Overview

• District and county attorneys from five major Texas counties, including Dallas and Harris, have filed lawsuits challenging new oversight rules imposed by Attorney General Ken Paxton.
• The rules mandate performance reports and grant the AG’s office access to case files, applying only to counties with populations over 400,000.
• Prosecutors claim the rules violate the separation of powers, infringe on prosecutorial independence, and divert resources from critical public safety functions.
• Attorney General Paxton defends the rules as necessary for transparency and accountability, accusing some prosecutors of failing to uphold public safety.
• Concerns have been raised about significant compliance costs, estimated at $3 million in Travis County, and risks to confidential victim information.