Patrick appoints Lana Myers as counsel during Paxton impeachment trial

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that former Justice Lana Myers will serve as his counsel during the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“Today, pursuant to the Rules of Impeachment adopted by the members of the Senate, I am pleased to appoint Justice Lana Myers to assist me during the upcoming impeachment trial which starts on September 5,” Patrick said in a news release. “Justice Myers is an extremely well-qualified candidate with courtroom experience as an attorney and a judge.”

Myers is a former prosecutor who served as a state district judge in Dallas County for 14 years, according to the announcement. Thereafter, she was a justice on the Court of Appeals for the 5th District from 2009 to 2022.

Patrick previously appointed former Justice Marc Brown to the position, but Brown withdrew his name the next day after realizing he and his wife had contributed to the campaign of former Justice Eva Guzman when she ran against Paxton in the 2022 Republican primary for attorney general.

Brown said he believed he could be fair despite the campaign donation, but feared his service would damage the perception of the court of impeachment as an impartial body.

The rules of the Texas Senate’s court of impeachment vest Patrick with the authority to appoint a jurist who is not running for office in 2024 to serve as the presiding officer during the proceeding. The rules also allow him to appoint legal counsel.

Paxton faces removal from office if the Senate sustains even one of the articles of impeachment, which accuse him of myriad offenses including bribery, abuse of office, and misusing taxpayer funds.