The Court of Criminal Appeals has refused to overturn a ruling that’s preventing the three Houston attorneys appointed as special prosecutors in the criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from getting paid.

The attorneys, Brian Wice, Kent Schaffer and Nicole DeBorde, filed a writ of mandamus last year seeking to overturn a ruling by Dallas’ Fifth Court of Appeals that vacated an order by trial Judge George Gallagher to pay the lawyers about $205,000 for prosecuting the case based on a $300 hourly fee rate.