In re Honorable Velia Meza, 226th Jud. Dist. Ct., Bexar Cty, Texas (original by presiding judge keller)
Annotate this CaseA district attorney called a subordinate into his office to discuss a case and review the case file. Within a few weeks, the district attorney’s official status ended, he became part of a private law firm, and a member of that private law firm substituted in as defense counsel in the case. The State moved to disqualify the entire firm. The trial court denied the motion, but the court of appeals granted mandamus relief, ordering the trial court to disqualify the entire firm. The trial court sought mandamus relief from the court of appeals’s order. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals concluded that under "unequivocal, well-settled law," the former district attorney was disqualified from acting as defense counsel. But the Court also concluded that the same cannot be said for the other members of the law firm. Consequently, the Court denied mandamus in part and granted mandamus in part.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.