Texas Republicans Ken Paxton and Ted Cruz take Twitter victory laps over court's abortion ruling

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Ted Cuz, R-Texas, celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade with tweets oozing with the kind of condescension that's long marked both of their political brands.

Paxton — a Republican who's been indicted on felony securities fraud charges and is reportedly the subject of an FBI investigation — declared June 24 a "holiday," adding that he'd sent his staff home to honor the "70 million" lives lost to abortion.

SCOTUS just overruled Roe & Casey, ending one of the most morally & legally corrupt eras in US history. Praise the Lord.

Abortion is now illegal in Texas.

And today I’m closing my office—and making it an annual holiday—as a memorial to the 70 million lives lost bc of abortion.

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) June 24, 2022

"SCOTUS just overruled Roe & Casey, ending one of the most morally and legally corrupt eras in U.S. history. Praise the Lord," Paxton gushed. "Abortion is now illegal in Texas. And today I'm closing my office — and making it an annual holiday — as a memorial to the 70 million lives lost bc of abortion."

It's unclear where Paxton got his "70 million" figure. According to the Pew Research Center, the exact number of abortions that occurred during the nearly 50 years of Roe v. Wade is "hard to come by," noting that only around 600,000 legal abortions were reported in 2019.

Even an analysis by the National Right to Life Committee estimates a lower number. That group argued there had been 63 million abortions across the U.S. since the 1973 ruling.

For his part, Cruz celebrated the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade by heaping praise on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, calling him a "joyful and happy warrior."

Not only is Justice Clarence Thomas fearless, he’s a joyful and happy warrior.

To hell with the haters—Justice Thomas stands up for the Constitution! pic.twitter.com/IlF1b3pHdf

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 24, 2022

"To hell with the haters — Justice Thomas stands up for the Constitution!" Cruz tweeted Friday morning.

In a concurring opinion to Friday's Supreme Court abortion ruling, Thomas argued that the court should next "reconsider" access to contraceptives and same-sex relationships and marriages.