A panel of statewide appeals court justices will soon decide whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can — at least temporarily — enforce case reporting rules on attorneys for the state’s larger, mostly Democratic counties, including Dallas and Harris.

A group of nine district and county attorneys sued Paxton’s office in May challenging new reporting requirements imposed on their offices that they say are unauthorized, unconstitutional and would drain department resources.

The 15th Court of Appeals heard arguments last week after the attorney general appealed a Travis County judge’s decision in June to temporarily block Paxton’s office from enforcing the rules.

Paxton, who is a Republican, adopted a new rule in March requiring district and county attorneys with populations of 400,

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