The Texas Supreme Court has blocked Harris County’s program to provide $500 cash for 18 months to 1,928 residents, a day before the first payments were set to go out.
The court’s ruling on Tuesday temporarily blocks the program in Texas’ most populous county until further deliberation. Two previous judges had ruled in favor of Uplift Harris, which is designed to move people out of poverty.
The ruling is a victory for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who claimed Uplift Harris violates the Texas Constitution and who had lost two prior court battles.
Paxton said the Texas Constitution forbids "any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State … to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any individual."
"Harris County’s guaranteed income scheme plainly violates the Texas Constitution," said Paxton. "Harris County officials cannot continue to abuse their power and the people’s money to score political points, and we will fight every step of the way to hold them accountable."
The attorney general said the selective nature of the program, which targets specific low-income recipients, contravenes constitutional principles of universal entitlement.
The Uplift Harris program, funded through allocations from the American Rescue Plan, mirrors experiments with guaranteed income in other Texan cities like Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio. Proponents cite research indicating positive outcomes, including enhanced housing and food security and sustained employment among beneficiaries.
Harris County officials have vigorously defended the program, framing it as both a moral imperative and a pragmatic solution to socioeconomic disparities. They have criticized Paxton's legal challenges as unwarranted intrusions into local affairs, echoing sentiments of overreach previously leveled against the attorney general's office.
Christian Menefee, the Harris County attorney, said he was disappointed, but not surprised by the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling.
"It’s unfortunate the court would take such an extraordinary step to block a program that would help people in Harris County — even temporarily," Menefee said. "I will keep fighting to protect this program, and I look forward to continuing to argue that Uplift Harris is good legally and morally."
The program received more than 82,000 applicants. More than 750,000 people live in poverty in Harris County.
"This frivolous lawsuit was a broadside attack on Harris County families struggling to make ends meet by state extremists and a hyperpartisan Texas Supreme Court," Rodney Ellis, Harris County commissioner said. "Now 1,900 working families who were expecting to have their lives changed have been robbed of a critical hand-up."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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