Sanctions allowed for far-right Texas AG who attempted to overturn election: appeals court

19 April 2024

Although far-right Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) survived a bipartisan impeachment effort and was elected to a third term, the Lone Star State's top law enforcement official still has an abundance of critics who believe he should face disciplinary measures for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Now, according to the Associated Press (AP), a Texas appeals court has ruled that that such measures are allowed.

The AP's Acacia Coronado reports that on Thursday, April 18, a three-judge panel for the 5th District Court of Appeals "said Paxton can be sanctioned" by a disciplinary committee representing the Texas Bar Association.

The decision, according to Coronado, was 2-1, with Judge Emily Miskel, the panel's only Republican, being the dissenter.

Judge Erin Nowell, elected as a Democrat and half of the panel's majority opinion, wrote, "The focus of the Commission's allegations is squarely on Paxton's alleged misconduct — not that of the State."

In 2020, after now-President Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump, Paxton tried to have millions of votes thrown out in four states that Biden won. But his efforts were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Paxton plans to appeal the three-judge panel's 2-1 ruling.

According to Coronado, "Paxton is among the highest-profile attorneys to face a threat of sanctions for aiding in efforts led by former President Donald Trump to throw into question Trump's defeat. The state bar's disciplinary group's punishments against an attorney can range from a written admonition to a suspension or disbarment."

"The disciplinary process resembles a trial and could include both sides eliciting testimony and obtaining records through discovery," he added.

Read the Associated Press' full report at this link.

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