Harris County Commissioners Censure Judge Lina Hidalgo Over Conduct and Language

New Rules of Procedure

• 📜 The Harris County Commissioners Court voted to amend its rules of procedure, conduct, and decorum.
• 🗣️ The new rules stipulate that county elected officials and employees must conduct themselves with proper respect and decorum when addressing the court and participating in public discussions.
• 🚫 Profane, insulting, or threatening language, as well as racial, ethnic, or gender slurs, will not be tolerated.

Censure Process

• ⚖️ A member of the court may be censured by a majority vote for failing to conduct themselves with proper respect and decorum.
• 📝 A censure is defined as a formal declaration of condemnation of the court member's behavior, to be placed in the minutes of the Harris County Court.
• 📌 An amendment was accepted to include "failure to acknowledge points of order" as a reason for censure.

Judge Hidalgo's Censure

• 🎯 Commissioner Ramsey moved to censure County Judge Lina Hidalgo for failure to conduct herself with proper respect and decorum on August 7th, 2025.
• 👶 The censure cited her behavior in the presence of children and her use of profane language on June 26th, 2025, when a 7-year-old was visiting the court.
• 📄 The motion included a request for a formal declaration of condemnation to be placed in the official minutes.
• 🗳️ The motion to censure was seconded, and the vote proceeded with commissioners voting "I" for and "no" against.