Texas Gov Abbott, leaders of Senate, House to target local prosecutors who refuse to prosecute

(The Center Square) - Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced on Friday their commitment to bring greater transparency and accountability “to rogue local prosecutors who refuse to enforce Texas law.”

The news comes after Abbott has proposed creating a new office of a statewide prosecutor ahead of legislative hearings being held this month.

Abbott, Burrows and Patrick announced their plan for the Legislature to enact laws next year to implement greater state oversight of local prosecutors, stating there is “a clear pattern of certain local prosecutors releasing repeat offenders back into the community and putting innocent Texans at risk.”

“Texans come first,” Abbott said. “Prosecutors must enforce Texas law and keep violent criminals behind bars. When murder charges are dropped and repeat offenders walk free, innocent Texans pay the price. Texas will hold rogue prosecutors accountable and deliver justice for victims.”

“For far too long, Texans have been left at the mercy of certain local prosecutors' soft-on-crime policies,” Burrows said. “When murderers are let off the hook, released on bail through catch-and-release policies, or even have their charges dismissed, public safety is compromised.”

Earlier this year, Burrows established the Texas House Governmental Oversight Select Committee, which will meet on Sept. 30 to hear testimony on this issue. The goal is to develop bipartisan reforms “to strengthen public safety, hold public officials accountable and ensure political ideology never comes before law and order,” he said, adding that it “will be a top priority for the Texas House next session.”

Patrick agreed, saying the Texas Senate will also “take strong action against these rogue prosecutors.”

The leaders pointed to Travis County District Attorney José Garza as an example of a “rogue prosecutor,” citing examples of murder charges he’s dismissed, violent criminals his office refused to prosecute and many examples of repeat offenders being released onto the streets with no bond.

Their announcement comes after The Center Square exclusively reported on complaints made by residents in rural counties who argue local prosecutors aren’t prosecuting a range of crimes, including voter fraud, and are dismissing large numbers of cases.

They are hoping the Legislature will address an unanswered question: “What happens when a local district attorney won’t investigate or prosecute cases?”

Rural county residents argue there’s also a lack of transparency on the number of cases that are prosecuted and dismissed, there’s no statutory requirement for DAs to recuse themselves from a case by a certain deadline, which delays Office of Attorney General investigations, and there are no district attorney term limits.

Under the Texas Constitution, the OAG falls under the executive branch and is prohibited from prosecuting crimes in a county unless the local DA requests permission or recuses its office. If the DA won’t prosecute or dismisses cases, residents feel they have no recourse, The Center Square reported.

Former Zapata County Sheriff Raymundo Del Bosque and other Democrats, have called on the Republican-led state Legislature and the Trump administration’s Department of Justice to investigate an alleged systemic pattern of voter fraud in rural border counties.

“Don’t dismiss these concerns because we’re a small county on the border,” Del Bosque said. “Zapata County needs help. Please don’t ignore Zapata County.”

Democrat Martha Moralas, who ran for Zapata County judge, told The Center Square, “I am a Democrat asking a Republican president [and state Legislature] for help because I refuse to believe that justice has a party. My vote is not supposed to be bought, harvested, manipulated, or silenced, and neither is my right to have the truth heard in court.”