Harris County DA working through court backlog

Defender News Service

A years-long Harris County criminal court backlog is declining but still has tens of thousands of cases. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, staf members and victims’ families recently gave an update that the court’s backlog has decreased by more than 21% since June 2021.

Bowers told the House committee.

“And therefore with any of the success that we accomplish, the time is now for Texas to take up this civil rights legislation and protect the people from racial discrimination.”

HB 567 would add to the state’s education, labor and property codes a prohibition on discrimination based on certain hairstyles — including braids, dreadlocks and twists.

Versions of the legislation, called the CROWN Act — an acronym for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — have been adopted throughout the country since 2019, when school administrators ordered two young men in Mont Belvieu, about 30 miles east of Houston, to cut their hair.

Te bill so far has received what appears to be wide support on its journey through the legislative process — at least in the House.

Te court’s backlog of cases started six years ago afer Hurricane Harvey fooded the county courthouse and halted proceedings. In addition to suspending trials, the destruction of the courts displaced judges and attorneys. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the backlog afer in-person trials were suspended because of social distancing guidelines and concerns about transmitting the virus.

Now, county court officials say they are on the right path to decreasing the number of cases but still have much more to do.

“Twenty-one percent is significant to us and signifcant to victims,” Ogg said. “We never get down to zero. What we are trying to achieve is pre-Harvey levels, and we’re not there yet.”

There are 69,533 active cases— more specifcally, 38,000 felonies and 30,000 misdemeanors. In addition to the backlog of cases, ofcials said the county fles an average of 100,000 cases annually.

Ofcials also said the county is focusing primarily on violent criminal cases and using diversion programs in misdemeanor cases and low-level drug ofenses. Tey are also preparing to change drug testing policies and require police to send drugs weighing less than four grams to be tested by the lab department to confrm their substance before the prosecutor fles the charge.

“Delay doesn’t beneft the accused either,” Ogg added.