsuits against the hospital, brought by patients who alleged that the hospital allowed [[Christopher Duntsch]] to perform [[neurosurgery]] despite knowing that he was a dangerous physician.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/greg-abbott-enters-fray-in-lawsuits-involving-sociopath-doctor/ |title=Greg Abbott Enters Fray in Lawsuits Involving "Sociopath" Doctor |author=Solomon, Dan |work=Texas Monthly |date=March 27, 2014 |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref> Abbott cited the Texas legislature's cap on malpractice cases and the statute's removal of the term "gross negligence" from the definition of legal malice as reasons for defending Baylor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/plano/2014/03/25/abbott-sides-with-baylor-hospital-in-neurosurgeon-lawsuit |title=Abbott sides with Baylor hospital in neurosurgeon lawsuit |author=Swanson, Doug J. |work=The Dallas Morning News |date=March 2014 |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref>

In the late 2000s, Abbott established a unit in the attorney general's office to pursue voter-fraud prosecutions, using a $1.4 million federal grant; the unit prosecuted a few dozen cases, resulting "in small fines and little or no jail time".<ref name=Garrett>Robert T. Garrett, [https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/02/03/texas-gov-greg-abbott-says-tighter-restrictions-on-mail-in-ballot-procedures-will-deter-voter-fraud/ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says tighter restrictions on mail-in ballot procedures will deter voter fraud], ''Dallas Morning News'' (February 2, 2020).</ref> The office found no large-scale fraud that could change the outcome of any election.<ref name=Garrett/>

====Lawsuit against Sony BMG====
{{Main|Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal}}
In late 2005, Abbott sued [[Sony BMG]].<ref name="TechLawJ">{{cite news |date=November 20, 2005 |title=Texas Sues Sony BMG Alleging Violation of Texas Spyware Statute |url=http://www.techlawjournal.com/topstories/2005/20051121.asp |newspaper=Tech Law Journal |access-date=October 31, 2014}}</ref><ref name="TXAttyGenSonyPR">{{cite news |last=Texas Attorney General's Office |date=November 21, 2014 |title=Attorney General Abbott Brings First Enforcement Action In Nation Against Sony BMG For Spyware Violations |url=https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/oagnews/release.php?id=1266 |newspaper=State of Texas |location=Austin, Texas |access-date=October 31, 2014 |archive-date=January 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101065444/https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/oagnews/release.php?id=1266 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Texas was the first state in the nation to bring legal action against Sony BMG for illegal [[spyware]].<ref name="TechLawJ"/><ref name="TXAttyGenSonyPR"/> The suit is also the first filed under the state's spyware law of 2005.<ref name="TechLawJ"/><ref name="TXAttyGenSonyPR"/> It alleges the company surreptitiously installed the spyware on millions of compact music discs (CDs) that consumers inserted into their computers when they played the CDs, which can compromise the systems.<ref name="TXAttyGenSonyPR"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=1266 |title=News &#124; Office of the Attorney General |access-date=October 14, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120032233/http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/release.php?id=1266 |archive-date=November 20, 2007}}, oag.state.tx.us.</ref> On December 21, 2005, Abbott added new allegations to his lawsuit against Sony-BMG. He said the [[MediaMax]] copy protection technology violated Texas's spyware and deceptive trade practices laws.<ref name="TechLawJ"/><ref name="DallasBizJ12212005"/> Sony-BMG offered consumers a licensing agreement when they bought CDs and played them on their computers;<ref name="TechLawJ"/><ref name="DallasBizJ12212005"/> in the lawsuit, brought under the [[Internet Spyware Prevention Act|Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act of 2005]] and other laws, Abbott alleged that even if consumers rejected that agreement, spyware was secretly installed on their computers, posing security risks for music buyers and deceiving Texas purchasers.<ref name="TechLawJ"/><ref name="DallasBizJ12212005">{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2005/12/19/daily31.html |title=AG throws more allegations at Sony BMG |work=The Business Journals |date=December 21, 2005 |access-date=October 14, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/12/19/daily32.html |title= Attorney General ups the ante in lawsuit against Sony BMG|work=The Business Journals |date=December 22, 2005 |access-date=October 14, 2013}}</ref> Sony settled the Texas lawsuit, as well as a similar suit brought by California's attorney general, for $1.5 million.<ref>Robert McMillan, [https://www.networkworld.com/article/2302264/sony-pays--1-5m-to-settle-texas--ca-rootkit-suits.html Sony pays $1.5M to settle Texas, CA rootkit suits], IDG News Service (December 19, 2005).</ref>

