Procedural Rule Blocks Resolution Calling for Judge Hidalgo's Resignation at Court

A resolution calling for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's resignation never got off the ground at Thursday's Commissioners Court meeting after not a single colleague backed Commissioner Tom Ramsey's bid to bypass a procedural rule standing in its way.

Ramsey needed at least one other commissioner to second a motion temporarily suspending a February rule change that shifted resolutions from regular bi-weekly court sessions to shorter business meetings. No one did. The resolution was tabled and will move to the next Commissioners Court business meeting, scheduled for March 31, where Ramsey says he plans to reintroduce it.

The resolution grew out of an incident at NRG Stadium in which Hidalgo was removed by security from a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo concert after attempting to access a premium seating section without the required credentials. Beyond condemning Hidalgo over that incident, the resolution would also have recognized the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's accomplishments and called for a bipartisan apology from the judge. The rodeo disputes Hidalgo's account of what occurred, and no evidence has emerged to support her version of events.

Language from the proposed resolution described Hidalgo's conduct in blunt terms: "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; and now her unfounded comments about those who devote their lives to make the world's largest rodeo an annual success should be grounds for her resignation."

Ramsey said the rodeo incident was not an isolated episode. "Every one of my colleagues on Commissioners Court has experienced this very same bad behavior that unfortunately the rodeo saw last week," he told reporters.

Commissioner Rodney Ellis, rather than backing Ramsey's procedural maneuver, suggested a different path forward. "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, noting that Hidalgo was not present at the Thursday session.

Ramsey's push at Commissioners Court followed a week of public pressure on Hidalgo from multiple Republican officials. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt issued a statement on March 13 calling for her resignation, describing the rodeo confrontation as the latest example of escalating and "increasingly bizarre" behavior. Ramsey himself had already called for her resignation in a series of social media posts and television interviews before Thursday's meeting.

The February rule change at the center of the procedural dispute requires resolutions to be presented during business meetings rather than the regular bi-weekly court sessions where Ramsey attempted to introduce the measure. With no second forthcoming on the suspension motion, March 31 becomes Ramsey's next opportunity to formally place the resolution before the court.