Texas Republicans look to ‘rein in’ elected attorneys across the state – ABC NEWS 4

The Texas Capitol is pictured here in an undated photo. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Two bills making their way through each chamber of the Texas legislature could impose new oversight and regulation on district attorneys across the state, with several advocates naming Travis County prosecutor Jos Garza as a specific target.

Since the legislative session began, top Republicans have said they want to "rein in" what they call 'rogue DAs' by filing legislation that would obligate them to pursue and prosecute all criminal offenses.

In recent years, some Texas district attorneys, including Garza, have opted not to pursue criminal cases for certain offenses. Perhaps most prominently, several attorneys nationwide signed an open letter, saying they would not pursue criminal charges for abortion-related cases. Some prosecutors have publicly stated they would not pursue charges of low-level thefts or first-time marijuana offenses.

"The legislature and the governor are asserting the primacy of state government, and that is a big change," said James Henson, the director of the Texas Politics Project an organization based at the University of Texas at Austin working to increase Texans' political engagement.

Two priority bills, Senate Bill 20 and House Bill 17, could pave the way for district attorneys to be removed from office if they don't choose to prosecute all criminal offenses.

"Unfortunately, certain Texas prosecutors have joined a trend of adopting internal policies, refusing to prosecute particular laws," state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-District 17 one of the senate bill's authors said in a Senate committee hearing earlier this month.

This week, the Senate committee voted to move S.B. 20 out of committee, and it could be approved by the full chamber as early as Monday.

H.B. 17, filed by Rep. David Cook, R-District 96, does the same as S.B. 20 and lays out the legal proceedings of removing a district attorney from office would happen through a jury trial. That bill has not yet faced a committee vote.

Several law enforcement advocates and stakeholders spoke in favor of the bill, with many naming the Travis County District Attorney's office as part of the problem.

District attorneys are elected positions and usually have a political party affiliation. That party affiliation has brought scrutiny on a national scale with narratives on both sides of the aisle arguing the criminal justice system is increasingly tied to politics.

Critics of the policies, including the ACLU of Texas, told lawmakers they were concerned forcing district attorneys out of office undermines the will of voters, who democratically elected those prosecutors to office.

More here:
Texas Republicans look to 'rein in' elected attorneys across the state - ABC NEWS 4

Related Posts

Comments are closed.