Saturday, June 3, 2023

Meet The Texas House Impeachment Managers Who Are Taking Aim At Ken Paxton

Meet The Texas House Impeachment Managers Who Are Taking Aim At Ken Paxton
Meet the Texas House impeachment directors running against Ken Paxton

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The West Texas Republican farmer and attorney and a Democrat who spent more than 20 years as a prosecutor and defense attorney in Harris County led the 12-member Texas House panel that prosecuted Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Andrew Moore, R-Junction, and Ann Johnson, D-Houston, are the chairman and vice chairman of the seven Republicans and five Democrats who will serve as prosecutors in Paxton's Senate trial this summer.

All but one of the prosecution leaders have law degrees and have worked collectively for the state for nearly two centuries. Two are members of the ultraconservative Texas Freedom Caucus and five, including Moore and Johnson, served on the House Investigative Committee that wrote the impeachment articles against Paxton.

No date has yet been set for Paxton's hearing, but the Senate has appointed a committee to propose rules and procedures for the June 20 hearing.

The Senate will sit as an impeachment tribunal until Aug. 28. A two-thirds majority in the Senate is needed to finally impeach Paxton.

Here is the person in charge of home discharge.

Representative. Andrew Moore, cross right

As chairman of the House Investigative Committee, Moore is the most prominent actor in the run-up to Paxton's impeachment. A five-term lawmaker, Hill Country rancher, and nephew of former Governor Coke Stevenson, Moore until recently conducted an undercover investigation into Paxton's alleged misconduct.

Longtime friends and colleagues describe Moore first and foremost as a principled Texan and a regular "Hello." And the kingdom has roots that go back eight generations. In early May, Moore also oversaw the investigation and firing of R-Royce City Rep. Brian Slayton, who had drunken sex with a 19-year-old colleague. As with Paxton, he called on the House to abdicate its responsibility to hold elected officials accountable.

[House Challenge partners with two of Texas' top lawyers, Dick DeGuerin and Rusty Hardin, to handle the Ken Paxton case]

"This House in Texas will no longer hear complainants of serious and troubling incidents and then turn the other cheek or just slap the member on the wrist," he said of Slaton. "It breaks my heart. I doubt you too."

Moore holds a law degree from Texas Tech University and served as a Kimball County judge and district attorney before joining the House. He previously chaired the House Corrections Committee, which oversees the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the largest agency in the state. Moore has also served on the boards of the Texas Judicial Council, which sets policy for state judges, and the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, which helps defendants who cannot afford lawyers.

He is a partner at Moore, Ganske, Moore & Sessions, where he practices criminal, real estate and probate law, according to the Texas State Bar Directory.

Representative. Ann Johnson, Houston

Johnson is the vice chairman of the House Investigative Committee, the five-member body that recommended Paxton's impeachment. When the House debated the case on Saturday, Paxton was tasked with summarizing eight years of alleged misconduct.

"If millions of Texans can't be trusted to do the right thing, right here, right now, then what are we here for?" he asked as the House voted 121-23.

It was a defining moment for Johnson, who since entering the House in 2021 has displayed a knack for sharp, forceful words that have often graced his legislative career.

Since 2001, Johnson has been an adjunct professor at the South Texas College of Law, where he teaches jury selection, trial and criminal defense. And he served two terms as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney's office, including as lead attorney in the office's human trafficking division.

As defense attorney in 2010, she represented a 13-year-old sex trafficking victim, arguing that she should not be charged with prostitution due to her teenage age. The Texas Supreme Court agreed in a 6-3 decision, and Johnson continues to work with sexual assault survivors. In 2021 and 2023, he introduced bills to eliminate statute of limitations for sex crimes. On May 9, she cited her work with abuse victims in urging lawmakers to impeach Slayton on sexual assault charges.

Johnson has also championed LGBTQ causes and was one of the most active members of the House LGBTQ Caucus, which fights against bills targeting LGBTQ Texans, including bans on hormone therapy for transgender minors and puberty blockers. Johnson said the session, which included several rallies and protests by LGBTQ Texans, confirmed his decision to attend.

"I've had many members of this family come up to me and say, 'Thank you for the question that acknowledges our expertise,'" Johnson said earlier this year. "It's really important to me. It's really important for these families to know that even though their interests are considered a minority, their presence is represented in this legal process."

Representative. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth

Geren, the only non-lawyer on the prosecution team, was a Representative for 23 years and rose to become one of the highest-ranking members of the legislature, where he earned a reputation as a budget hawk and conservative lawmaker with a dry sense of humor.

