Texans for Lawsuit Reform

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In the News

Backlog of criminal cases could cost Dallas County millions of dollars

KDFW FOX 4, April 19, 2022

Dallas County could lose millions of grant dollars from the state because of a record backlog of cases that have not been cleared.

Commissioner John Wiley Price says it’s because the court system failed to work safely during the pandemic. He says judges need to get back to work

This all came out Tuesday as commissioners were set to vote on spending money to hire more people to supervise folks who are wearing ankle monitors. Many of the people in jail are waiting for their day in court.

Monitoring devices would get them out of jail until trial, but Price says that’s not the answer. He’s against hiring more people to supervise folks on electronic monitors.

“Frank Crowley court judges need to go back to work,” he said.

As of April of this year, there are 22,452 pending misdemeanor cases and 21, 642 pending felony cases.

There are 19,000 more cases backlogged now than before the pandemic hit.

Defense attorney Heath Harris says some judges are still working remotely.

“I think that there was a time when a lot of the COVID restrictions were needed,” he said. “I think that time is passed, and we need to get back to work.”

By state law, 90% of criminal cases in a five-year period must be cleared or the county can face losing as much as $50 million in criminal justice grants from the state. The county‘s current disposition rate stands at 87%.

“We must dispose of 556 cases a week to meet the Aug. 1, 2022, deadline that is set by the Department of Public Safety,” Price said.

“If my son goes and breaks a window, we’ve got to fix the window,” said Commissioner J.J. Koch. “The judges have absolutely broken our criminal justice system by not working they have broken it

Koch told Price he’s right about the judges, but commissioners must do the right thing.

“We’ve got to fix the window, and we’ve got to go and make sure that everyone knows that it is broken 100% because of them.

“My job as commissioner is to help them as much as we can,” said Commissioner Elba Garcia.

“You cannot help them by being complicit,” Price said. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

In the end, the vote was 4-1 in favor of using a little over $1 million in American Rescue Funds to hire nearly a dozen people so more waiting in jail for trial can get ankle monitors and get out. However, that doesn’t address the current court case backlog.

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

23 hours ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

The Dallas County DA argued a judge’s impartiality could reasonably be questioned after she lowered a defendant’s bail considerably while his defense lawyer is one of her top campaign contributors, and then raised his bail after media reports about her rulings. Read and share: bit.ly/3lfQMzM ... See MoreSee Less

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Dallas judge under scrutiny for bail rulings recuses herself from cases

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Judge Chika Anyiam, of Criminal District Court 7, recused herself Monday from 10 felony cases against Julio Guerrero. A Dallas County judge who faced public scrutiny for lowering a murder suspect’s ...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley joined the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform’s podcast to discuss nuclear verdicts in the trucking industry and what legislators can do to ensure that excessive lawsuits don't shut down this vital industry. Listen and share: bit.ly/3wjgKJ9 #trucking #lawsuit #LegalNews #courts ... See MoreSee Less

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Nuclear Verdicts Create Litigation "Vortex" for Trucking Industry

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In this episode of Cause for Action, Nathan Morris, senior vice president, legal reform advocacy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, is joined by Lee Parsley, the general couns...
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Texans for Lawsuit Reform

2 days ago

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

TLR General Counsel Lee Parsley joined the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform podcast to discuss nuclear verdicts in the trucking industry and what legislators can do to ensure that excessive lawsuits don't shut down this vital industry. Listen and share: bit.ly/3wjgKJ9 ... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Nuclear Verdicts Create Litigation "Vortex" for Trucking Industry

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In this episode of Cause for Action, Nathan Morris, senior vice president, legal reform advocacy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, is joined by Lee Parsley, the general couns...
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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
17h 1527046564635721728

Want to make a difference in the fight against lawsuit abuse? Join the TLR team today! #stoplawsuitabuse

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
23h 1526956133377789952

The Dallas County DA argued a judge’s impartiality could be questioned after she lowered a defendant’s bail while his defense lawyer is one of her top campaign contributors and then raised his bail after media reports about her rulings. Read & RT:

Dallas judge under scrutiny for bail rulings recuses herself from cases

Judge Chika Anyiam, of Criminal District Court 7, recused herself Monday from 10 felony cases against Julio Guerrero. A Dallas County judge who faced ...

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lawsuitreform avatarTLR@lawsuitreform·
17 May 1526684119077371904

TLR is working to make the Texas legal system fair, efficient, and accessible for all. Learn more: #tortreform

About - Texans for Lawsuit Reform

TLR's objective is to restore litigation to its traditional and appropriate role in our society. A lawsuit takes a heavy emotional and financial toll ...

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Texans for Lawsuit Reform
1701 Brun Street
Houston, Texas 77019

Ph. 713-963-9363
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