All Paxton, All the Time

Life Its Ownself is on a mission to get you the real story on the Ken Paxton impeachment — or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

         Welcome to a special Impeachment Day edition of Life Its Ownself! Please subscribe and encourage others to do so. Your support inspires me to write and publish regularly. All my content is free, but your paid subscription is a big affirmation. Please let me know how I’m doing by 1) liking, 2) subscribing, 3) sharing with others, and 4) commenting below.

(Ken Paxton, Man of the Hour of the Day of the Week.)

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

         Today is the opening day of the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. In a think piece (paywall) in the Quorum Report, the dean of Capitol reporter/observers and all-around Wise Man Harvey Kronberg succinctly states the dilemma for members of the Texas Senate as the trial begins:

The tension between duty, ambition, and greed are among the first conflicts newly elected officeholders face. Presuming they do not start their career with corrupt intentions, they quickly find out how difficult it is to navigate the three.

Rarely has this normally private battle between ethics and ambition been on such public display as we will see with the Texas Senate trial of Ken Paxton.

         Here’s what today will look like:

         Proceedings begin at 9:00 a.m. with the reading of the Articles of Impeachment, and Paxton’s pleas thereto. The rest of the morning will likely be devoted to the resolution of procedural issues, including peremptory motions to dismiss all or some of the charges against Paxton. (Under the Senate Rules, motions to dismiss Articles of Impeachment must be voted on by the senators themselves.) There is also a motion to dismiss three Democratic senators on the grounds they have made public statements indicating they’ve prejudged the case. Depending on which motions are granted, the trial could be considerably shortened.

         After that, all the subpoenaed witnesses will present themselves before the Senate to be sworn in. And then, opening statements by the parties, an hour for each side. (The defense can elect to make its opening statement after the prosecutors have presented their case.)

         After opening statements, the House managers and their lawyers will present their case for Paxton’s removal. At its conclusion, Paxton’s team will present his defense. The Senate will meet Mondays through Saturdays until this is done; it is expected to take 2-3 weeks. After concluding arguments by both parties, the senators will deliberate on a verdict; those deliberations will not be broadcast, but their decisions must be made in public.  

         An important point: if the Senate does convict Paxton on any of the charges, it then must make a separate decision about whether Paxton should be banned from statewide office in the future.

How Can I Watch?

         This is a once-in-a-century event and, unlike the two previous impeachments in Texas history, technology will allow us to share the experience. The trial will be broadcast live on the Senate TV channel. The Texas Tribune will also livestream the trial on its website. People in the Austin area who have Spectrum cable can view it on Channel 230, and local station KVUE has announced it will livestream the trial. Also, Austin NPR affiliate KUT will livestream the audio feed on one of its channels. TV stations KHOU in Houston and WFAA in Dallas will livestream the trial also.

         If you know of other media outlets that are livestreaming the proceedings, please share that info in the Comments.    

How Life Its Ownself Will Cover It

         At 9:00 today, I will host a Chat on the Substack app. If you do not have the app, you can get it here on Apple or here on Google. Please join for a lively discussion of the important procedural and pretrial issues that day!

         Beginning Wednesday, I will watch the proceedings – so you don’t have to – and publish a summary every evening, hopefully by 8:00 p.m.

Background Reading/Primers

         If you just returned from wandering around the Arctic Circle or communing with Aboriginal Peoples in the Outback, here are some resources on how we got to this point:

         Yours Truly, “So Long, and Thanks for All the Fibs,” Life Its Ownself, 8/29/2023.

         Mimi Swartz, “Your Cheat Sheet for Ken Paxton’s Impeachment Trial,” Texas Monthly, 8/31/2023.

         Schumacher and Barragán, “Here’s how Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will operate,” Texas Tribune, 9/4/2023.

         Schumacher and Barragán, “Who’s who in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial, from key participants to potential witnesses,” Texas Tribune, 9/1/2023.

         Lauren McGaughy, “What to expect opening day of Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial,”Dallas Morning News, 9/1/2023.

         Ryan Autullo, “Whistleblowers, fraud and Nate Paul: A timeline of Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial,” Austin American-Stateman, 8/31/2023.

         John Moritz, “Political scandals are not uncommon in Texas. Here's what makes the Paxton saga unique.” Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 9/2/2023.

         Allie Morris, “Who is Ken Paxton? Four things to know about the Texas attorney general facing an impeachment trial,” Houston Chronicle, 9/3/2023.