El Paso Rep. Joe Moody named to prosecute Ken Paxton case in Senate trial
By Patrick Svitek and Renzo Downey, The Texas Tribune
May 29, 2023
"Texas House names representatives who will prosecute Ken Paxton case in Senate trial" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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The Texas House on Monday named 12 of its members to prosecute its case against impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state Senate.
The House announced a Republican-majority board of managers to handle the prosecution, made up of seven Republicans and five Democrats. The group immediately left the House chamber to deliver the 20 articles of impeachment to the Senate.
The House’s announcement came two days after it voted overwhelmingly to impeach Paxton, alleging a yearslong pattern of misconduct and wrongdoing. Paxton has blasted the impeachment as a “politically motivated sham” and expressed hope the Senate will swiftly clear his name.
The trial in the state Senate has not been scheduled yet.
The board of managers will be chaired by Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, and vice-chaired by Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston. They are also the chair and vice chair of the House General Investigating Committee, which investigated Paxton and recommended his impeachment.
The other 10 managers are Reps. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth; Joe Moody, D-El Paso; Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Jeff Leach, R-Plano; Oscar Longoria, D-Mission; Morgan Meyer, R-University Park; Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park; Cody Vasut, R-Angleton; David Spiller, R-Jacksboro; and Erin Gámez, D-Brownsville.
The managers were named after the House adopted a resolution creating the board by a vote of 136-4.
In introducing the resolution, Murr said it was “similar” to the one used in 1975 after the impeachment of a state district judge, O.P. Carrillo. The resolution, Murr said, “authorizes the employment of a board of managers so they can proceed with the presentation of the trial in the Senate.”
The vote to impeach Paxton on Saturday was overwhelming and bipartisan, with 121 of 149 members supporting impeachment. Almost as many Republicans as Democrats voted to impeach Paxton.
House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, was among those who voted to impeach Paxton. He briefly addressed the impeachment earlier Monday, saying from the dais that the impeachment was “necessary” and “just.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/29/ken-paxton-impeachment-managers/.
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