A district judge has temporarily blocked new reporting requirements issued by the Texas Attorney General’s Office that prosecutors argued were unconstitutional and burdensome.
According to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, a judge on Monday orally granted a temporary injunction in a lawsuit brought by Democratic DAs and county attorneys from across Texas, including Dallas County DA John Creuzot, Bexar County DA Joe Gonzales and Harris County DA Sean Teare.
The prosecutors challenged new rules recently imposed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requiring district and county attorneys in counties with over 400,000 residents to submit detailed reports and grant the AG’s office access to certain case files. The rules target about a dozen mostly Democratic-leaning counties and, according to the prosecutors, are unconstitutional and costly.
But now, the temporary injunction will pause these rules while the lawsuit moves forward.
On Thursday, Dallas County DA John Creuzot said “complying with the Attorney General’s new rules would have been a logistical and operational nightmare,” adding that the injunction “preserves the separation of powers.” Bexar County DA Joe Gonzales said the rules were “a clear overreach of authority” and that the ruling “helps preserve prosecutorial discretion.”
“This ruling ensures that our collective offices will continue to focus on public safety instead of wasting valuable time preparing unnecessary reports,” Gonzales added.
Harris County DA Sean Teare didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
At the time, Paxton said the policy aimed to “rein in rogue district attorneys.” Under state rules, noncompliance could result in prosecutors being removed from office. While the AG’s office didn’t immediately comment on Thursday, Paxton called the lawsuit “meritless” when it was filed last month.
