![\"Montrose](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Image-3-1000x750.jpg\")
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Michael Adkison\/Houston Public Media<\/p>\n
Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin speaks alongside other elected officials in front of the rainbow crosswalks in Montrose on Oct. 14, 2025.<\/p>\n
Former Houston City Councilwoman Abbie Kamin was sworn in as interim Harris County Attorney this week, making her the first woman to take the department\u2019s helm. <\/p>\n
Kamin, a Democrat running for the position in the November election, was appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court<\/a> in April following a lengthy closed-door executive session after former interim County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne submitted his resignation letter. <\/p>\n Fombonne had been appointed to the position after former County Attorney Christian Menefee launched his bid for Houston\u2019s 18th Congressional District.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Hello, Houston!<\/a> daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Hundreds of people turned out for Kamin\u2019s swearing-in ceremony at the Sylvester Turner Conference Center downtown Monday, where she vowed to fight for vulnerable Harris County communities upon taking her seat. <\/p>\n \u201cWe will defend the rights and liberties of every resident and ensure county government continues delivering for the people of Harris County,\u201d Kamin said in a statement after the ceremony. \u201cAt a time when our civil rights, our voting rights, our communities and local control are being targeted, our office will stand firm with integrity and a deep respect for the law.\u201d <\/p>\n Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Tom Ramsey scrutinized Kamin\u2019s sudden appointment to the position earlier this year. Both acknowledged that commissioners court has the ability to appoint anyone to the position \u2014 even a candidate \u2014 if there\u2019s a vacancy, but it wasn\u2019t the \u201ccorrect way.\u201d <\/p>\n “We have the authority to do this, but it doesn’t feel right,” Hidalgo said after the appointment in April.<\/p>\n Before Fombonne briefly held the position earlier this year, commissioners had delayed the appointment for months. Though Menefee had technically resigned from his position after announcing his campaign for late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner\u2019s seat, he continued to carry out the roles of county attorney in an acting capacity. <\/p>\n In a statement to Houston Public Media before Fombonne\u2019s appointment, Commissioner Rodney Ellis had said his preference at the time was to select an internal candidate from within the office rather than putting a thumb on the scale ahead of the election. <\/p>\n