White smoke emerges from the chamber of Commissioners Court.
Jonathan Fombonne
Jonathan Fombonne, first assistant county attorney to Christian Menefee, was named Harris County attorney Thursday.
The appointment came more than nine months after Menefee technically resigned to run for Congressional District 18. Fombonne has served as Menefee’s right-hand man since February 2021. Before joining the county attorney’s office, Fombonne was a partner at Kirkland and Ellis, LLP, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation, according to his LinkedIn.
“Thank you for the trust you placed me. I appreciate the vote of confidence and the chance to serve as Harris County attorney. I’m grateful for it. I take this job very seriously,” Fombonne said. “I see the county attorney’s job as being a practical partner to this court, helping you understand the legal landscape, finding solutions to legal problems, raising issues when we need to and staying out of the way when we don’t.”
Fombonne will lead the office until voters elect a new county attorney in November. Menefee, who was first Black Harris County attorney and the youngest person elected to the position, was first elected in 2020 and again in 2024. Whoever voters choose to succeed him in November will occupy the office for the remainder of his term before another election is held in 2028.
Menefee is currently gearing up for a runoff against Amanda Edwards for CD 18. The election is scheduled for Jan. 31, with early voting from Jan. 21 to Jan. 27.
Although he technically resigned in March, he remained in the position as a “holdover” — an elected official who, despite resigning, continues to hold office as officials search for a replacement — until Fombonne’s appointment Thursday. The holdover provision was included in Texas’ 1876 Constitution, and provided a carve-out intended to prevent vacancies from disrupting government services and functions.
We’ve been expecting an appointment for awhile. There had been a debate about whether to name a caretaker, who would not run for a full term, or essentially tab a successor who would. Fombonne is the former, and his name had been mentioned for that role more or less since Menefee announced his candidacy. He’s the logical choice, as Menefee’s top lieutenant. I have every faith he’ll do a good job, and perhaps he’ll stay on in that role for the next County Attorney. Congratulations to Jonathan Fombonne, and kudos to Christian Menefee for all the good work he did in that office. A pair of press releases, one from the County Attorney’s office and one from Christian Menefee, are beneath the fold, and Houston Public Media has more.
The Harris County Attorney’s Office announced today that the Harris County Commissioners Court has unanimously voted to appoint Jonathan Fombonne as the next Harris County Attorney.
Jonathan Fombonne has been serving as Deputy Harris County Attorney and First Assistant County Attorney under former County Attorney Christian Menefee. In that role, Fombonne was Menefee’s chief deputy, led legal strategy for many of for the office’s high-profile matters, advised elected officials and department heads directly, and served as trial and appellate counsel in all high profile litigation in the office from significant public law challenges to complex corporate and environmental cases. As County Attorney, he will serve as legal counsel to all elected offices in Harris County, including Commissioners Court. The Harris County Attorney serves as the chief civil legal counsel to Harris County and its elected officials, including the members of the Harris County Commissioners Court.
“It has been a privilege to serve Harris County over the past five years, and I am honored to be appointed as the next Harris County Attorney,” said Fombonne. “This office plays a vital role in the county’s day-to-day operations while also serving as legal counsel protecting the County’s legal interests in litigation. I look forward to continuing that work and ensuring our office remains a force for fairness, accountability, and progress. I have complete confidence in our talented staff and look forward to the great work ahead.”
Fombonne’s appointment reflects his longstanding commitment to public service, the mission of the County Attorney’s Office, and his ability to guide the office through this period of transition while building a strong foundation for the future.
“Since my first day in office, Jon has been a steady and capable leader, handling some of the office’s most complex and important cases,” said Christian Menefee. “He is easily one of the best lawyers I know and has been absolutely instrumental in building this office into what it is today. His deep knowledge of the office and proven leadership make him the ideal person to guide our team through this transition. I am confident the office will continue to thrive and be a shining example of what good government looks like.”
The Harris County Attorney’s Office represents Texas’s largest county in all civil legal matters, including serving as legal counsel to county officials and employees. The office includes eleven legal practice divisions, as well as the Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library.
Menefee Departs County Attorney Post After Five Years That Reshaped the Office
HOUSTON, TX — When Menefee took office in 2021, the Harris County Attorney’s Office was a little-known office that usually played it safe. Under his leadership, it became a statewide model, taking on state overreach, holding powerful corporations accountable, and pushing local government to do more for the people it serves.
“I didn’t run for County Attorney to hold a title,” Menefee said. “I ran to build an office that shows up for people, and that’s what we did. We took on hard cases, powerful interests, and delivered real results for working families.”
Menefee’s tenure was marked by high-stakes legal battles with state leaders. His office successfully fought Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to throw out legally cast ballots during the 2022 election, protected the county’s budget when the state wrongly accused Harris County of defunding police, and challenged weak concrete batch plant regulations that endangered neighborhoods.
At the same time, Menefee expanded the office’s reach far beyond the courtroom. He launched a new consumer protection division to crack down on deed fraud, slumlords, and housing scams, recovering stolen homes for dozens of families. His office sued price gougers during Winter Storm Uri and Hurricane Beryl, and won millions from Big Tobacco and Volkswagen for deceptive and unlawful conduct.
Environmental justice became a defining part of Menefee’s leadership. He pushed for federal oversight of the cancer-linked creosote site in the Fifth Ward, blocked a landfill expansion in Carverdale, forced pollution reductions from Valero in Manchester, fought to preserve the Solar for All program to deliver energy resilience and cost savings and helped lead the national environmental justice conversation as a member of the EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee.
Beyond litigation, Menefee built unlikely coalitions to deliver policy wins. He helped pass county contractor safety standards for construction projects with support from labor, industry, and both parties. He championed fair-chance hiring, higher wages for employees of county contractors, indemnification for victims of police misconduct, and helped launch the county’s enhanced library cards, which provide photo ID to undocumented residents and youth. He also launched a nationally recognized summer legal academy for students from local public schools.
Menefee also took on some of the county’s most complex challenges, helping broker resolution of the I-45 rebuild dispute, negotiating expansion of the Armand Bayou Nature Center, and leading the county’s transition back to in-house tax collection.
“What I’m most proud of isn’t any single case,” Menefee said. “It’s that we proved local government can be bold, smart, and effective all at once. We showed what a public law office can be when it’s focused on people, not politics.”
Menefee credited the career attorneys and staff who embraced the vision and drove the work forward.
“This team believed in the mission,” he said. “They wanted to work somewhere that mattered, and together, we built that.”
As he continues his campaign for Congress, Menefee says the job he just left is exactly the kind of experience Washington needs more of.
“Congress doesn’t need more people who just talk,” he said. “It needs leaders who fight, who build coalitions, and who get results. That’s what we did here, and that’s how I’ll serve in Congress.”