The politics got ugly, but Ellis County’s new 504th Judicial Court won the day

ELLIS COUNTY – The Ellis County 504th Judicial District Court passed in Austin this past week.

What should have been an easy win for residents instead turned into what Ellis County Rep. Brian Harrison alluded to as a political nightmare.

Before former Ellis County Judge Todd Little left his seat in mid-May, he said the second criminal court in Ellis County was a done deal.

He and Harrison had worked hard to make the 504th Judicial Court a reality for the county.

But apparently nothing was easy or a done deal at the Texas 89th legislative session during the past six months.

At the last minute and just before HB2878 was in its final stages for a vote, the Ellis County Court was removed from the bill by State Representative Jeff Leach. 

Leach represents Collin County and serves as the chairperson of the Texas House Committee on the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence.

It gets better, as Harrison said, “The only reason it was in jeopardy was because since I got elected and Ellis County now has a representative with the courage to stand up to the corrupt leadership in the Texas House and expose the way they are betraying the Republican voters of Texas, they thought it would be a form of punishment. Representative Jeff Leach at the last minute, unbeknownst even to the committee members, deleted the Ellis County court as part of his committee substitute of the bill right before it was voted out. 

“He did not even tell the members of the committee that he did it.” 

According to Harrison, there were multiple members of that committee were furious when they learned what had been left out. 

He said those members would never have agreed to vote on a bill that deleted the Ellis County Court. 

“Jeff did it at the last second, and the only reason Ellis County almost did not get that court was because Jeff Leach made a decision to punish Ellis County and make our streets less safe in an vindictive and childish attempt to what they thought would harm me because I refuse to go along with their corruption,” Harrison added.

Harrison was ultimately able to collaborate with his colleagues in the Senate and House to have the item put back in, but he was still unsettled with why it was taken out in the first place.

Leach said during a committee meeting while speaking to Representative Giovanni Capriglione that the Ellis County state representative had never talked to him about putting this item in the bill.

Harrison said that was an obvious untruth, since the item was not only in two senate bills for possible passing, but also in HB2878, which Leach himself had authored.

Harrison ended up speaking on Leach’s comment before the house leadership body, “I think it is of utmost importance when this body conducts business that we are factual and this body deserves the truth.

“I am going to read a quote because it was a question to why the 504th judicial district of Ellis County was not in the bill that the body was contemplating today. 

“Again, this was the reason and rationale the 504th judicial district court of Ellis County was not in the bill the body contemplated today with Leach stating to his knowledge there was no legislation filed asking for it [the court] and that is why it was not included.”

Harrison said this is “Demonstrably false. Not only was it filed in legislation, it was filed in three separate pieces of legislation.” 

He explained, “It was filed in a bill filed by Senator Bob Hall back in February SB1397.

“It was filed in March in a legislation filed by Senator Brian Hughes in SB2878. And finally, it was in a third piece of legislation filed in the House and authored by Rep. Jeff Leach.

“The fact is the only reason that court was not in the bill presented by the body today was because the committee substitute that was voted out deleted that court. These are the facts.” 

Harrison said he had to demand and make a motion to give a speech of personal privilege to let everyone know the facts about Leach’s misinformation.

He added, “When the speaker ultimately granted me the ability to make the speech and set the record straight, Jeff Leach was so unhinged he went up and tried to get into my personal space to physically make me unable to give the address.”

Speaker of the House, Dustin Burrows had Leach removed from the podium by the Sergeant-at-Arms. “That is how absolutely juvenile and petulant his behavior became, and it is shocking that members of house leadership were willing to jeopardize the safety of Ellis County because District 10 refuses to go along with the corruption,” Harrison said.

While proud he saved the court for Ellis County, Harrison concluded, “This was one of the most underhanded things many of the members said they had ever seen in the history of the Texas House.”

Ellis County Judge John Wray said from a county perspective. 

“We are making sure the courtroom is as it needs to be and we are looking forward to having that added to our local judiciary. 

“With this court we will be able to address trials and criminal proceedings faster to keep the residents safer. 

“We will get better verdicts because the evidence will not be stale and witnesses won’t die by the time someone comes to trial. It will also manage the jail population.”

The 504th Judicial Court will be in effect as of Sept. 1 and will be in the administration building.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will appoint a judge to the 504th Judicial Court until the next election at which time voters will decide.