Appeals Court Stays Decision That Halted Pay to Lawyers Prosecuting Attorney General Ken Paxton

AUSTIN — After more than a year with no pay, prosecutors pursuing criminal charges against Ken Paxton have hope they'll soon get a six-figure check in the mail.The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals late Monday stayed a lower court's ruling that blocked the prosecutors last paycheck, which totaled more than $205,000 for a year's worth of work on the case. In a statement, Brian Wice said the prosecutors were "extremely gratified" the court agreed to temporarily block the lower court's decision."We're cautiously optimistic that the Court will ultimately conclude that the Fifth Court's unwarranted decision to scuttle the fee schedules of over two-thirds of all Texas counties was a clear abuse of discretion," Wice said. Monday's decision clears the way for Wice to take the fight over the prosecutors back pay to the top court. Last month, the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas blocked their last paycheck after Collin County officials sued, saying the prosecutors' $300-an-hour rate broke local and state caps on lawyers' fees. The county must pay for the cost of prosecuting Paxton, who faces three felony charges of breaking state securities laws for alleged crimes that date back to his time as a state House member representing McKinney. Paxton denies the charges and is set to face trial in December. This is a breaking story. Check back here for more details.  Continue reading...