Travis County District Attorney’s Office Files Motion Requesting Court to Revoke Order of Juror Compensation in Chody and Nassour Case
The Court lacked jurisdiction, and the law states that jurors must be physically present in court to receive compensation
Travis County, TX — On Thursday, July 23, 2026, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office submitted a motion in the 299th Court, arguing that the Court has a ministerial duty to revoke its July 13, 2026, order on juror compensation in the Chody and Nassour case.
In the order, the State submitted that “the Court lacked jurisdiction of this cause and acted outside the provisions of law in entering the order of compensation. The Court’s order is therefore void and without legal effect, and the Court has a ministerial duty to correct any acts it has undertaken which are not legally authorized.”
On July 13, 2026, after hearing arguments from the State and Defense Counsel, the Court granted and signed the State’s motion to dismiss the cases against Chody and Nassour, thereby terminating the Court’s jurisdiction.
After signing the order of dismissal, Defense Counsel for Mr. Nassour presented and proposed to the Court their “Order of Juror Compensation,” directing the Travis County Treasurer to pay each juror for the three days they reported for jury service, plus an additional 457 days calculated from the time the trial was recessed through the date the order of dismissal was signed. The Court approved the juror compensation order after dismissing the cases and terminating its jurisdiction and authority to issue the order. Consequently, the order is void and without legal effect.
Furthermore, the Court was not authorized to compensate jurors for days they did not report to and attend court in person for jury service. Juror compensation is set by Texas Government Code Section 61.001, which states a person who reports for jury service in response to a court summons is entitled to reimbursement for travel and other expenses. The Court’s order compensates the jurors for 454 days in which they did not report and attend any judicial proceedings as required by the plain language of Tex. Govt. Code Sec. 61.001
###