FORT WORTH, Texas — Democratic activist Beto O’Rourke and his non-profit Powered by People are no longer allowed to send money out of Texas, a Tarrant County judge ruled on Friday.

Judge Megan Fahey of the 348th District Court issued the freeze as an expansion of an original restraining order filed against O’Rourke on Aug. 8, according to court documents. Fahey’s ruling came one day after lawyers for O’Rourke argued in a downtown Fort Worth courtroom that the funds are a form of free speech protected under the First Amendment.

The dispute stems from O’Rourke and his organization’s effort to fund Texas Democrats who fled the state to deny the legislature a chance to vote on redistricting legislation, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram previously reported.

Fahey also denied O’Rourke’s motion to

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