Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public Media

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday asked a federal court to vacate the ODonnell Consent Decree , a first-of-its-kind bail reform practice in Harris County that allows most misdemeanor defendants to be released from jail before trial without having to pay money.

The consent decree, which has been in place since 2019, settled a class action lawsuit filed against the county in 2016. Attorneys for the lead plaintiff, Maranda Lynn ODonnell, argued that Houston defendants charged with low-level crimes were being penalized for being poor in violation of their constitutional rights.

Paxton filed motions Tuesday to intervene in the case and vacate the order, arguing the practice goes against a Texas law passed in 2021 and another state bail law set

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