In fact, none of the 16 articles of impeachment considered was upheld by even a simple majority of senators.

The vote means that Paxton, who has been suspended from his duties since he was impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives in May, will remain in office. He was reelected to a third term as the state's attorney general last year by a sizable margin.

The impeachment charges stem from a whistleblower lawsuit filed in November 2020 by four former staffers who accused Paxton of using his office to intervene in the legal affairs of a wealthy donor and wrongfully terminating them after they objected to his actions.