After setback, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick names another judge to help with Ken Paxton impeachment trial

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday named Lana Myers, a former state appeals court judge in North Texas, as his counsel for the upcoming impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.

It was Patrick’s second effort at selecting a legal adviser for the trial after his first pick, Marc Brown, backed out amid questions about his impartiality.

Myers was a Republican justice on the Dallas-based Fifth Court of Appeals from 2009-2022. She previously was a Dallas County district court judge and assistant district attorney for the county.

Paxton’s trial is set to start Sept. 5.

“Justice Myers is an extremely well-qualified candidate with courtroom experience as an attorney and a judge,” Patrick said in a statement.

Patrick’s previous appointment — Brown, a former state appeals court judge in Harris County — backed out of the role a day after he was announced earlier this month. After The Texas Tribune asked Patrick about a $250 donation that Brown gave to one of Paxton’s primary challengers in 2021, Patrick announced that Brown was declining the position, citing the donation.

Myers’ political donation history appears to be less conflicted. Records with the Texas Ethics Commission show she has mostly given to GOP groups in North Texas, like the Grayson County GOP and the Golden Corridor Republican Women's Club. She also contributed to former Gov. Rick Perry in 2010.

Perry appointed Myers to the Fifth Court of Appeals in 2009. She did not seek reelection in 2022.

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