Texas officials say they have successfully stopped an Oklahoma property owner from attempting to claim land belonging to Texans along the Red River.
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that his office helped secure a court order dismissing claims against the State of Texas in a lawsuit filed in Oklahoma that sought to redefine the Texas–Oklahoma border.
The lawsuit, filed in August 2025 by an Oklahoma landowner in Bryan County District Court, argued that shifting conditions along the Red River meant the state boundary had moved—potentially giving the plaintiff ownership of land currently recognized as part of Texas.
The case named several Texas landowners as well as the State of Texas itself.
Paxton’s office intervened alongside the Texas Department of Transportation, arguing that the lawsuit relied on outdated legal authority and that Texas could not be sued in Oklahoma courts without its consent.
Last week, the Oklahoma district court agreed.
In a ruling dated March 8, Judge Mark R. Campbell determined that the court lacked jurisdiction over the State of Texas and granted Texas’ motion to dismiss the claims against it.
“The full force of the law will come crashing down on anyone trying to seize Texas land,” Paxton said in a statement. “I will always defend our state’s sovereignty and will not allow erroneous theories to undermine Texas’s land ownership.”
Paxton’s office argued the plaintiff incorrectly relied on a 1923 U.S. Supreme Court decision defining the border as the “lower bank” of the Red River.
Instead, officials pointed to the Red River Boundary Compact, an agreement between Texas and Oklahoma approved in 1999 and later ratified by Congress in 2000, which formally established the boundary between the two states.
“The Red River Rivalry may be famous on the football field,” he said, “but I won’t allow that term to extend to Oklahoma property owners unlawfully seizing Texas land in the courtroom.”
The ruling removes the State of Texas from the case, though litigation involving other parties may continue.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
