Texas civil court judge accidentally resigns

[April 03, 2019]    By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) - An April Fools' Day resignation prank? One Texas civil court judge wishes it were so.

A newly elected judge in Houston accidentally resigned on Monday, according to local media and a county official, after he shared plans online to run for the state supreme court, apparently unaware that the Texas constitution considers such an announcement an automatic resignation.

The Harris County Civil Court judge, Bill McLeod, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Local TV station KHOU 11 News on Monday reported that McLeod declined to comment on the move.

Article 16, Section 65, of the state's constitution says that a judge's announcement of candidacy for another office "shall constitute an automatic resignation of the office then held."

The county attorney's office will present the matter to county commissioners next Tuesday, First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard said in a phone interview on Tuesday. County commissioners, who can appoint replacements, may decide to keep McLeod in office until there is a special election, KHOU 11 reported.

The judge's supporters have organized on social media using the hashtag #IStandWithMcLeod. They plan to attend the commissioners' Tuesday meeting and express their wish that the judge retain his office despite his blunder.

McLeod, a Democrat, was sworn in last November after winning the County's Civil Court No. 4 race with 55 percent of the vote.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Scott Malone and Steve Orlofsky)

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