Texas passes a bill to remove prosecutors not enforcing laws

Texas legislature passed House Bill 17 on Sunday, allowing the courts to remove elected prosecutors from office if they intentionally do not enforce some laws. Gov. Greg Abbott is likely to sign the bill, as he has said the legislation is one of his priorities. The bill would go into effect Sept. 1, 2023. 

Why did Texas need a bill? The legislation is a response to the Joint Statement from Elected Prosecutors submitted just two days after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of last year. In the open letter, ninety-three attorneys from various states said they would refuse to enforce the criminalization of abortion despite bans on abortion in states like Texas. Five of the attorneys signing the letter are from Texas.

Dig Deeper: Listen to Leah Savas’ report on The World and Everything in It podcast about South Carolina’s struggle to maintain the heartbeat law after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.