AUSTIN – Today, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and 14 senators filed an amicus brief in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in support of the State’s Motion for Rehearing, for the court to reconsider its decision to strip the legislature of its constitutional authority to delegate prosecutorial power to the Attorney General to enforce election-related laws. Upon filing the amicus brief, Lt. Gov. Patrick issued the following statement:

“Election integrity is one of the most important tenets of our government, and we need checks at the state level to ensure that our elections are fair. Nearly 70 years ago, the legislature determined that the power to prosecute election-related crimes should not be left solely in the hands of local elected officials. I ask that the Court of Criminal Appeals rehear the case at issue and uphold decades of precedent that allowed the legislature to delegate prosecutorial power to the Attorney General to enforce election laws.

”If the court’s decision stands, certain rogue county and district attorneys will be allowed to turn a blind eye to election fraud, and they will have the final say on whether election fraud is prosecuted at all. To me, this is completely unacceptable.”