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Top Stories: Ken Paxton Back In Court For Pre-Trial Hearing

Paul Moseley
/
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The top local stories this morning from KERA News:

The criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton heads back to the Collin County Courthouse this morning for a pre-trial hearing.

Special prosecutors want to move Paxton’s trial on securities fraud charges because they say it would be impossible to get a fair and impartial trial in Collin County. Paxton lives in the county. 

According to the Texas Tribune, prosecutors have accused Paxton and his allies of tainting the jury pool by waging a “22-month siege” against the people involved in the case. Paxton’s attorneys say the trial should stay where it is. His side in recent months has argued Paxton’s the subject of a revenge plot by political foes.

Paxton’s accused of misleading wealthy investors he recruited for a high-tech startup in 2011 -- four years before he became attorney general. He’s pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Jury selection’s currently scheduled to begin April 20. The trial’s expected to start May 1.

Other stories this morning:

  • Texas could become the next state to abolish civil asset forfeiture and replace it with criminal forfeiture. Sen. Konni Burton of Colleyville has filed a bill to limit the ability of police to confiscate property without due process. Her bill would require a felony conviction before law enforcement can confiscate someone’s property.
  • Our Big Screen team continues its Oscar preview series with a look at how the “La La Land pays tribute to the movie musicals that preceded it.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.