The Deputy Secretary of State Joe Esparza drew the ballot order for the 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.
All in Politics
The Deputy Secretary of State Joe Esparza drew the ballot order for the 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.
Paxton’s lawyers filed a motion Friday that asks Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to disqualify Sens. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio and José Menéndez of San Antonio, arguing they have a proven bias against Paxton.
Governor’s deputy chief of staff replaces John Scott as agency leader while suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton awaits his September impeachment trial.
The Texas Senate could compel the suspended attorney general to testify, but members of his defense team say they will fight those efforts.
“Texas first adopted that procedure in 1905, and defendants admitted that it has not been significantly updated or improved in the 118 years since,” Pitman said in his order.
Senators, who will sit as a court of impeachment for the suspended attorney general, spent two days drafting rules that were adopted late Wednesday.
Five Republican and two Democratic senators were given the task of drafting the rules of procedure, work they have done in private.
In 2020, deputies in the attorney general’s office met with FBI agents to accuse their boss of misconduct
The high court left intact a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act in a case many feared would go the other way.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Senate won’t accept a property tax relief bill the lower chamber left behind before adjourning for the special session. A bill targeting migrant smuggling also appears imperiled.
Scott, a former deputy attorney general, will run the agency because Ken Paxton has been suspended from office until his impeachment trial before the Texas Senate.
The defense team includes the agency’s chief appellate lawyer and head of its general litigation division.
Seven Republicans and five Democrats make up the board of managers who will handle the prosecution in the trial.
LGBTQ advocates say the legislation’s vague language could still be used to criminalize drag performers.
The attorney general is accused of a yearslong pattern of alleged misconduct and lawbreaking.
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, has proposed an amendment to the state constitution to raise legislator pay and tie it to teachers’ pay, saying it would give lawmakers a living wage and allow a broader range of Texans to serve.
Nelson will be formally sworn in by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht on Saturday, January 7, 2023.