美国国家公共电台 NPR--These Texas DAs refused to prosecute abortion. Republican lawmakers want them stopped

These Texas DAs refused to prosecute¹ abortion². Republican lawmakers want them stopped

Transcript³

DALLAS - Texas is at the center of an ongoing⁴, nationwide struggle between state and local authorities. It's an escalating⁵ dispute over who has what power - and when.

The newest battle centers on criminal district attorneys in Texas' big cities, who are mostly Democrats⁷. Some of these chief prosecutors⁹ have told their communities they will use their inherent discretion¹⁰ and not zealously¹¹ pursue criminal cases against women who seek abortions¹² or families who obtain gender-affirming health care for their children. (Several later said they would make decisions on a case-by-case basis.)

But declarations from prosecutors have led conservative lawmakers in Texas and elsewhere to propose legislation seeking to curb¹³ the power of DAs.

"There is an interesting philosophical¹⁴ debate about where power should rest in a state-local system," says Ann Bowman, a professor at Texas A&M's Bush School of Government. "How much the state should have, how much local government should have."

The fight nationwide

The clash has echoes in other state-local power struggles. In Mississippi, Republican state lawmakers have proposed installing state-appointed judges in the City of Jackson and giving the capitol police force citywide jurisdiction¹⁵. Jackson is 83% percent Black and controlled by Democrats.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat⁶, said county sheriffs "won't be in their job" if they don't enforce a new requirement that owners of semi-automatic rifles register them with the state.

And a county prosecutor⁸ in Florida was removed last year after Gov. Ron DeSantis accused him of not enforcing certain laws.

Texas' governor does not have that power, although some legislative¹⁶ proposals would set a process for removal.

That includes one from Texas Rep. David Cook, a Republican from the Fort Worth area. His bill would ban district attorneys from having a policy of not enforcing any particular offense¹⁷. The bill would set financial penalties, too.

"As a district attorney, you have a job which entails¹⁸ looking at all the cases that are brought in and judging each case on a case-by-case basis," Cook says. "And so, if you're making blanket statements and giving blanket immunity¹⁹, then you're not doing your job."

In Georgia, similar legislation is moving. There, the state would create a commission to oversee²⁰ prosecutors and allow for discipline or removal if they refused to charge a particular crime.

Big City DAs in Texas go quiet

Several of the same progressive prosecutors in Texas who made statements after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision aren't doing interviews on the proposed bills. The state association of district and county attorneys told members the flood of prosecutor-related bills "deserves your full attention."

District Attorney Mark Gonzalez of Nueces County in South Texas, who is facing an unrelated effort to remove him from office, says the group's announcement to not pursue abortion cases may have been too hasty.

"The statement may have been the straw that perhaps broke the camel's back," says Gonzalez, a Democrat. "I think it'd be smarter for us to move in silence, and I think that may have been something we didn't accomplish."

Yet he sees the bills to curb local prosecutors as part of a larger backlash against a more progressive approach to law enforcement, one that seeks to reduce mass incarceration²¹ and prevent its damaging effects.

"We have a different approach to making some changes to it, which can impact people of color and lower economic status," Gonzalez says. "I don't know why that's such a big deal."

Not every local official gets blowback for bucking²² the state. A group of Texas sheriffs refused to enforce the governor's mask mandate²³ early in the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there was no flurry of proposals to make them follow that law. Some experts say that's because sheriffs align²⁴ more with the conservative leadership of the state.

State Rep. Cook, however, said he's open to reining²⁵ them in.

"I have not filed a bill in that regard, but I certainly would not rule it out," he says.

For the moment, though, bills targeting county district attorneys are what's on offer.

Gonzalez says he has no written policy about pursuing certain crimes but tells his office to simply "do the right thing." He's not running for reelection and said he will be happy to watch from the sidelines should any new law get litigated in court.

1 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

2 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

11 zealously   

adv.热心地；热情地；积极地；狂热地

参考例句：

• Of course the more unpleasant a duty was, the more zealously Miss Glover performed it. 格洛弗小姐越是对她的职责不满意，她越是去积极执行它。 来自辞典例句
• A lawyer should represent a client zealously within the bounds of the law. 律师应在法律范围内热忱为当事人代理。 来自口语例句

12 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

13 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

14 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

15 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

16 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

17 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

18 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

19 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

20 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

21 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

22 bucking   

v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• a bucking bronco in the rodeo 牛仔竞技表演中一匹弓背跳跃的野马
• That means we'll be bucking grain bags, bustin's gut. 那就是说咱们要背这一袋袋的谷子，得把五脏都累坏。 来自辞典例句

23 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

24 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。

25 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。