Hi Lisa,
It's good to see you back here on SOT.
According to the AG's ruling, you or anyone whose private information was posted online can bring criminal charges with the District Attorney against the clerk, especially if you had previously asked them to remove the images. According to the AG, the clerks are also in violation of federal law and these cases can be filed in federal court. The federal cases are felonies.
I've received emails and phone calls from people all over the country who intend to file these charges. Even though the opinion came from the Texas AG, it refenced federal statutes that apply nationally.
The pressure the county clerks were receiving to put the information online didn't come from the legislature or even their own citizens. It came from outside their jurisdiction.
I feel for many of the clerks. I think many of them were duped by the people who were profitting from putting the images online. They were told this is the only way to serve their constituents in the 21st Century. Some were bullied and even called backwards by those who rused to put the records online without consideration for what was ethical, legal or the wishes of the citizens.
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