Ken Paxton and his 7-year-old felony cases undermine our judicial system | Opinion
Dallas Morning News EditorialThis week marks seven years since Ken Paxton smiled for his mugshot at the Collin County Jail, where he turned himself in for felony securities fraud charges that remain in limbo today.
The attorney general is also charged with a third-degree felony for failing to register as an investment adviser. In an administrative proceeding separate from the criminal case, Paxton told the State Securities Board that this was an oversight. He paid a $1,000 fine after the board reprimanded him. Paxton’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.
We urge the court to make a final decision promptly. Whether the trial starts in Collin County, an area prosecutors worried would give Paxton an unfair advantage, or in Harris County, could prove decisive. We would hope jurors in either place could set aside the politics and fairly consider the facts before them.
Seven years “is definitely longer than most cases are pending,” said Chad Ruback, a Dallas-area appellate law attorney who is not involved with Paxton’s cases. “However, the Paxton case has had substantially more procedural twists and turns than the average case.” So the case got punted to Harris County District Court Judge Robert Johnson, who took six months to decide the cases should go back to Collin County. Then Johnson voluntarily recused himself because Paxton was representing him in a separate legal case.
The courts have enabled him for longer than is fair to this state. A jury needs to be seated, and these charges need to be heard.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Daycare director charged with felony child abuse, accused of assaulting 2-year-oldA daycare director in Mississippi was charged with felony child abuse after a father accused her of abusing his 2-year-old daughter.
Read more »
Jury deliberations begin for San Antonio man on trial for fatally shooting his girlfriendHe is facing a first-degree felony charge for the murder of his girlfriend, 27-year-old Cora Nickel, who was found in a pool of blood by the couple’s daughters.
Read more »
South Austin murder suspect captured in Colorado19-year-old John W. Bagwell is charged with first-degree murder for the May 23 shooting of 36-year-old Jose Aguirre-Castellanos in South Austin.
Read more »
Woman killed, 4-year-old child injured in Santa Cruz pedestrian accidentA car struck and killed a 24-year-old woman and injured a 4-year-old child who were walking through an intersection in Santa Cruz early Thursday morning, police said.
Read more »
Does This Robe Make You Think of Death?It’s a gown for the woman who is anything but casual, and who revels in her impenetrable opulence.
Read more »