HOUSTON — A Harris County judge has set a start date for the trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, more than eight years after he was indicted on securities fraud allegations.
Paxton attended the hearing at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center on Monday, about a month and a half after he was acquitted from a historic impeachment trial at the state capitol for separate accusations.
The attorney general faces securities fraud charges for recruiting investors for a Dallas-based tech company but not informing the investors he was hired by the company to do so.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from a report before Monday's hearing.
At Monday’s hearing, a judge set a trial start date for April 15. On top of that, attorneys have a February deadline for filing pre-trial motions. A hearing to rule on those potential motions is also scheduled for February.
Attorneys spoke to reporters following the hearing.
Prosecutors suggested the securities fraud trial would be fairer than the impeachment trial Paxton faced, where fellow Republicans were among his pool of jurors.
“The playing field’s level and the truth matters,” special prosecutor Brian Wice said. “And the truth is that Mr. Paxton is going to have to answer for what is that he did eight years ago.”
Defense attorneys emphasized their confidence in their case and the judicial process for the upcoming trial.
“I think this will be a fair trial,” Paxton defense attorney Philip Hadler said. “We have a fair judge and I think we expect an even hand in this.”
Paxton was indicted in 2015 but court battles created a legal quagmire, slowing down the case. Among the debates was the venue of the trial. In June of this year, a court ruled the trial would take place in Houston.