Deb Rushing Removed

Hawkins, Texas Mayor Deb Rushing simultaneously served as the town's Municipal Judge — a dual arrangement the city's own attorney told the city council violates the Texas Constitution's bar on elected officials holding two compensated public offices at once. The Hawkins City Council voted 4-1 on November 22, 2024, to remove Rushing from the judge position; the meeting grew tense enough that a physical altercation broke out between a resident and a police officer.

Separately, in 2025, Rushing was arrested and booked into the Wood County Jail on a charge of tampering with governmental records. Investigators alleged that after recording conversations with council members and private individuals at a political event in April, Rushing intentionally destroyed or hid the video and gave it to a private citizen rather than turn it over in response to an open records request that followed. She posted a $10,000 bond. A separate lawsuit was also filed seeking her removal from the mayor's office entirely, citing the same dual-office violation.