Gerren also served on the House Investigative Committee, where Paxton argued that the impeachment trial was politically motivated. The commission ordered him to explain one of his more personal allegations against Paxton; that the attorney general called several lawmakers while on the floor to threaten political retaliation if they voted for 20 articles of impeachment.

He answered the question about the voice of the local media with typical humour. "It's a big decision, but I'm being charged $19.72 a day for it."

It is not the first time that Geren has clashed with the far right of his party. In 2019, when he was chairman of the House Administration Committee, Guerren clashed with Paxton's aides, who sued him after he denied credentials to House media. In January, Guerin also rebuffed Texas GOP leaders who attacked House Speaker Ded Phelan for allowing Democrats to chair various committees. During this session, Geren was also behind a high-profile but unsuccessful push to allow more casinos in Texas.

Representative. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro

A lawyer for nearly four decades, Spiller is one of the most conservative members of the Texas House, recognized and supported by young Texas conservatives and Austin Texans for judicial reform.

Spiller St. In 1986 he graduated from the University of Mary School of Law. He has served as the Jacksboro City Attorney since 1987 and the Chief Prosecutor for the Jack County Hospital District since 1990.

Spiller entered the House after winning the 2021 special election and introduced bills in this session to increase penalties for illegal voting, "prevent male participation in women's sports" and improve broadband access in Texas rural. He was a member of the House Investigative Committee and, along with Johnson, was instrumental in working out the details of the impeachment charges against Paxton.

In a speech to members of the House of Representatives, Spiller praised Paxton's "legal acumen" and his achievements as attorney general, but urged his colleagues to impeach him, saying Paxton had violated his oath.

"No one should be above the law, especially the top law enforcement officers in the state of Texas," he said. "We must not be complicit in allowing this behavior, we must not ignore it."

Representative. Joe Moody, D-El Paso

Moody, a former prosecutor in the El Paso district attorney's office, served two terms as Texas House speaker until Phelan resigned in 2021 after Moody and 51 other Democrats left the state to protest the bill. GOP closing law. Home action in a few weeks.

He first served in the House of Representatives in 2009 and has become a bipartisan advocate for criminal justice reform, spearheading numerous measures to increase public scrutiny of government and law enforcement. In 2021, he and State Representative Jeff Leach, R-Plano, created a bipartisan group on criminal justice reform in the House.

Moody's also been active on gun control laws, especially when a gunman killed 23 people at a Walmart in his hometown in 2019 and when 21 students and teachers were killed at Roby Elementary School in Uvale last year. In this session, he introduced and defeated a bill that would have required dealers to notify the Department of Public Safety if more than one firearm is sold or transferred to the same person within five business days. Moody Phelan also appointed himself to a House committee investigating the Uvalde shooting and law enforcement response.

Representative. Briscoe Kaine, R-Deer Park

Kaine, a lawyer since 2016, is one of the staunchest conservatives in the House and has taken legislative steps to advance his cases, particularly on abortion.

Martin Cain helped a Texas man file a lawsuit against three women who allegedly helped his ex-wife terminate a pregnancy and sent letters to eight nonprofits in 2022 to help women move overseas to travel the state. Abortion "or will be prosecuted".

Following the 2020 presidential election, Kaine traveled to Pennsylvania to work with the Donald Trump campaign to “connect with other supporters fighting for fair and honest elections. Houston media reported at the time that Kaine had been interviewed by campaign staffers and pollsters. Found "bugs" but no malicious cheats.

Earlier this year, Kaine was one of the first lawmakers to call on Slayton to step down, at one point calling him a "sexual predator."

Kaine broke with Paxton supporters during the impeachment vote.

"It is the sole responsibility of the House to determine whether sufficient cause has been filed for a hearing before the Senate," Kaine said in a statement after the vote. "It was not my duty to judge anyone's guilt or innocence, but to determine whether there was any reason to believe that General Paxton had violated any or all of the articles submitted to the corps."

Kane is a 2012 graduate of the South Texas College of Law and partner of Houston-based firm Strahan Kane, a "startup and small business specialist," according to his LinkedIn page.

Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano

Leach is an attorney specializing in commercial and civil litigation, construction and real estate law, and chairman of the House Judiciary and Civil Law Committee.

Leach has been in the House since 2013 and has campaigned for bipartisan criminal justice reform. In this session, he introduced a bill to regulate sports betting in Texas, as well as a bill to overhaul Texas's anti-SLAPP laws, deeply upsetting reporters who fear it could lead to frivolous and costly lawsuits aimed at suppress freedom of speech.

