Melissa Enaje/Houston Public Media
A campaign flyer on display in Richmond, Texas for Brittanye Lashay Morris, one of the Democratic runoff candidates for Fort Bend County Precinct 4 commissioner.
The Texas Supreme Court has effectively blocked a lower court’s order to remove Brittanye Lashay Morris, a Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 4 commissioner, from the May 26 runoff ballot.
The state’s high court issued an emergency stay order on Thursday, granting Morris’ request for temporary relief while the court considers whether to overturn a ruling earlier this month by Judge Susan Brown of the 458th District Court in Fort Bend County. Brown ruled that Morris should be removed from the ballot and replaced by Nicole Roberts, who placed third in a seven-candidate Democratic primary election on March 3. Roberts filed a lawsuit after the election, claiming Morris didn’t qualify to be a candidate because of residency outside the county.
Morris received the most votes in the March 3 election, with April Jones placing second to also qualify for a runoff. None of the candidates received more than 19% of the vote, and more than 50% is needed for an outright victory.
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“The rule of law isn’t just a principle, it’s protection,” Morris wrote on her campaign Facebook page on Thursday, in response to the Texas Supreme Court’s order. “And today, it prevailed.”
Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the order. In a post to her campaign Facebook page on Friday, she wrote that the court’s order would “prevent my name from appearing on the ballot.”
“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t stop the disenfranchisement of the people this time, but the fight will always continue,” she also wrote in her post.
Jones did not comment on the order by the Texas Supreme Court. She previously told Houston Public Media, “With everything that’s going on, I’m staying very focused on my race.”
The candidates are vying to succeed Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, a Democrat who is stepping down to run for county judge.
Roberts released a statement on March 10, after filing her lawsuit, and said her actions weren’t about winning or losing an election, but reflected a broader commitment to restoring trust in county leadership.
“It’s about protecting the integrity of our elections and making sure Fort Bend voters can trust the process,” Roberts said at the time.
Brown ruled in early April that Morris was ineligible as a candidate and ordered for Roberts to be added to the ballot.
Morris’ attorneys then filed an emergency motion for expedited relief to the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday. The court filing shows Morris’ attorneys sought a stay “because runoff ballots were set to be printed on April 11” and argued that removing Morris’ name and replacing it with Roberts was prohibited by Texas election law.
“Fort Bend voters can elect Morris and send a clear message that elections are decided by voters, not by lawsuits,” Morris’ attorney, Andy Taylor, told Houston Public Media on Friday.
Both primary races for Precinct 4 commissioner are headed to May 26 runoffs, with Ken Mathews and Adam Schoof on the Republican ballot. The early voting period is May 18-22.