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Texas civil court judge accidentally resigns

Posted at 9:03 PM, Apr 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-02 21:03:08-04

HOUSTON – A newly elected Texas civil court judge accidentally resigned Monday because he did not know part of the state’s constitution, according to Reuters.

Harris County Civil Court judge Bill McLeod reportedly shared his plans online to run for state supreme court.

The problem?

According to the Texas constitution, that kind of declaration is considered an automatic and immediate resignation.

Related: Virginia Beach councilwoman resigns from city council

Article 16, Section 65, of the state’s constitution says that a judge’s announcement of candidacy for another office “shall constitute an automatic resignation of the office then held.”

Supporters of the judge said he should retain his position, despite the obvious error. They are sharing #IStandWithMcLeod and planning to attend the meeting to determine the judge’s fate.

McLeod, a Democrat, was sworn in last November after winning the County’s Civil Court No. 4 race with 55% of the vote.