District Attorney Margaret Moore, County Attorney David Escamilla, and a few of their best delegates went before the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday to talk about why they think it would be a good idea to consolidate the two offices, so that a new Travis County Criminal District Attorney would prosecute both felony offenses and misdemeanors. Moore and Escamilla have been plotting the move all year, in part because Moore – D.A. since January of 2017 and currently popular enough to stay in office for another term should she seek it in 2020 – has previously held Escamilla’s job (from 1981-1984), and Escamilla may not run again when his term’s up that same year.
The two believe a consolidation could improve the “efficiency, economics, and equity” of Travis County’s justice system, cutting through the bureaucratic muck that occurs when one individual has active cases in both courts (potentially for the same incident); it’s something already done by 49 counties throughout Texas, including Bexar, Tarrant, and Dallas.
Commissioners didn’t provide much comment on Tuesday. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said they plan to discuss legislative priorities on Oct. 23, and should expect to preview that with a discussion about the potential consolidation on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
This article appears in September 28 • 2018.