The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton began in the Texas Senate Chambers in Austin. The republican attorney general pleaded “not guilty” to charges of corruption and bribery. Unlike a criminal trial, where an accused faces the possibility of incarceration, an impeachment trial simply seeks to remove an elected public servant from office, and to potentially bar them from holding public office in the future. Mr. Paxon is accused of using his office to benefit a large campaign donor, who allegedly paid for his home renovations, and who helped him engage in an extramarital affair. For Mr. Paxton to be removed from office, two-thirds of the Texas Senate would have to vote to convict him on any of the 20 articles of impeachment. The trial is expected to last about one month.
What is a misdemeanor?
I recently spoke with a client, who is currently on federal supervised release, after completing his prison term for a drug offense. When I asked him how things were going, he responded that he was working and generally doing well, except that he recently had to go to...