Leach was also an early critic of the lawmakers' request to approve Paxton's $3.3 million settlement, which they say was wrongly rejected by the attorney general's office after Paxton's actions were reported to police. In a statement, Leach said he was "deeply concerned and concerned that taxpayer employees are grappling with this settlement between the attorney general and former employees of his office."

When the House debated Paxton's impeachment on Saturday, Leach dismissed the fact that Paxton had been denied due process in the politically motivated investigation, noting that Paxton had declined several invitations to speak to the Judiciary Committee.

He then joined five other House Representatives from Collin County — McKinney's home state, where Paxton and his wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, have lived for years — in voting on the impeachment. In a statement after the vote, the Collin County delegation said it was a decision "that we didn't want to make," but that there were probable enough grounds to bring the charges against Paxton to the Senate.

Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburgh

Like Moore, Canales comes from a family deeply rooted in Texas politics. six family members have been elected to public office, including his father, a former state district judge, and a great-uncle who served five terms in Texas House.

A member of the House since 2013, Canales has practiced law in the state since 2006 and maintains a small private practice specializing in personal injury, criminal defense and family law.

Canales, the first Latino to chair the House Transportation Committee, is an outspoken advocate of criminal justice reform, transparent government and public schools. In 2019, after Paxton's office issued an opinion that the city of McAllen was not required to disclose the amount paid for an Enrique Iglesias concert, Canales introduced legislation requiring governments to disclose spending on taxpayer-funded events.

Frustrated by the lack of respect from the Senate, Canales last month threatened to block the Senate bill in the Transportation Committee. He spoke out in support of Phelan amid attacks from Texas Republican Party leaders. During the House impeachment debate, he criticized Paxton supporters who said Paxton's trial was unfair, arguing that they had been asked to send the case to the Senate, not impeach the attorney general, or try the allegations against him.

Representative. Oscar Longoria, mission D

Longoria, a member of the General Investigative Committee, received her law degree from the University of Texas at Austin and focused on criminal defense, personal injury and storm damage.

First elected in 2012, Longoria served as a trustee of South Texas College and a board member of the Agua Special Utility District.

He served as chairman of the business and industry committee and attended this session of the public education committee.

Representative Morgan Mayer, University Park

Elected mayor in 2014, commercial lawyer for over 20 years.

A partner in the Dallas office of Wik Phillips, the law firm represents clients in more complex commercial cases and appeals relating to telecommunications, banking, insurance, energy and other matters.

He practiced in federal and state courts and worked at the South Dallas Legal Clinic, the Housing Legal Clinic and the VA Hospital Clinic. He is a member of a program that provides free legal aid to veterans with war-related injuries.

Meyer served two terms as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and previously served as chairman of the General Research Committee.

அக்க்குக்கு கிட்டை தாந்து வுட்டு, அர்க்க்கு த்து

Vasut, a member of the House since 2021, is one of the more conservative members of the House as part of the Texas Freedom Caucus, but he voted to impeach Paxton.

"The question before the House today was whether there was enough evidence to proceed with the Senate judge: nothing else," Vasut said after the vote. "This is not a political issue which is important. My conscience compels me to vote yes on this issue."

Vasutek, a former Angler City Council member, has been a lawyer for more than a decade. He represented clients in the civil affairs of the bakers and hospitality industries, but died in August when he set up his own law firm, state records show.

Representative Irene Elizabeth Gamez, D-Brownsville

A newcomer to the legislature, Gamez is a Brownsville attorney who won a special election to the House last year.

According to a Texas Signal story in April 2022, after receiving her law degree in 2014, Gamez worked at her father's law firm.

"I grew up working in law enforcement, all I wanted to do was go home and file a lawsuit," Gamez said in the statement. "I've never looked back. I feel like I'm able to do something here in the valley that I've never had the opportunity to do in other big forums because as a child advocate you can only do so much."

She also served as a defense attorney in Cameron County Mental Health Court, a program to help defendants obtain health insurance and medical advice.

Publication: State Bar of Texas, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, Texas Tech University, and the University of Texas at Austin The Texas Tribune, a non-profit and non-profit news organization, is financially supported in part by members, foundations, and grants . Corporate sponsor. जा उर्थायन करे . Donors have no role in Трибиун жорастантай. Find their full list here.


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correction, :

A 12-member House panel to impeach Paxton

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