Skip to main content
Ken Paxton Impeachment

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not receive his $153,750 salary during suspension

Following Paxton’s impeachment on Saturday, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed former Texas Secretary of State John Scott to serve as the state’s top attorney.

by William Melhado

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press May 26, 2023, a day before the impeachment vote in the Texas House.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press Friday, a day before the impeachment vote in the Texas House. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office confirmed Thursday that Attorney General Ken Paxton will not be paid his $153,750 annual salary while he is on suspension.

The state’s top lawyer was removed from office last week and is awaiting his impeachment trial before the Senate, which has not yet been scheduled.

The Texas Tribune Salaries explorer logo

Salaries Explorer

Look up compensation for Texas state employees.

Paxton was suspended from his duties Saturday when the Texas House voted to adopt 20 articles of impeachment ranging from accepting bribes to disregarding his official duties. The vote came two days after an investigative committee unveiled the charges. The committee had been meeting since March after Paxton asked the Legislature to approve the use of taxpayer money for a $3.3 million settlement for four former employees who were fired after accusing him of using his office to benefit a friend and political donor, real estate investor Nate Paul.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott named John Scott, former Texas secretary of state, as interim attorney general. Scott receives the same rate of pay as Paxton, $153,750 annually. The compensation for Texas state employees can be found in the Tribune’s Government Salaries Explorer, which is updated quarterly.

In a Tuesday letter to Scott, Rob Coleman, director of the comptroller’s Financial Management Division, said that under the Texas Constitution, “no salary payment may occur to Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton while in a suspended status.”

Paxton remains suspended pending the outcome of the trial, which the Senate has said will occur by Aug. 28.

Paxton’s impeachment came less than a year after the Republican attorney general won his third term last November.

“I am beyond grateful to have the support of millions of Texans who recognize that what we just witnessed is illegal, unethical, and profoundly unjust,” Paxton said in a statement on Saturday. “I look forward to a quick resolution in the Texas Senate, where I have full confidence the process will be fair and just.”

Disclosure: The Texas comptroller of public accounts and the Texas secretary of state have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Go behind the headlines with newly announced speakers at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, in downtown Austin from Sept. 21-23. Join them to get their take on what’s next for Texas and the nation.

Quality journalism doesn't come free

Perhaps it goes without saying — but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Do you value our journalism? Show us with your support.

Yes, I'll donate today

Information about the authors

William Melhado’s staff photo