Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured court approval to challenge the 2019 Harris County misdemeanor bail reform consent decree, which eliminated most cash bail for non-rich offenders. This ruling, which allows Paxton to intervene in the lawsuit, has drawn sharp criticism from legal and political figures who argue that the reform undermines public safety by releasing offenders without sufficient safeguards. Paxton’s office asserts that the policy violates Texas law and has become a tool for ‘radical judges’ to weaken the state’s legal system.