Posted on 05/15/2026 10:05:13 AM PDT by JeepersFreepers
Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing a sweeping criminal justice package next legislative session that would expand state oversight of local prosecutors, create a governor-appointed state prosecutor, and make district attorneys subject to impeachment.
During a Thursday press conference with law enforcement officials and Republican lawmakers, Abbott framed the proposals as necessary to protect victims and keep repeat offenders off the streets.
“Our top priority must be public safety,” Abbott said. “We want to protect communities and prosecute criminals.”
Abbott argued that too many dangerous offenders are being released back onto the streets because of decisions made by judges and prosecutors.
“One thing I hear from law enforcement officers, whether it be Austin, Houston, Dallas, or wherever, they get so frustrated whenever they make an arrest, and they only see after making the arrest of dangerous criminals that the person they arrested was just released from jail,” Abbott said.
The proposal package includes creating a governor-appointed state prosecutor, expanding impeachment powers to district attorneys, increasing oversight of prosecutors who fail to indict suspects in a timely manner, and renewing efforts to deny bail to illegal aliens accused of felonies.
Among the most significant proposals is the creation of a statewide prosecutor position appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Abbott said the prosecutor would intervene in situations where local district attorneys fail to secure indictments within 90 days. The prosecutor would be given an additional 30 days to intervene.
Abbott specifically cited Travis County, where he said suspects accused of serious crimes—including murder—have been released after indictments were not obtained within the statutory timeline.
“The state prosecutor will ensure that justice is done,” Abbott said. “Failing to bring indictments, allowing for the release of dangerous criminals back out on the street, is the opposite of ensuring that justice is done.”
Abbott also proposed making district attorneys subject to impeachment by the Texas Legislature, arguing they are currently exempt from a check faced by other elected officials.
“There’s no reason why a district attorney should be in a different category than every other elected official in the state of Texas,” Abbott said.
The governor additionally announced the expansion of the state’s repeat offender task force program—previously used in Houston—to Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Abbott said the Houston initiative resulted in more than 700 arrests and the seizure of more than 200,000 doses of fentanyl.
Another priority for Abbott is reviving a constitutional amendment that failed during the last legislative session which would deny bail to illegal aliens accused of felonies.
Abbott argued illegal aliens accused of felonies pose a greater flight risk and warned that victims’ families may never receive closure if offenders flee the jurisdiction.
“Our obligation is to protect the lives of our fellow Texans,” Abbott said.
When asked by Texas Scorecard what would change in the Texas House after lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds support needed to pass the amendment last session, Abbott suggested Democrats would face pressure from voters over the issue.
“Do they support the citizens who are voters in their district or the criminals who kill them and endanger them?” Abbott asked.
Abbott’s remarks drew a sharp response from Travis County District Attorney José Garza, who dismissed the press conference as political theater.
“It seems pretty clear to me that today was a political stunt and a distraction from the litany of the governor’s failures when it comes to our public safety,” Garza told Texas Scorecard.
Garza argued that crime rates in Austin and other major Texas cities have declined in recent years because of investments in violence prevention and harm reduction programs.
“Every day, local DAs and elected officials on the ground are doing the work to keep our city safe,” Garza said. “And I think the results speak for themselves.”
Asked about Abbott’s proposed statewide prosecutor, Garza questioned whether the plan would meaningfully improve public safety.
“I think it’s a political stunt,” Garza said, adding that his office would welcome partnerships “designed to actually improve the safety of our community.”
Garza also responded to Abbott’s criticism regarding delayed indictments in Travis County. He attributed past backlogs to court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and said the county has since worked through those cases.
“The fact is that from 2020 through 2022 criminal district courts in Travis County were closed during the COVID pandemic,” Garza said. “As a result, there was a backlog of unindicted cases that we worked hard to work through and have eliminated.”
On Abbott’s proposal to make district attorneys subject to impeachment, Garza pointed to an earlier law allowing removal proceedings against prosecutors.
“Two legislative sessions ago, the governor pushed and passed a separate proposal to make it easier to remove district attorneys from office that passed and became law, and in fact, there have been two attempts since that law passed to remove me from office,” said Garza. “The Governor was asked about that during the press conference, and he described that proposal as ineffectual. I think he has given the best description for his efforts in this regard.”
Abbott said the proposals will be a major priority next legislative session, arguing the state must take a more aggressive role in ensuring violent offenders remain behind bars and prosecutors are held accountable.
“Bottom line is, all of these strategies must get passed,” Abbott said. “When these strategies get passed, we will achieve our goal to make sure as a state, we are protecting our communities, we are prosecuting criminals, and we will be fulfilling our obligation to make Texas a safer place.”
Brandon Waltens
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On the other hand, what happens if the Dems ever regain control?
We are in the process of changing traditional, time-honored facets of American republicanism such as local control, etc., to try to overcome Dem malfeasance.
This, in and of itself, weakens the republic.
Most of all it's a mirage that pretends to fix the fundamental problem, which is that one of our only two political parties, is an illiberal, lying group of thieves aiming to create a one-party state and who couldn't care less about the Bill of Rights or equality under law.
The only long-term effective response is the suppression of the Dem Party and the Left generally. The alternatives are we win almost every election, civil war, or we pass into despotism. The first is highly unlikely, and the latter two what we should strive to avoid.
[Austin District Attorney] Garza argued that crime rates in Austin and other major Texas cities have declined in recent years because of investments in violence prevention and harm reduction programs.
~~~~~
And exactly who enters and compiles said statistics, Mr Democrat DA?
Answer: The DA’s of all of Texas’ major Democrat strongholds. The truth is in the details, and Garza knows it.
That is always the danger. What happens when the filthy rats get ahold of well intentioned laws.
What about the rogue judges?
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