{"id":219124,"date":"2025-12-22T16:45:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T21:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?post_type=press_release&#038;p=219124"},"modified":"2025-12-22T16:45:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T21:45:55","slug":"travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county","title":{"rendered":"Travis County Signs Settlement Agreement to Resolve ACLU and ACLU of Texas Lawsuit, Guaranteeing Counsel at First Appearance in Travis County"},"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-219124","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"","date_and_time":"2025-12-22 15:00:00","featured_image":"","show_on_press_releases_landing_page":true,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2013 Travis County <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Fully-Executed-CAFA_FINAL-Settlement-Agreement-Counsel-at-Magistration-in-Travis-County_Texas1317260.1.pdf\">signed a settlement agreement<\/a> last Friday that ensures every person arrested and facing incarceration in the county is provided with an attorney at their first criminal court appearance.\r\n\r\nThe executed settlement agreement will resolve a federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/sites\/default\/files\/travis_county_complaint_files_commsredacted.pdf\">class action lawsuit<\/a> filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas last year on behalf of people jailed in Travis County without access to counsel. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, ACLU and Weil, Gotshal &amp; Manges LLP filed the lawsuit in April 2024.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis settlement agreement ensures that everyone arrested and facing jail time in Travis County will now have a lawyer when they first appear in front of a judge, regardless of their ability to afford one,\u201d said <strong>Savannah Kumar (she\/they), staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas. <\/strong>\u201cThis is both a constitutional right and a matter of basic dignity. People who cannot afford to purchase their freedom by posting bail often face the devastating consequences of losing their jobs, housing, and custody of their children. Now, people who are arrested will have a lawyer by their side to advocate for fair release conditions and preserve their rights.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor years, people in Travis County who could not afford a lawyer were required to attend their first appearance in court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/press-releases\/aclu-texas-partners-sue-travis-county-over-denying-right-legal-counsel\/\">without legal representation<\/a>. At these critical hearings, magistrate judges frequently asked questions about facts related to their alleged crimes, such as relationships with witnesses and other details that could later jeopardize people\u2019s cases. Without an attorney present, individuals were left to navigate this precarious, high-stakes, and unfamiliar legal process on their own.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis agreement affirms what the Constitution has always required: No one should stand alone before a judge when their liberty is at stake without a lawyer by their side,\u201d said <strong>Brandon Buskey (he\/him), director of the ACLU\u2019s Criminal Law Reform Project<\/strong>. \u201cGuaranteeing counsel at first appearance upholds the core values of due process and fairness that define our justice system. For our plaintiffs, and every person who enters a Travis County courtroom in the future, this settlement ensure that justice will no longer depend on whether someone can afford a lawyer.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe ACLU has previously secured court orders requiring counsel at first appearance in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/cases\/booth-v-galveston-county-et-al\/\">Galveston County, Texas,<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluofnorthcarolina.org\/press-releases\/judge-approves-agreement-reform-bail-practices-alamance-county\/\">Alamance County, North Carolina<\/a>; and has asserted similar arguments in litigation pending in Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah.\r\n\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s signed settlement agreement is a major victory for our community,\u201d said <strong>Alfredo Reyes Jr (he\/they), an organizer at VOCAL-TX GROW.<\/strong> \u201cPeople won\u2019t be left to suffer in jail for weeks or months like I have, simply because they didn\u2019t have an attorney. I\u2019m grateful that others will now have a real chance to stay stable \u2014 keeping their housing, their health care, and their lives on track instead of languishing in jail. We\u2019re thankful to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe signing comes after the Travis County Commissioners Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/press-releases\/aclu-of-texas-partners-reach-approval-of-settlement-agreement-to-guarantee-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county\/\">voted unanimously to approve<\/a> the settlement in November.\r\n\r\nSee the ACLU's Travis County <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/press-releases\/aclu-texas-court-watching-data-raises-concerns-about-travis-county-first-appearance\/\">court watching report<\/a> and the problems experienced for people who did not have legal representation here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/aclutx_-_detention_hearings_without_lawyers.pdf\">https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/04\/aclutx_-_detention_hearings_without_lawyers.pdf<\/a>\r\n\r\nAccess the settlement agreement here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Fully-Executed-CAFA_FINAL-Settlement-Agreement-Counsel-at-Magistration-in-Travis-County_Texas1317260.1.pdf\">https:\/\/www.aclutx.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Fully-Executed-CAFA_FINAL-Settlement-Agreement-Counsel-at-Magistration-in-Travis-County_Texas1317260.1.pdf<\/a>"}}],"drupal_node_id":"","email":"media@aclu.org","phone":"(212) 549-2666","address":{"address_1":"125 Broad Street","address_2":"18th Floor","city":"New York","state":"NY","zip_code":10004,"country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","issues":[46391,46705,46661],"press_releases_related_to_cases":"","spokesperson":[1468],"related_affiliates":[350],"related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>American Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Travis County Signs Settlement Agreement to Resolve ACLU and ACLU of Texas Lawsuit, Guaranteeing Counsel at First Appearance in Travis County | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county\",\"name\":\"Travis County Signs Settlement Agreement to Resolve ACLU and ACLU of Texas Lawsuit, Guaranteeing Counsel at First Appearance in Travis County | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-22T21:45:55+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"American Civil Liberties Union","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Travis County Signs Settlement Agreement to Resolve ACLU and ACLU of Texas Lawsuit, Guaranteeing Counsel at First Appearance in Travis County | American Civil Liberties Union","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county","og_site_name":"American Civil Liberties Union","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@aclu","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county","name":"Travis County Signs Settlement Agreement to Resolve ACLU and ACLU of Texas Lawsuit, Guaranteeing Counsel at First Appearance in Travis County | American Civil Liberties Union","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-12-22T21:45:55+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/travis-county-signs-settlement-agreement-to-resolve-aclu-and-aclu-of-texas-lawsuit-guaranteeing-counsel-at-first-appearance-in-travis-county"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/","name":"American Civil Liberties Union","description":"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.","inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"American Civil Liberties Union","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/219124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_release"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/219124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219128,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/219124\/revisions\/219128"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/affiliate_info\/350"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bios\/1468"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/46661"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/46705"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/46391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}