The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over an administrative rule that requires “sweeping” report submissions, according to a press release.
The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over an administrative rule that requires “sweeping” report submissions, according to a press release.
The lawsuit, in coordination with the district attorney’s offices of Dallas and Harris counties, argues that the rule exceeds Paxton’s power as attorney general under Texas law and violates the Texas Constitution, the release said.
The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office stated that the rule requires “extensive” quarterly and annual reports for counties with a population exceeding 400,000.
According to the release, the rule asks that case dispositions, budget expenditures, internal communications and prosecutorial decision-making data are included in the reports.
“These reporting requirements do not make communities safer,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said. “They do not identify trends, improve transparency, or enhance public trust. Instead, they create barriers that divert limited resources away from what matters most, which is prosecuting violent offenders and protecting our community.”
“We remain fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the pursuit of justice, free from unnecessary interference that distracts from our top priority, which will continue to be public safety,” he said.
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