When the Wife Is on the Jury
OPINION
Disgraced former Texas Attorney General Ted Paxton. Photo: Google
By SILVIO CANTO, JR.
My guess is that this is the first time that a wife has ever been a part of the jury in her husband’s trial.
One would have thought that the prosecution would immediately strike a juror married to the accused.
Of course, we are talking about someone who is no ordinary defendant, and the wife is no ordinary juror.
The defendant in question is Ken Paxton, recently impeached as attorney general of Texas, and his wife is Angela Paxton, a Texas state senator who will vote yes or no on his charges.
As the Texas Tribune pointed out, after weeks of speculation, McKinney Republican Angela Paxton finally announced this week that she will attend the impeachment trial of her husband.
“Each time I was elected, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of this great state, and Texas law compels each member of the Senate to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment,” Angela Paxton said in a written statement. ”
“As a member of the Senate, I hold these obligations sacred and I will carry out my duties, not because it is easy, but because the Constitution demands it and because my constituents deserve it.”
The Tribune pointed out that Ken Paxton faces 20 articles of impeachment as a result of a months-long investigation by the House General Investigating Committee.
“Those articles include accusations of bribery, retaliating against whistleblowers and obstruction of justice. As a result, the suspended attorney general will face a trial in the Senate by Aug. 28, in which the upper chamber’s 31 members will act as jurors in the decision of whether to remove one of the state’s top elected Republicans from office,” the article said.
“Texas law requires each member to attend when the Senate meets as a court of impeachment, but Angela Paxton’s participation wasn’t clear before her announcement. Her role in the impeachment has been a point of speculation since her husband was impeached just days before the regular legislative session ended in May.”
Talk about stand by your man. Senator Paxton is one of 19 GOP senators in the Texas Congress. It will take 21 votes to convict the suspended her husband, and we can assume that all 12 Democrats will vote yes.