The Texas Senate voted on Sept. 16 to acquit Ken Paxton on 16 articles of impeachment, immediately reinstating him as Texas Attorney General. 

The House of Representatives impeached Paxton in May, accusing him of disregard for his official duties, misuse of public resources, acceptance of bribes and obstruction of justice. No article of impeachment crossed the 21-vote threshold needed by the Senate to remove Paxton from office. 

The verdict comes at the end of a two-week trial where witnesses, many of whom formerly worked for Paxton, said he abused his position as attorney general to help his friend and struggling real estate investor Nate Paul with his business. In return, Paul allegedly renovated Paxton’s home and helped him cover up an extramarital affair, according to The Texas Tribune. 

Paxton celebrated the acquittal in a statement, calling the impeachment process “immoral and corrupt.” Returning as attorney general, he said his next steps are to continue challenging the Biden Administration’s “lawless policies.”  

Although the Senate acquitted Paxton on all charges, he still has multiple legal issues to address. He currently faces two state security fraud charges from 2015 in a case set to resume soon and a separate ongoing FBI investigation looking into the same complaints that got him impeached.