Paxton divorce trial set for June 24 in McKinney

Ken Paxton’s divorce trial is set to open June 24 at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, putting the attorney general’s family dispute back in a local district courtroom and on a public docket that residents can follow through county court records. Reports say the hearing is expected to run through June 26.

The venue matters because Collin County, not Austin, is where Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July 2025 after 38 years of marriage. Her filing cited “biblical grounds” and accused Ken Paxton of adultery. Reports later said the couple had not lived together for more than a year before the filing, a detail that sharpened scrutiny around a case already drawing attention far beyond McKinney.

The divorce also sits inside a larger political year. Ken Paxton is challenging incumbent John Cornyn in the 2026 Republican Senate primary, and the trial is set during a campaign season in which every public appearance, filing and court date carries added weight. The case has been watched as a possible turning point because it could force a private family conflict back into the middle of a high-profile race.

Collin County’s role in the case became especially visible after state and national news organizations moved in September 2025 to open the records and hearings to the public. A Collin County judge initially sealed the case, but the records were unsealed in December 2025 after a court order, releasing nearly 300 pages of documents and broadening public attention around the dispute.

For anyone following the case in McKinney, the key facts are straightforward: the trial is scheduled at the Collin County Courthouse, it is open to the public, and the calendar now points to a three-day window beginning June 24. What happens there will be decided in a local courtroom, even as the effects are likely to reach well beyond Collin County.