Despite Push from Democrats, Harris County is Staying out of the SB 4 Lawsuit

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Texas Observer

Despite Push from Democrats, Harris County is Staying out of the SB 4 Lawsuit

By Gus Bova

Local governments representing around 27 percent of Texans are suing the state over the “sanctuary cities” ban. That includes the city of Houston, but not Harris County.

If Harris County were to join, it would bring about two million more people into the lawsuit — a whopping 8 percent of the state’s population. But that’s not happening anytime soon. On Tuesday, the Republican-dominated Harris County Commissioners Court pointedly declined to join the suit against Senate Bill 4.

At the hearing, a group of Democratic lawmakers and activists backed Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis in asking the other four members, all Republicans, to vote to join the legal challenge.

“Over the last several weeks, I’ve heard widespread, almost unanimous opposition to SB 4,” said Ellis, a former state senator and the only person of color on the commissioners court, in a statement to the Observer. “Members of the Harris County delegation in the Legislature… and residents across Harris County asked us to join the lawsuit to overturn the new law.”