Justice Department Moves to Join Texas Suit Against Planned Parenthood
The U.S. Justice Department notified a federal court it will intervene in a lawsuit Texas joined in 2022 against Planned Parenthood over alleged improper Medicaid billing, according to the Texas Tribune. The intervention comes days after Democrat Nathan Johnson was elected Texas attorney general, succeeding outgoing Republican Ken Paxton, who championed the case and recently lost a U.S. Senate bid. Texas is seeking more than $1.8 billion in reimbursement, penalties and fees over roughly $10 million in Medicaid payments Planned Parenthood received while the state sought to remove it from the Medicaid program. Planned Parenthood calls the suit "meritless" and says it will keep fighting; the case is set for an April 2027 trial before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Johnson has not said how he will handle the case once in office.