Texas Supreme Court Puts Harris County ‘Guaranteed Income’ on Hold

The ‘Uplift Harris’ program would provide ’no strings attached' disbursements of $500 to nearly 2,000 residents for 18 months.

(L–R) Justice Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle, Justice Brett Busby, Justice Debra Lehrmann, Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht, Justice Jeff Boyd, Justice Jimmy Blacklock, Justice Jane Bland, and Justice Evan A. Young, of the Texas Supreme Court, arrive to hear litigators make their arguments in Zurowski v. State of Texas, at the Texas Supreme Court in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 28, 2023. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has prevailed in petitioning the Texas Supreme Court to put a halt to a “guaranteed income” scheme by Harris County that he said violated the state constitution.

The Texas Supreme Court issued an order on June 14, granting Mr. Paxton’s request for a stoppage of payments made under the “Uplift Harris” program, which involved “no strings attached” disbursements of $500 to nearly 2000 residents for 18 months.