02/23/2026
Free Speech at Stake: Paul Chabot and 10 Free Speech Advocacy Organizations Call on Texas Supreme Court to Defend First Amendment Rights for all Texans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
— Today, Paul Chabot, founder of Collin County Citizens for Integrity Political Action Committee, a plaintiff in the high-profile free speech case Frazier v. Chabot, reaffirmed his call for the Supreme Court of Texas to take up his case and protect the fundamental right of Texans to engage in robust political discourse without fear of litigation.
Chabot’s case stems from his creation of a political website, www.FireFrazier.com that criticized former State Representative Frederick Frazier during the 2022 Republican primary. Despite the factual basis of Chabot’s statements, Frazier has pursued litigation alleging defamation — a legal tactic Chabot and leading First Amendment advocates describe as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) designed to silence political speech.
Frazier is again running for the same office today and is on the March 3rd Republican ballot.
A broad coalition of national and Texas-based civil liberties organizations, including the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Texas Association of Broadcasters, Texas Press Association, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, The Institute for Free Speech, The National Coalition Against Cencorship, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Center for American Liberty, and Citizens Defending Freedom-USA, has filed amicus briefs urging the Texas Supreme Court to review lower court rulings that have allowed this lawsuit to proceed. These groups argue that the decisions have “narrowed critical First Amendment protections” and weakened the Texas Citizens Participation Act — the state’s anti-SLAPP law intended to shield citizens and the press from meritless lawsuits aimed at chilling free expression.
“The very fabric of our republic hinges on the right of citizens to freely criticize their elected officials,” said Paul Chabot’s attorney, Tony McDonald. “When courts permit litigation to proceed on unproven allegations — simply because a public official disagrees with the content of speech — we erode the constitutional protections that make civic engagement possible.”
The case presents a critical test of the Texas Citizens Participation Act’s ability to safeguard political speech — particularly when litigants seek to weaponize defamation claims against ordinary citizens for expressing their views. Chabot and his supporters maintain that Texas’ high court must intervene to reaffirm that defamation law cannot be misused to suppress debate or intimidate critics.
An amicus brief in support of Chabot's case by Citizens Defending Freedom, stated in part, "...allowing Frederick Frazier's suit to proceed against Paul Chabot turns defamation law into a weapon that public officials can wield to silence political critics."
Another brief in support by The Center for American Liberty, wrote, "The First Amendment precludes using defamation law as a cudgel—least of all by public officials." and "This Court should grant the petition to restore the constitutionally required statement-by-statement framework in public-official defamation cases and reaffirm that the TCPA operates as a meaningful early check on suits that chill speech regarding public officials on matters of public concern."
The third brief, filed jointly by eight other free speech organizations, wrote, " This case presents an opportunity for this Court to reaffirm that speech on matters of public concern—namely, political speech about public officials and their criminal conduct—is protected in Texas. By allowing Frederick Frazier, a former Dallas Police Department officer and Texas House of Representative candidate, to pursue a defamation claim against Paul Chabot, a political opponent, the Court of Appeals found the opposite. In turn, the court narrowed critical First Amendment protections for the public and the press on core political speech and undermined the Texas Citizens Participation Act."
The petition for review is currently pending before the Texas Supreme Court, which is expected to decide whether to grant review in the coming weeks. Increasing the chances that the Court takes up the case, the Court ordered Frazier to respond.
All case information can be found at www.FireFrazier.com — click “Files on Frazier” at the top of the website to view the documents.
# # #
