HOUSTON – A tense moment many expected at Harris County Commissioners Court on Thursday never happened.
Commissioner Tom Ramsey planned to introduce a resolution calling for the resignation of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo following her recent controversy at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Instead, a newly implemented rule blocked the move before it could begin.
The rule, which took effect this week, requires resolutions to be presented during shorter business meetings not during regular court sessions. Because of that change, Ramsey needed support from another commissioner to suspend the rule and move forward. He didn’t get it.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis suggested waiting until Hidalgo could be present.
“It would probably be a good idea to bring it up on the day when the judge is here, if you’d like. Just making a suggestion,” Ellis said.
Ramsey pushed back, noting Hidalgo has missed multiple meetings.
“Just for the timing of it all I would like to read it here and we certainly can talk about it again when she returns. Her having missing the last three meetings, I’m not sure when she’s coming,” Ramsey said.
The resolution is now expected to be brought forward at the next business meeting on March 31.
KPRC 2 News reached out to Hidalgo’s office for comment but hasn’t received a comment.
What sparked the controversy
The proposed resolution comes from an incident involving Hidalgo at the rodeo.
According to Hidalgo, security removed her from a restricted, dirt-level area during a sold-out concert. She alleges she was manhandled and threatened with arrest and has suggested race or gender may have played a role.
The rodeo disputes that account, and so far, no evidence has surfaced to support those claims.
Ramsey sharply criticized Hidalgo’s behavior in both public comments and the resolution shared with KPRC 2 News, which states in part:
“Judge Lina Hidalgo’s entitled behavior and misuse of her official position have embarrassed this Commissioners Court and the people of Harris County time and time again…”
He also said the incident reflects a broader pattern.
“Every one of my colleagues on Commissioners Court has experienced this very same bad behavior that unfortunately the rodeo saw last week,” Ramsey told reporters.
Hidalgo, who has already said she will not run for reelection, is currently on a trade mission in Europe with the Greater Houston Partnership and did not attend Thursday’s meeting.
Her office has not responded to requests for comment on the resolution or calls for her resignation.
While some Republicans, including Ramsey, are pushing for her to step down before her term ends, experts say that outcome is unlikely.
Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, says the legal threshold to remove a county judge is high.
“While many of Judge Hidalgo’s actions have been questionable over the course of the past year, if not earlier, I don’t think any of them rise to the level of gross incompetence or official misconduct,” Jones said.
For now, the resolution remains on hold.
Ramsey says he plans to reintroduce it at the next Harris County Commissioners Court business meeting on Tuesday, March 31, where it could finally be read and debated.