How Dawnna Dukes is delaying her corruption case

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Austin American-Statesman

How Dawnna Dukes is delaying her corruption case 

By Sean Collins Walsh and Ryan Autullo - American-Statesman Staff

Updated: 6:24 p.m. Friday, May 05, 2017 |  Posted: 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 05, 2017

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Highlights

Rep. Dawnna Dukes is delaying her corruption trial by invoking a privilege called legislative continuance.

The privilege is typically used by lawmakers who are lawyers with clients.

Dukes isn’t a lawyer and she’s often absent at the Capitol, but her use of the privilege appears to be legal.

Indicted state Rep. Dawnna Dukes has delayed her trial on public corruption charges until after the legislative session by invoking a privilege typically used by lawmakers who are attorneys and need to pause their clients’ cases while serving in the Legislature, according to Don Clemmer, a prosecutor in Dukes’ case.

Legislative continuance, as the privilege is called in state law, is intended to ensure that clients of lawmakers aren’t neglected while their attorneys are busy making laws. Dukes, however, is a defendant, not an attorney, and she hasn’t been particularly busy at the Capitol, where she has been absent for 39 of the first 64 days the House has met this year.