====Separation of church and state====
{{Main|Van Orden v. Perry}}
In March 2005, Abbott delivered [[oral argument]] before the [[United States Supreme Court]] on behalf of Texas, defending a [[Ten Commandments Monument (Austin, Texas)|Ten Commandments monument on grounds of the Texas State Capitol]]. Thousands of similar monuments were donated to cities and towns across the nation by the [[Fraternal Order of Eagles]], who were inspired by the [[Cecil B. DeMille]] film ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'' (1956) in following years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/politics/28commandments.html|title=The Ten Commandments Reach the Supreme Court|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 10, 2010 |first=Linda |last=Greenhouse |date=February 28, 2005 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In his deposition, Abbott said, "The Ten Commandments are a historically recognized system of law."<ref>{{cite news|last=Mears|first=Bill|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/02/scotus.ten.commandments/|title=Supreme Court weighs Ten Commandments cases|work=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050304011759/http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/02/scotus.ten.commandments/|archive-date=March 4, 2005|url-status=live}}</ref> The Supreme Court held in a 5–4 decision that the Texas display did not violate the [[First Amendment]]'s [[Establishment Clause]] and was constitutional.<ref>{{cite news|last=Curry|first=Tom|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8378199/ns/politics-tom_curry/t/breyer-casts-decisive-vote-religious-displays/|title=Breyer Cast Decisive Vote on Religious Displays|work=NBC News|date=August 27, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124041631/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8378199/ns/politics-tom_curry/t/breyer-casts-decisive-vote-religious-displays/|archive-date=January 24, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> After Abbott's oral arguments in ''Van Orden v. Perry,'' [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|Justice]] [[John Paul Stevens]] commented upon Abbott's performance while in a wheelchair, "I want to thank you [...] for demonstrating that it's not necessary to stand at the lectern in order to do a fine job."<ref name="WashPostReid10302014" />

====Firearms====
As attorney general, Abbott opposed gun control legislation. In 2013, he criticized [[NY SAFE Act|legislation enacted by New York State]] strengthening its gun regulation laws by expanding an [[Assault weapons legislation in the United States|assault weapons ban]] and creating a [[high-capacity magazine ban]]; he also said he would sue if Congress enacted a new gun-control bill.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Jim Forsyth |title=Y'all come to Texas, state official tells New York gun owners |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-texas/yall-come-to-texas-state-official-tells-new-york-gun-owners-idUSBRE90G1DA20130117 |work=Reuters |date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112172032/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-texas/yall-come-to-texas-state-official-tells-new-york-gun-owners-idUSBRE90G1DA20130117 |archive-date=January 12, 2019 |language=en-us |url-status=live}}</ref> After the law passed, Abbott's political campaign placed Internet ads to users with [[Albany, New York|Albany]] and [[Manhattan]] ZIP codes suggesting that New York gun owners should move to Texas. One ad read, "Is Gov. Cuomo looking to take your guns?", and the other read, "Wanted: Law abiding New York gun owners looking for lower taxes and greater opportunity." The ads linked to a letter on [[Facebook]] in which Abbott wrote that such a move would enable citizens "to keep more of what you earn and use some of that extra money to buy more ammo".<ref name="Fernandez">{{cite news|last=Fernandez|first=Manny|date=January 20, 2013|title=Texas Attorney General to New Yorkers: Come on Down, With Guns|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/us/texas-attorney-general-invites-new-yorkers-to-bring-their-guns.html|access-date=August 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121171318/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/us/texas-attorney-general-invites-new-yorkers-to-bring-their-guns.html|archive-date=January 21, 2013|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In February 2014, Abbott argued against a lawsuit brought by the [[National Rifle Association of America]] (NRA) to allow more people access to [[Concealed carry in the United States|concealed carry of firearms]], as he felt this would disrupt public safety.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://tpr.org/post/supreme-court-wont-hear-nra-s-case-lowering-conceal-carry-age-limit |title=Supreme Court Won't Hear NRA's Case For Lowering Conceal-Carry Age Limit |last1=Poppe |first1=Ryan |date=February 26, 2014 |publisher=tpr.org |access-date=July 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714233954/http://tpr.org/post/supreme-court-wont-hear-nra-s-case-lowering-conceal-carry-age-limit |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Tort reform ====
Abbott backed legislation in Texas to limit "punitive damages stemming from noneconomic losses" and "noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases" at $750,000 and $250,000, respectively.<ref name=JayRoot2>{{cite news |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/04/candidate-faces-questions-turnabout-and-fair-play/ |title=Abbott Faces Questions on Settlement and His Advocacy of Tort Laws |first=Jay |last=Root |work=[[The Texas Tribune]] |date=August 4, 2013 |access-date=July 15, 2019}}</ref> While the settlement in his own paralysis case was a "nonmedical liability lawsuit", which remains uncapped, Abbott has faced criticism, generally from Democrats who oppose the Republican-backed lawsuit curbs, for "tilt[ing] the judicial scales toward civil defendants."<ref name=JayRoot2/>

