AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won’t have to fight an ethics lawsuit over his challenge to the 2020 presidential election results until after his impeachment trial.
Paxton’s lawyers on Tuesday asked the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas to delay oral arguments in the case, which were originally set for Sept. 13, until after his impeachment trial. They are also representing Paxton in impeachment, the lawyers argue, noting it would be difficult to handle both cases at once.
“It is the first [impeachment] of a statewide elected official in over 100 years, and it presents extraordinarily complex issues which require extensive preparation. It would therefore prove difficult for counsel to provide competent representation in this matter as well without postponing argument,” wrote Judd Stone and Christopher Hilton, two lawyers on leave from Paxton’s agency in order to defend him against impeachment.
