Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Paxton was indicted on three fraud charges. This has been corrected to note he was indicted on two felony fraud charges and one felony charge of failing to register. This story has been updated throughout to reflect the three motions decided Thursday.

McKINNEY — Attorney General Ken Paxton’s upcoming trials will be moved out of Collin County, the judge presiding over his criminal case decided Thursday.

The ruling is a major victory for the prosecutors, who for months have argued that Paxton's friends and political allies have sought to malign them in the court of public opinion here, where the attorney general has lived and worked for decades.

Judge George Gallagher ruled the trials should be moved out of Paxton's backyard but did not set a new location.

The trials, which were to kick off May 1, will be delayed until a new venue is set.

Both the prosecutors and Paxton's attorneys denied to comment on the ruling. Gallagher imposed a strict gag order on the parties Wednesday, saying there would be "no more statements to the press." But Thursday afternoon, Paxton asked the judge to reconsider his decision, saying the prosecution presented "zero evidence" the trials should be moved.

"There is no significant bias or preconceived notions about this case among potential jurors," Paxton's request read. "There is simply no basis to transfer venue, and the case should therefore stay in Collin County."

In his ruling, Gallagher did not elaborate on why he sided with the prosecutors on their request to move the trial. He also denied their request to delay the trials until a separate lawsuit regarding a dispute over their pay concludes — stating the trials will be pushed back only until a new venue can be set — and declined Paxton's request to have his indictments thrown out.

Paxton faces three felony charges of violating state securities laws, which carry a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison and tens of thousands in fines.

The prosecutors have long argued there had been a concerted effort, a "crusade," by Paxton's allies to deify him and personally attack anyone they see as working against him. They've added that the case has become mired in local politics, with everyone from county politicians to ex-presidential hopeful Rick Santorum seeking to derail their work.

All pay going to the prosecution, for example, has been halted due to a lawsuit filed by developer and Paxton friend Jeffory Blackard, who said the prosecutors' hourly rate is too high. The 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas will rule in that case, though it's unclear when it will issue a decision.

During a hearing on Wednesday, Gallagher said he was concerned about the lawsuits filed "by folks that have a great deal of control in this county."

"We may have a problem here," said Gallagher. "We may have an ethical problem."

Earlier this month, a handful of additional people joined Blackard's lawsuit, including McKinney residents JR and Keresa Richardson, who held a 2013 fundraiser for Paxton's attorney general campaign that was co-hosted by several county commissioners and state lawmakers. They later gave $10,000 to the fund he set up to fight his charges.

This week, the prosecution cited this fundraiser as an additional reason why the trials should be moved.

On Thursday, Paxton's lawyers denied the importance of the 2013 event. They described it as a "run of the mill political fundraiser" held long before he was indicted in July 2015: "The invitation provides no support for transferring venue or continuing this case."

Blackard and Keresa Richardson said they, too, were puzzled why the judge would have an "ethical" concern about the event.

"We have no idea what the judge is referring to, because it has been years since either of us have held or sponsored fundraisers for county commissioners," they said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News. "We certainly have not done so, even with county commissioners as mere honorary sponsors, since the indictment of Attorney General Paxton."

Paxton faces one third-degree and two first-degree felony charges. He is accused of funneling clients to a friend’s investment firm without being registered with the state as a representative of the company, and making secret commissions off encouraging people to buy stock in McKinney technology firm Servergy Inc. The main witness against him is Byron Cook, a Corsicana Republican and sitting chairman in the state House.

The attorney general, who was indicted six months after he took office, has said the indictments are part of a politically motivated witch hunt by members of his own party.

He's already had a judge throw out related civil charges lobbed against him by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That ruling came this month, but the federal government has one more chance to revive the charges.