Doggett, lawmakers call 'rogue prosecutor' suit against DA Garza Republican interference
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Texas House members from Travis County on Monday criticized a recent judicial decision to accept a petition to remove Travis County District Attorney Jose? Garza from office, describing it as a Republican-led effort to undermine local elections.
"The petition was reviewed by a district judge in one of the most Republican counties in the state of Texas, who agreed to appoint another Republican to try to prevent the will of Travis County voters from being realized," Doggett, D-Austin, told reporters during a news conference on the steps of the Capitol.
Democratic state Reps. Donna Howard, Lulu Flores, Vikki Goodwin and Sheryl Cole also spoke. They were joined by Austin Kaplan, an attorney representing Amanda Zurawski, a plaintiff in a case challenging Texas' abortion ban.
Earlier this month, a petition was filed under Texas House Bill 17, which allows for the removal of a district attorney for "official misconduct" — including declining to prosecute certain criminal offenses. The Texas law took effect Sept. 1 and was part of a movement among state Republicans to rein in "rogue" progressive prosecutors. Last Friday, Dib Waldrip, presiding judge of the 3rd Administrative Judicial Region, assigned Bell County Attorney Jim Nichols to be the prosecuting attorney.
The petition claims that Garza has policies not to pursue certain charges, including abortion and drug possession. The American-Statesman previously reported that the petition was written by Martin Harry, a former Republican candidate for district attorney.
Doggett said that the petition has "no grounds" because it does not point to any actions taken by Garza after Sept. 1, when HB 17 went into effect.
Goodwin, who represents House District 17, said the issue "transcends" the fate of a single elected official and might set a troubling precedent for other elected Democrats. She also called the lawsuit a "financial burden," diverting taxpayer dollars from other county resources.
State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt released a statement on the petition, saying, "Democrats and Republicans alike must not fall in line behind this authoritarian coercion.
"Today it is a Democrat in Travis County, tomorrow it could be a Republican in your county," Eckhardt wrote in the statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.
On Tuesday, Harry sent the Statesman a written statement that disputed Doggett's interpretation of the petition.
"(The petition) most certainly alleges that Garza's policy after September 1 has remained the same as it was before," Harry said. "We shall see if Garza denies having the policies he has repeatedly boasted about while campaigning."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Democrats say suit to remove DA Garza is Republican interference