Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez speaking to students at Premier High School in Corpus Christi. A petition was recently filed to remove Gonzalez from office. Photo from Nueces County DA’s Facebook page
A Nueces County activist recently submitted a formal petition in District Court seeking the ouster of District Attorney Mark Gonzalez. Colby Wiltse, state director of the conservative group County Citizens Defending Freedom, cites “incompetency, official misconduct, and failure to give bond” as reasons to remove Gonzalez. The document further alleges “backlogged cases and a shortage of professional prosecutors.”
Houston-area attorney Jonathan Hullihan, lead attorney for CCDF, filed the petition on Jan. 20 and provided a copy to Gonzalez. Thus far, the district attorney has not commented on the matter.
The judge originally scheduled to hear the case, 319th District Court Judge David Stith, requested recusal in a letter to Presiding Judge Missy Medary of the 5th Administrative Judicial Region. Medary has recused herself as well, requesting that Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht refer the case to a judge from outside the county.
Once the case is assigned, the presiding judge will determine if there is sufficient cause to issue a citation against the district attorney. Should the matter go forward, Gonzalez would appear before a jury to address the petition’s allegations.
Gonzalez, a former defense attorney, has served as Nueces County district attorney since January 2017. He was voted into office in the November 2016 general election.
chuck@thepicayune.com
