A state district judge has granted Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for a temporary restraining order against Malcolm Tanner, the Indiana man accused of orchestrating an illegal plan to “take over” Loving County by importing out-of-state voters with promises of free housing.
The order immediately bars Tanner and anyone acting with him from allowing new residents onto the property or discharging sewage that could contaminate soil or groundwater.
A hearing on whether to extend the order or issue a temporary injunction is set for October 31.
“The show is over,” Paxton said in a statement. “A court has ordered that this illegal and deceptive political sham must come to an immediate end. Malcolm Tanner is a two-bit charlatan attempting to defraud people out of their money with false promises of free homes and unlawful government payouts. Texas is for Texans, not out-of-state grifters trying to steal political power from the people who live here.”
The judge found that Tanner and his associates “violated or are threatening to violate Texas Health and Safety Code § 341 by discharging or allowing the discharge of sewage or human excreta in a manner that could contaminate the soil, sub-surface drinking water, or create the potential for disease transmission.”
The court agreed that such contamination posed “immediate and irreparable injury” to public health and justified emergency relief.
The ruling follows Paxton’s earlier lawsuit accusing Tanner of violating public-health laws, running a public nuisance, and committing deceptive trade practices by luring followers—mostly women and children—to a remote site in West Texas with false promises of “free homes” and monthly payments.
Tanner, who has described his group as “Melanated People of Power,” claimed on social media he plans to rename Loving County and replace local officials in the 2026 elections.
In a statement following the court’s ruling, Tanner said he would comply with the order but defended his efforts in Loving County as a fight for “the rights promised to us as Americans.”
“I respect the authority of the Court and will fully comply with its orders,” Tanner said. “But this is about more than one man or one piece of land — it’s about whether freedom in America is protected for all people, or reserved only for the few who hold power.”
With the TRO in place, no one may move onto or reside on Tanner’s property in Mentone until the case is resolved. The order will remain in effect until its expiration next month or until a further ruling is issued after the October 31 hearing.
