Mark Meurer, the newly sworn county commissioner for Precinct 2, on Tuesday asked a judge to throw out Jason Corley’s effort to get his seat back.
On December 8, County Judge Curtis Parrish declared Corley resigned his seat moments before a County Commissioners meeting. Parrish then administered the oath of office to Meurer.
Parrish claims Corley resigned
Parrish said Corley lost his seat in mid-November by making himself a candidate “in fact” for the Congressional seat soon to be vacated by Jodey Arrington. Most Texas office holders automatically resign if they announce for another office with more than one year and 30 days left in their terms.
Corley announced an exploratory committee for District 19 via email. The email included “Corley for Congress” logos and a “Corley for Congress” email. Corley claimed those elements were left over from his 2016 campaign. Parrish claimed they count as an announcement. Corley claims Parrish misunderstood and misapplied the law.
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Corley said he was escorted out of the courthouse by sheriff’s deputies. Corley filed a lawsuit that same day to get his seat back. A visiting judge, Patrick Pirtle, took the case and scheduled a December 19 hearing.
The specific type of lawsuit matters. It’s called a quo warranto. In Meurer’s filing, his central argument is Corley has no right to file this kind of lawsuit in the first place.
“Only the Texas Attorney General or the county or district attorney … can seek a writ of quo warranto. Therefore, all of Corley’s pleaded causes of action against Meurer fail,” Meurer’s attorney, Kristen Vander-Plas Lafreniere, wrote.
Meurer did not respond to an invitation to comment and his attorney said she would allow the legal filing to speak for itself.
Click here to read a copy of the filing.
It’s not optional according to Meurer’s legal document. If Corley has no right to file the request then the judge has no power to even consider it.
“This court lacks jurisdiction to entertain Mr. Corley’s claims. … each of Mr. Corley’s claims … must be dismissed with prejudice,” Meurer’s request said.
“Where, as here, no amount of repleading will bring a plaintiff’s claims within the jurisdiction of the Court, a dismissal with prejudice is required. … Individual citizens simply lack standing to challenge the authority of individuals to hold office,” Meurer’s request said.
Corley, represented by attorney Ben Garcia, disagreed.
“We do in fact have the right,” Corley said to LubbockLights.com late Tuesday by phone.
“The district attorney may file one [a quo warranto]. It also says, I believe, the AG may as well. It doesn’t say that they’re the only ones,” he said of state law.
A 2025 petition to the Texas Supreme Court by Attorney General Ken Paxton (related to the walkout of Democrats during the most recent legislative session) said, “A quo warranto proceeding can only be brought by the attorney general, a county attorney, or a district attorney.”
If Pirtle agrees with Meurer, that might not be the end of the matter.
Pirtle issued an order Monday allowing Lubbock County District Attorney Sunshine Stanek to remove her office from the case. Taking her place will be Potter County Attorney Scott Brumley.
State law allows Brumley to take up the matter “at the request of an individual.”
As of Tuesday evening, Brumley had not filed anything in the case. Corley said he expects Brumley to be at Friday’s hearing and he also predicted he will win.
“My right to be the county commissioner will be recognized,” Corley said.
Clarification: This story was updated so that attribution to the 2025 discussion of quo warranto before the Texas Supreme Court was restated more precisely.
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