====Support for ban on sex toys====
As attorney general, Abbott unsuccessfully defended Texas's ban on [[sex toy]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.texasobserver.org/closer-look-greg-abbotts-arguments-sex-marriage-ban/|title=A Closer Look at Greg Abbott's Anti-Gay Marriage Arguments|date=July 30, 2014|website=The Texas Observer|language=en-US|access-date=June 8, 2019}}</ref> He said Texas had a legitimate interest in "discouraging prurient interests in [[Masturbation|autonomous sex]] and the pursuit of [[sexual gratification]] unrelated to procreation."<ref name=":0" />

====Opposition to same-sex marriage====
As attorney general, Abbott defended the [[Same-sex marriage in Texas|state's ban on same-sex marriage]] from a constitutional challenge.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/29/texas-same-sex-marriage-abbott-children-appeal|title=Texas attorney general: 'ban on same-sex marriage promotes childbirth'|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=July 29, 2014|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=June 8, 2019 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 2014, he argued in court that Texas should be allowed to prohibit same-sex marriage because [[LGBT]] individuals cannot procreate. He said that as "same-sex relationships do not naturally produce children, recognizing same-sex marriage does not further these goals to the same extent that recognizing opposite-sex marriage does."<ref name=":0" /> He also argued that gay people are still free to marry, saying they are "as free to marry an opposite-sex spouse as anyone else".<ref name=":0" /> He suggested that same-sex marriage led to a [[slippery slope]] in which "any conduct that has been traditionally prohibited can become a constitutional right simply by redefining it at a higher level of abstraction."<ref name=":0" />

In 2016, Abbott urged the [[Supreme Court of Texas|Texas Supreme Court]] to limit the impact of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]]'s ruling in [[Obergefell v. Hodges]], the 2015 case that held that the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|14th Amendment]] requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages and made same-sex couples eligible for state and federal benefits tied to marriage, including the right to be listed on a birth certificate and the right to adopt.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindell |first=Chuck |title=Greg Abbott presses Texas Supreme Court to limit gay-marriage ruling |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2016/10/28/greg-abbott-presses-texas-supreme-court-to-limit-gay-marriage-ruling/10097594007/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Austin American-Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>''Obergefell v. Hodges'', 135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015).</ref>

====2006 election====
In the November 7, 2006, general election, Abbott was challenged by [[civil rights]] attorney David Van Os, who had been his Democratic opponent in the 1998 election for state Supreme Court. He was reelected to a second term with 60% to Van Os's 37%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-11-07 |title=Race Summary Report - 2006 General Election |url=https://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist127_state.htm |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Race Summary Report - 2006 General Election}}</ref>

====2010 election====
Abbott ran for a third term in 2010. He defeated the Democratic nominee, attorney [[Barbara Ann Radnofsky]], with 64% of the vote to her 34%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-11-02 |title=Race Summary Report - 2010 General Election |url=https://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist154_state.htm |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Texas Secretary of State}}</ref> He was the longest-serving Texas attorney general in Texas history.<ref name="TXTribRoot11042014">{{cite news |last=Root |first=Jay |date=November 4, 2014 |title=Greg Abbott Crushes Wendy Davis in GOP Sweep |url=http://www.texastribune.org/2014/11/04/abbott-crushes-wendy-davis-gop-sweep/ |work=[[The Texas Tribune]] |location=Austin, Texas |access-date=November 8, 2014}}</ref>

In July 2013, the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' alleged improper ties and oversight between many of Abbott's largest donors and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, of which he was a director.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Todd|last1=Ackerman|first2=Eric|last2=Berger|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Abbott-s-role-at-cancer-agency-under-fire-4691334.php |title=Abbott's role at cancer agency under fire |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=July 29, 2013|access-date=July 27, 2013}}</ref>