当德州司法部长肯·帕克斯顿将于今年晚些时候在州参议院接受审判在...之后被弹劾众议院的一名议员将被禁止投票:他的妻子。
根据周三晚间通过的审判规则，代表州参议院第八区的安吉拉·帕克斯顿(Angela Paxton)在审判期间将不能参加闭门会议或对“任何事项、动议或问题”进行投票。
这31条规则是在两天的闭门会议后产生的，并以25票对3票获得通过。安吉拉·帕克斯顿投了反对票。
她仍然需要出席审判，即使她没有投票，她的席位也将有助于总票数的计算:31名参议员就座，需要21票才能永久解除总检察长的职务。
在规则通过的前几天，安吉拉·帕克斯顿通过推特发表声明说，她将“履行[她的]职责”，但没有说明她是否会投票——现在对她来说不再是一个选项。
在周四下午的一份声明中，她说，审判的规则不允许她对自己投出的票之外发表评论。“我认为我的宪法义务是神圣的，我对这些义务的理解没有改变。我将继续尽我所能，为(我的选区)人民发声，”她说。
另一项规则规定，该机构将通知司法部长新的审判开始时间为9月5日。最初，州议会要求诉讼程序不迟于8月28日开始。
这些规则还允许肯·帕克斯顿的辩护得到听取，并“在任何时候都可以进入参议院”，以及“在参议院获得席位，除非弹劾法庭在闭门会议中。”
每一方将有总共24小时的时间进行举证。
经过两天的深思熟虑，德克萨斯州参议院通过了对司法部长帕克斯顿弹劾审判的规则。参议院将根据得克萨斯州宪法履行职责，”主持参议院工作的副州长丹·帕特里克在一份声明中说。
上个月，州议会的一个调查委员会对肯·帕克斯顿提出了20项弹劾条款，这是他作为司法部长的第三个任期。
他被指控多种形式的不当行为，包括贿赂、妨碍司法公正和挪用公共资源。他随后以121票对23票被弹劾，许多控制州议会的共和党人投票反对他。
帕克斯顿的弹劾案可以追溯到2020年，当时高级助手指控他滥用职权为一名捐赠者、他自己和他所谓的情妇谋利。
在上个月的一份挑衅性声明中，帕克斯顿称诉讼程序是“不公正的”，是党派的“骗局”，并以“虚假陈述和彻头彻尾的谎言”驳回了对他的指控。
推荐他的审判规则的州参议院委员会成员，包括帕特里克任命的五名共和党人和两名民主党人，没有公开谈论他们工作的细节。
禁言令也已发布，因此参议院成员不得公开讨论此案。
帕克斯顿的法律辩护曾敦促委员会提交规则，允许抛出众议院弹劾条款。在新闻发布会上，许多德克萨斯州人都知道的首席辩护律师托尼·布兹比(Tony Buzbee)将这些文章称为“博洛尼亚”，批评众议院不允许司法部长为自己辩护，用他的话说，就是匆忙启动弹劾程序，他称之为“匆忙的袋鼠法庭”。
众议院弹劾经理聘请的检察官Rusty Hardin和Dick DeGuerin在德克萨斯州也是家喻户晓的人物，他们为诉讼进行了辩护。
在一份声明中，哈丁写道，“众议院弹劾程序类似于大陪审团程序。他们的目的只是决定这些严重的指控是否值得提交给参议院进行全面的审判。到目前为止，众议院已经做出了所有的决定。他的律师所关心的所有正当程序、透明度和证据展示都将在参议院的审判中得到遵守。”
根据州法律，肯·帕克斯顿(Ken Paxton)自被弹劾以来一直被停职，由州长格雷格·艾伯特(Greg Abbott)任命临时司法部长。
如果他被撤职，他将被禁止在德克萨斯州担任未来的民选职务。
Texas AG Ken Paxton's wife barred from voting in his impeachment trial
When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton goes on trial later this year in the state Senate after being impeached, one lawmaker in the chamber will be barred from casting a vote: his wife.
Angela Paxton, who represents state Senate District 8, will not be able to take part in closed sessions or vote on "any matter, motion, or question" during the trial, according to rules for the trial that were adopted late Wednesday night.
The 31 rules were produced after two days of closed session and passed 25-3. Angela Paxton voted nay.
Her presence at the trial is still required and, even as a non-voter, her seat will contribute to the overall calculation for the vote: With 31 senators seated, 21 votes are required to permanently remove the attorney general from office.
Days before the adoption of the rules, Angela Paxton issued a statement via Twitter saying she would “carry out [her] duties” but did not specify whether she would vote -- now no longer an option for her.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, she said that the rules of the trial didn't allow her to comment beyond the vote she cast. "I hold my constitutional obligations sacred, and my understanding of those obligations has not changed. I will continue to do everything in my power to be a voice for the people of [my district]," she said.
Another rule specifies that the body will notify the attorney general of a new trial start time of Sept. 5. Originally, the state House called for the proceedings to begin no later than Aug. 28.
The rules also allow Ken Paxton's defense to be heard and have “access to the floor of the Senate at all times” and “be provided seats on the floor of the Senate, except when the court of impeachment is in closed session.”
Each side will be given 24 total hours for evidence presentation.
“After 2 days of thoughtful deliberation, the Texas Senate has adopted rules for the impeachment trial of Attorney General Paxton. The Senate will perform its duty per the Texas Constitution,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the chamber, said in a statement.
Last month, an investigative committee in the state House brought 20 articles of impeachment against Ken Paxton, now in his third term as attorney general.
He was accused of multiple forms of misconduct, including bribery, obstruction of justice and misappropriation of public resources. He was subsequently impeached in a 121-23 vote, with many Republicans -- who control the state Legislature -- voting against him.
The case for Paxton's impeachment traces back to 2020, when top aides accused him of abuse of office to benefit a donor, himself and his alleged mistress.
In a defiant statement last month, Paxton called the proceedings "unjust" and a partisan "sham," and dismissed the case against him as "false statements and outright lies."
Members of the state Senate committee that recommended the rules for his trial, including five Republicans and two Democrats appointed by Patrick, have not spoken publicly about the details of their work.
A gag order has also been issued, so Senate members are not permitted to publicly discuss the case.
Paxton’s legal defense had urged the committee to submit rules that would allow for the tossing out of the House impeachment articles. In a news conference, Tony Buzbee, a lead defense lawyer known well by many Texans, labeled the articles “bologna,” criticizing the House for not allowing the attorney general to defend himself and for, in his words, rushing the impeachment proceedings, which he called a “hurried, kangaroo court.”
Rusty Hardin and Dick DeGuerin, the prosecutors hired by the House impeachment managers and who are also household names in Texas, have defended the proceedings.
In a statement, Hardin wrote, “The House impeachment proceedings were analogous to a grand jury proceeding. They were designed simply to decide whether these serious allegations merited being presented to the Senate in a full-blown trial. That is all the House has decided so far. All of the due process, transparency, and presentation of evidence that his lawyers are concerned about will be observed in a trial before the Senate.”
Under state law, Ken Paxton has been suspended since being impeached, with an interim attorney general named by Gov. Greg Abbott.
If he is removed from office, he will be barred from holding future elected office in Texas.
