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Meet the Legal Teams in the Paxton Impeachment Trial [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-06-03

As most here already know, last Saturday (5-29-23) the Texas House of Representatives impeached sitting attorney General Ken Paxton by a vote of 121 to 23 (5 members were either absent or did not vote). The case will now move to the Senate for a trial. You can view the full House hearing here.

Three days prior to this vote, the General Investigating Committee had voted unanimously to send articles of impeachment to the full House for a vote. You can view this entire hearing here.

Upon the vote of impeachment, Paxton was immediately suspended from office pending the trial in the Senate. Paxton’s First Assistant, Brent Edward Webster, is acting AG for now unless and until Governor Abbott (who has made no indication one way or the other) decides otherwise. As some here may recall, Webster is subject to a companion bar complaint (which was dismissed, but is pending an appeal) for his complicity in Paxton’s challenge to the 2020 election. (Read toward the bottom of the article “Update on Texas Bar Complaints”)

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The General Investigating Committee is comprised of three Republicans and two Democrats. The full House vote against Paxton included 60 Republicans and 61 Democrats. The 12-member team who will be managing the Senate prosecution is comprised of 7 Republicans and 5 Democrats, which includes the folks on the General investigating Committee. This will not likely thwart shrieks and whining about the process being a “partisan witch hunt.”

Prosecution Team

Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction

Rep. Murr is the fearless Chair of the General Investigating Committee. Murr is the grandson of former Governor Coke Stevenson (1941-1947) and hails from a long-time Texas political family. Murr has a law degree from Texas Tech University and is serving his fifth term in the House. Murr’s “day job” is as a law partner at Moore, Ganske, Murr, & Sessions.

Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston

Rep. Johnson is the equally fearless Vice-Chair of the General Investigating Committee. Rep. Johnson earned her law degree from the South Texas College of Law, where she now serves as an adjunct professor teaching jury selection, trial litigation, and criminal defense. Johnson has worked on both sides of prosecution and defense. She defended a 13-year old sex trafficking victim and continues to work with survivors of sexual violence. She also served as the chief prosecutor in the Harris County DA’s office human trafficking section. Johnson is also an ally of LGBTQ causes, opposing the anti-LGBTQ legislation that seems to be rampant everywhere.

Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth

Rep. Geren is the only non-lawyer on the impeachment team, but he has the benefit of 23 years seniority in the House. Geren has earned his conservative bona fides but is also known to push back against his Republican colleagues if he believes they are wrong. Geren has challenged charges that the impeachment investigation is “politically motivated.” He also reported that he received a threatening phone call from Paxton’s office during the impeachment hearing.

Rep. David Spiller, R-Jacksboro.

Rep. Spiller is a relative newcomer to the House, winning a special election in 2021. Spiller has a 1986 law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. He has served as Jacksboro City Attorney since 1987 and as general counsel for the Jack County Hospital District since 1990. Spiller is one of the most conservative House members in the Texas House, with endorsements from Young Conservatives of Texas and Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Spiller praised Paxton’s “legal mind” as well as his policy accomplishments, but stated that, “No one person should be above the law, least not the top law enforcement office of the State of Texas. We should not be complicit in allowing that behavior.”

Rep. Oscar Longoria, D-Mission

Rep Longoria received his law degree in 2007 from the University of Texas and has served in the House since 2012. Rep. Longoria owns and operates a solo law practice.

The following prosecution team members are NOT on the General Investigating Committee:

Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park

Rep. Cain received his law degree in 2012 from the South Texas College of Law. His “day job” is as a partner at Strahan Cain in Houston. Cain is known as a hard line conservative, especially with respect to abortion. Cain traveled to Pennsylvania in 2020 to assist the Trump campaign investigating election fraud. Cain purportedly found a number of “mistakes,” but nothing malicious or fraudulent.

Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano

Rep. Leach received his law degree from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. His “day job” is in the Dallas law firm of Gray, Reed, and McGraw, LLP. Leach joined five other Representatives from Collin County (Paxton’s home) in voting for impeachment. Although Leach typically takes conservative positions, he also has supported bipartisan criminal justice reforms. Leach was an early opponent of Paxton’s request to approve the $3.3 million whistleblower settlement.

Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso

In 2008, Rep. Moody became the youngest member of the House at age 27. Moody received his law degree from the Texas Tech School of Law in 2006. Moody previously served as a prosecutor in the El Paso County DA’s office, and now works for an El Paso bank on regulatory issues. Moody has worked with Rep. Leach on bipartisan criminal justice reform.

Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-University Park

Rep. Meyer received his law degree from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1999, and he was first elected to the Texas House in 2014. Meyer’s “day job” is as a partner at Wick Phillips Law Firm, where he has been representing businesses in commercial litigation for over 20 years.

Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg

Like Rep. Murr, Rep. Canales comes from a long-time Texas political family. Six of his relatives have held public office; his father is a former state judge. He follows in the footsteps of a great uncle who served five terms in the Texas House. Rep. Canales received his law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law and shortly thereafter opened his own solo law practice in 2006. He was elected to the House in 2013, and is the first Latino to chair the House Transportation Committee. Like some of his colleagues on the prosecution team, Canales is an advocate for criminal justice reform and government transparency.

Rep. Cody Thane Vasut, R-Angleton

Rep. Vasut was newly elected to the House in 2021. He received his valedictorian law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. He has practiced law at BakerHostetler and in his own solo practice, primarily representing oil and gas and other business interests. Although Rep. Vasut has been endorsed by the über-conservative Texas Freedom Caucus, he says that politics was “irrelevant” in his vote to impeach Paxton. “My conscience compels me in this matter to vote yes.”

Rep. Erin Elizabeth Gàmez, D-Brownsville

Rep. Gàmez received her law degree in 2014 from South Texas College of Law. Since then, she has worked at her father’s family law firm, while also serving as a defense attorney in Cameron County’s mental health diversion court. Gàmez is the newest House member, having won a special election. Gàmez was sworn in on March 30, 2022, and then won re-election to a full term. At that time, she was the youngest House member, as well as the first female House Rep. from District 38.

The Defense Team

All six members of Paxton’s defense team are employees in the Attorney General’s office who have taken a leave of absence in order to assist with Paxton’s defense. Five of them are attorneys. It can be surmised that Texas taxpayers are picking up the tab for this.

Judd Stone II, Solicitor General

The Solicitor General supervises all appellate litigation on behalf of the Texas AG. Stone was hired in February, 2021, to replace Kyle D. Hawkins. As some may recall, Hawkins refused to sign the Texas “election fraud” suit against four other states and announced his intention to resign in January 2021. (Hawkins purportedly left the AG’s office on amicable terms). Stone previously served as a clerk to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as well as Chief Counsel for Senator Ted Cruz. Stone received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and has practiced law at the D.C. firms of Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius, and Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel, & Frederick. Like Paxton, Stone grew up in Collin County. According to Texas Tribune public record requests, Stone’s salary is $225,000.

Joseph N. Mazzara, Assistant Solicitor General

It was difficult to find any public information on Mazzara. There is a LinkedIn listing for an Austin-based attorney identified only as “Joseph M.” This individual served as an officer in the U.S. Marines from 2008-2019. “Joseph M.” lists employment as a legal intern with the Virginia Court of Appeals (Aug-Dec 2016) and as a law clerk for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (Jan-May 2017). There is nothing on the LinkedIn page connecting Joseph M. to the Texas AG’s office. “Joseph M.” attended the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University from 2013 to 2017, which does connect him to individuals listed below. According to Texas Tribune public record requests, Mazzara’s salary is $143,461.

Kateland Jackson, Assistant Solicitor General

Could not find anything (including salary information) connecting Jackson to the AG’s office. Jackson received her law degree from the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. Previous legal work includes as an associate at a major law firm in Washington, D.C. and as Chief Counsel to former Arizona Senator (and now U.S. Ambassador to Turkey) Jeff Flake. Jackson is a member of the Federalist Society’s Litigation Practice Group Executive Committee, and also serves as Senior Counsel to RITE USA, a litigation non-profit dedicated to restoring election integrity.

Chris Hilton, Chief of General Litigation

Hilton received his law degree from Tulane University Law School in 2010. He was previously employed at Vinson & Elkins, a huge multinational law firm. He was hired at the Texas AG’s office in January, 2017 (right before Trump was inaugurated) in the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division. To date, Hilton has been the most “public face” in Paxton’s impeachment defense. According to Texas Tribune public record requests, Hilton’s salary is $185,000.

Allison Collins, Senior Attorney

State Bar of Texas records indicate that Collins graduated from law school in 2014, but the school is listed as “unknown.” Collins also has been licensed to practice law in Michigan and has been admitted to state and federal courts in Michigan. According to Texas Tribune public record requests, Collin’s salary is $126,000.

Jordan Eskew, Executive Assistant

Ms. Eskew is not an attorney, and there is little public information beyond a thin profile on LinkedIn. Eskew attended Baylor University from 2011 to 2014. Her current salary is $76,650. Her salary history with the AG goes back to April of 2022, where she is listed as a “manager” at a salary of $73,000. Ms. Eskew received a salary increase to the current $76,650 on February 1, 2023, and was promoted to Executive Assistant IV in April. It appears like her main role in Paxton’s “defense” is not so much in the legal realm, but in managing media spin and propaganda.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/3/2173152/-Meet-the-Legal-Teams-in-the-Paxton-Impeachment-Trial

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