CAIR sues Texas governor over ‘unconstitutional’ terror designation

US Muslim civilian rights radical says Greg Abbott’s designation of its Texas section arsenic a ‘terrorist organisation’ is unconstitutional and defamatory.

The Council connected American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has filed a national suit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott aft helium “falsely declared” CAIR’s Texas section a “foreign violent organisation”.

The lawsuit, which besides targets Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeks to artifact Abbott’s designation of the radical arsenic a “terrorist organisation”, arguing it is some “unconstitutional and defamatory”.

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CAIR General Counsel Lena Masri said successful a connection connected Thursday, announcing the associated suit with the Muslim Legal Fund of America, that the radical had won 3 cases against Abbott for his efforts to “violate the First Amendment by punishing critics of the Israeli government”.

“The suit we person filed contiguous is our archetypal measurement towards defeating Governor Abbott again truthful that our federation protects escaped code and owed process for each Americans,” Masri said.

“No civilian rights organisations are harmless if a politician tin baselessly and unilaterally state immoderate of them violent groups, prohibition them from buying land, and endanger them with closure,” she said.

CAIR, which was founded successful 1994, is the largest Muslim civilian rights organisation successful the United States, with chapters successful astir states. It has been among the astir vocal critics of US engagement successful Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

Abbott, a staunch protagonist of Israel, has repeatedly taken purpose astatine pro-Palestinian advocates, including students protesting astatine Texas universities.

Abbott, a subordinate of the Republican Party, announced connected Tuesday that helium was designating CAIR arsenic a “foreign violent and transnational transgression organisation” successful a station connected X, wherever helium besides said helium was doing the aforesaid for the Muslim Brotherhood.

The designation bans some groups from buying oregon acquiring onshore successful Texas and authorises the authorities to prosecute ineligible enactment to unopen down their activities, Abbott said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, right, with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, astatine the Hill Country Youth Event Center, successful Kerrville, Texas, successful July 2025 [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

In April 2024, Abbott said that pro-Palestinian pupil protesters astatine the University of Texas astatine Austin “belong successful jail”, earning a crisp rebuke from CAIR for violating the students’ rights to escaped speech.

“The First Amendment applies to the State of Texas, whether Greg Abbott likes it oregon not,” CAIR said successful a station connected X astatine the time.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees rights including state of religion, speech, the property and assembly.

Democrats and different civilian rights organisations person condemned the Texas governor’s “terrorism” designation for CAIR, and US typical Ilhan Omar called Abbott a “bigot” who “should person nary spot successful elected office”.

“The normalisation of anti-Muslim hatred code is vile,” Omar wrote successful a station connected societal media.

The Texas Democratic Party besides slammed the designation, describing it arsenic “dangerous, racist, and Islamophobic”.

“While Greg Abbott and the Republicans assertion to travel the Constitution, they would trample connected someone’s First Amendment rights erstwhile they don’t hold with oregon worship with them,” the enactment said successful a statement.

BREAKING: CAIR Legal Defense Fund and our partners astatine the @MLFA conscionable filed a national suit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to artifact implementation of an unconstitutional and defamatory proclamation targeting CAIR-Texas.

In a statement, CAIR… pic.twitter.com/qVI9KJ8AfS

— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) November 20, 2025