Anti-Paxton "Special Prosecutors" in increasingly deep doo-doo....

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."
Galatians 6:8

Ouch from Yesterday:

The Dallas Court of Appeals has issued a stay preventing the Collin County Commissioners Court from disbursing payments to a group of private attorneys who have been prosecuting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The order came down as the commissioners’ court was set to vote on whether to approve the prosecutors’ bills or file their own suit challenging them.

Houston criminal defense attorneys Kent Schaffer and Brian Wice have so far billed the County more than $600,000 on the Paxton case. After paying the men $369,914.75 last year, the commissioners voted 5-0 to challenge future bills that fall outside of Collin County’s typical pay structure for appointed counsel, which usually would limit pre-trial compensation to just $2,000.

The Court of Appeals ruled in the context of a suit brought by Jeff Blackard, a Collin County taxpayer who has been suing to prevent the county from spending money on the prosecution in ways he alleges are unlawful.

Ouch from today:

One day after having the Dallas Court of Appeals cut off further payments to him in the prosecution of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a federal court has ruled against Houston Criminal Defense Attorney Kent Schaffer in another case.

A federal judge on Tuesday disqualified Schaffer from representing Jeffrey Faye Pyke, the alleged leader of the Bandidos motorcycle gang. Pyke and the gang are being prosecuted by the Department of Justice for murder, robbery, extortion, and other crimes.

Federal prosecutors have argued that Schaffer is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Bandidos organization, alleging that Schaffer reviewed the legal paperwork for Bandidos members in order to identify those who might have been cooperating with law enforcement.

The Court found that Schaffer’s representation of former Bandidos members who are now cooperating with law enforcement created an actual and potential conflict of interest that brought him into conflict with attorney ethics rules.

Bottom Line: This case has always been a fiasco, but this certainly does up the stakes....