A legal and political dispute over who has the authority to serve as Fort Bend County’s interim judge has brought county government to a standstill, with members of the Commissioners Court publicly clashing over the status of appointed County Judge Daniel Wong following the conviction and sentencing of former County Judge KP George.
The controversy stems from George’s conviction on felony money laundering charges earlier this year. After his conviction, a visiting district judge appointed Wong, a former Sugar Land city councilman and the Republican nominee for county judge, to serve as interim county judge while a related civil removal lawsuit was pending.
However, following George’s sentencing and the dismissal of the civil lawsuit that led to Wong’s appointment, Fort Bend County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson issued a legal opinion stating Wong’s authority to serve as interim county judge ended on June 17.
According to Smith-Lawson, the dismissal of the lawsuit dissolved the temporary appointment, leaving only the county’s four elected commissioners to conduct county business until a new county judge is legally installed.
The legal opinion has divided the Commissioners Court.
During a recent Commissioners Court meeting, Commissioners Dexter McCoy and Grady Prestage walked out in protest after Wong presided over the meeting despite the county attorney’s opinion. Their departure left the court without a quorum, preventing commissioners from conducting official business.
Before leaving, McCoy warned that continuing to conduct county business under Wong’s leadership could expose the county to legal challenges.
“We should not open ourselves up to a future where… those actions were legally taken,” McCoy said during the meeting, arguing that contracts and other official actions approved during the dispute could later be challenged in court.
Commissioner Andy Meyers disagreed, saying legal advice he received indicates Wong remains in office under the Texas Constitution’s “holdover” provision, which generally allows public officials to continue serving until a qualified successor assumes office. Wong and his attorney have argued that the constitutional provision allows him to remain county judge until a court rules otherwise or a successor is sworn in.
Wong has rejected calls to resign, saying he intends to continue serving the county while the legal dispute is resolved.
“I will continue doing the job I was appointed to do, serving the people of Fort Bend County,” Wong said during a recent press conference.
In a statement released June 24, Commissioner McCoy urged Wong to immediately vacate the office, arguing that the law is clear now that the civil lawsuit has been dismissed.
“The rule of law is a cornerstone of American democracy, and the law is crystal clear in this case,” McCoy said in the statement. “Now that the litigation that initiated Mr. Wong’s appointment has been dismissed, his temporary appointment has ended.”
McCoy also said Fort Bend County residents deserve leadership focused on governing rather than political disputes.
“The task before my colleagues and me must be to ensure that we focus on the issues of the people of Fort Bend County, and not on the issues of politicians,” he said.
The disagreement has highlighted an unusual legal question with little direct precedent in Texas law. County Attorney Smith-Lawson acknowledged during the Commissioners Court meeting that the situation is “novel” and warned that actions taken by the court could be subject to legal challenges if Wong is ultimately determined not to have had authority to preside.
The dispute comes just months before voters will elect Fort Bend County’s next county judge. Wong secured the Republican nomination in March and is expected to face the Democratic nominee in the November general election.
Until a court resolves the legal questions surrounding Wong’s appointment, uncertainty remains over who has the authority to preside over one of Texas’ fastest-growing counties and whether the Commissioners Court can continue conducting business without further interruption.
