AUSTIN, Texas — There was a key deadline Monday ahead of next week's impeachment trial for suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The same senators who wrote the rules for the upcoming impeachment trial had to issue their recommendations on pretrial motions, including whether or not to dismiss the articles of impeachment. The seven-member rules committee has until Tuesday to deliver the recommendations to senators.
Basically, the trial could be over before it starts.
The senators have until Tuesday to share their recommendations with all of their colleagues. The rules say that a vote has to happen before opening statements begin.
The trial is set to begin on Sept. 5 and 16 votes are needed to dismiss the articles of impeachment. Senators are expected to vote on whether or not to dismiss the articles outright on the same day that the trial is slated to begin.
Paxton's lawyers have filed motions to dismiss all 20 articles of impeachment.
"It could be the case, that as a matter of law, that they decide that the voters already knew that these cases were out in the open, and as a result they are going to effectively remove this from consideration because the constitution lets them do it," University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said.
Rottinghaus referenced the "prior-term" doctrine, also known as the "forgiveness doctrine," which says "an officer in this state may not be removed from office for an act the officer may have committee before the officer’s election to office."
"The case law on this is unusual because it does imply that voters really did understand all of the specifics about these cases and were still willing to vote for the attorney general. It’s not obvious that that’s the case," Rottinghaus said.
Paxton is accused of abusing his office to help a friend and campaign donor Nate Paul. The allegations pre-date Paxton's most recent election last November, but not his first one in 2014. Determining which election that part of the law refers to will likely be one of the topics of debate.
On Monday afternoon, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that former state appeals court judge Lana Myers, from North Texas, will help him as he presides over the trial.
All parties involved in the trial were placed under a gag order.