A visiting district court judge has declined to change the orders appointing a Republican candidate to provide as an interim state prosecutor for the majority of 2026 due to the legal complexities looming over Fort Bend County brought on by the criminal conviction of its chief executive.
After being charged with felony money laundering and other expenses in a criminal court, county resident Sarah Roberts filed a civil lawsuit to reduce Fort Bend County Judge KP George from office.
Roberts ‘ legal complaint was handled by visiting Judge Jeth Jones, who also appointed Daniel Wong, the state judge’s nominee for the March 2026 Republican primary election, as the legislator after George was found guilty in a separate legal judge.
Then in June, Roberts refused to file for her legal treatment circumstance, which prompted Fort Bend Democrats, including County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson, to say that it caused Wong’s session to end.
Wong is currently the acting county judge, and Roberts requested on Monday that he change his orders in July to essentially end her appointment. He refused, and Wong is still the acting county judge.
In June, Smith-Lawson informed state employees that Wong’s visit was no more effective, and she filed a separate quo warranto lawsuit last month requesting Wong’s resignation.
No jury has already decided Wong may be removed from office, according to Judge Edward Krenek of the 400th District Court in Fort Bend County’s hearing last month.
Christopher Hilton, Wong’s lawyer, claims that earlier this year, the commissioners jury voted unanimously to take Wong’s oath to provide as state judge from April 13 to December 31. Additionally, according to Hilton, Wong is protected by the Texas Constitution‘s “holdover” provision, which mandates that” all officers of this State shall continue to serve their offices until their descendants are formally qualified.”
Commissioners Grady Prestage (D-Pct. ) and Grady Prestage (D-Pct. ) were the subject of a heated disagreement over Wong’s appointment. 2 ) and Dexter McCoy (D-Pct. ). 2 ) evoking a meeting of the June commissioners ‘ court, and the pair have continued to eschew public hearings and budget workshops. McCoy and Wong are the Democratic nominees for state judges this year.
A vote of at least four members of the commissioners court must be established in order for the county’s$ 792 million budget to be finalized and the county’s$ 992 million budget to be finalized. The commissioners court may perform most business with just three members there.
According to Fort Bend County Director of Finance and Investments Pamela Gubbels, the tax rate may default to the no-new-revenue level and the funds will be reduced by about$ 21 million if Prestage and McCoy continue to protest.
Krenek scheduled a hearing on motions for October 16 and set a deadline of August 28 for discovery responses. A trial will be held on November 10 if the dispute is not resolved by then, one week after the midterm elections in which Wong or McCoy will be elected county judges for the term beginning January 1, 2027.
George was alleged to have been a part of a fake racist online message scheme with his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, but he won a second term in 2022. He was first elected in 2018. In 2024, George was charged with misdemeanor misdemeanor related to the scheme, and in 2025, Patel admitted to two misdemeanor misdemeanor counts and consented to a two-year pre-trial hearing for four felony counts.
Wong won the GOP nomination for county judge with 54 % of the vote in the five-way Republican primary in March. George came in last in the 2026 primary, switching from the Democratic to the Republican Party last year following his indictment.
George’s appeal against his criminal conviction is still pending.
