Best mugshot ever
Collin County is about to start another fight over the prosecution of indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Since 2015, the county has been billed more than half a million dollars to prosecute Paxton, who faces securities fraud charges. But fresh off a court win that voided half of those costs, county commissioners now want the rest of their money back.
On Monday, the commissioners voted unanimously to sue for the more than $205,000 they paid the special prosecutors in January 2016. They argue that since a Dallas court struck down the prosecutors’ hourly fees — ruling they broke local and federal rules — the county should be reimbursed for all that it’s spent on the case.
See here and here for the background. What Collin County is doing is unprecedented, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get what they want. I have hope that the CCA will reverse this ridiculous ruling, but I can’t say I have faith. What I want to know is this: What happens if at some point the prosecutors say “screw this, I’m going to back to my real job”? In particular, what happens if they say this before the Paxton trial begins? I’m hard-pressed to imagine a scenario more ridiculous than Ken Paxton winning his trial by forfeit, but it could happen. What is the fallback position here, and has anyone other than me considered it?
By the way, let me also note that this is a rather extreme example of why local elections matter. Having a Democrat on Collin County Commissioners Court would not have changed the course of their actions, but it at least would have provided a voice of opposition. I don’t know what the electoral map looks like from this perspective – I may try to check it out if I can – but getting a foothold in red counties like this has got to be a priority.