AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A judge has rebuffed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request that he step aside before the Republican stands trial on criminal securities fraud charges in September.
A spokeswoman for state District Judge George Gallagher confirmed Monday that he will stay on the case. Paxton had asked for a new judge after his trial was moved from his hometown in suburban Dallas to Houston.
Melody McDonald Lanier says Gallager doesn’t need to formally rule on the motion to remove him. Gallagher had sided with prosecutors who argued they couldn’t get a fair trial in Collin County because of the publicity that has surrounded the case for two years.
Paxton was indicted in 2015 over accusations that he misled investors in a tech startup. He has pleaded not guilty.
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