Damien Diggs is the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. And Biden’s appointee could soon find himself unemployed. But Diggs said his work on domestic violence will continue with or without him.

Diggs’ office is behind an initiative called Operation Purple Ribbon. The bill aims to prosecute domestic abusers with extensive assault and criminal histories at the federal level. Diggs spoke about the initiative at a news conference Tuesday with the Texas Council on Family Violence, where he and three other Texas U.S. attorneys also discussed what their offices have done to prevent domestic violence.

The number of Texas women shot and killed by their intimate partners has nearly doubled since 2013, a study finds. recent report from the Texas Council on Family Violence, which reported that 205 victims of domestic violence were killed by their intimate partners in Texas last year.

Biden named all four U.S. attorneys for Texas. Diggs said he was aware that President-elect Donald Trump could appoint someone else to his position. Still, he said the work to help survivors of domestic violence would continue with or without him.

“These kinds of initiatives transcend changes in administrations because these are violence reduction initiatives that any administration, whether Democratic or Republican, would support,” Diggs said.

Leigha Simonton, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, echoed Diggs’ statement.

“The U.S. law firms are still doing a wonderful job and so I think they will continue to pursue domestic violence offenses,” Simonton said. “My office certainly will.”

Simonton was the head of the Appellate Division for the U.S. Northern District of Texas when Trump appointee Erin Nealy Cox was U.S. attorney for the district. Then, United States Attorney General William Barr appointed Cox to head a domestic violence group in 2019, the goal was to keep guns out of the hands of known attackers.

In the domestic violence initiative’s press release, Cox said prosecuting domestic abusers who illegally possess firearms would help prevent homicides.

“We hope our first cases send a message to convicted abusers that not only could the Justice Department theoretically prosecute abusers for gun possession – they have and they will,” she said. declared.

Zackey Rahimi was one of these offenders. The alleged Arlington drug dealer has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm while under a domestic violence protection order. Her case went to the Supreme Court after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the federal law barring people from domestic violence protection orders was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ended up to spill the Fifth Circuit’s decision.

Simonton said his office needs to find other ways to pursue domestic violence perpetrators while the case is being heard before the Supreme Court.

“It was an obstacle,” she said. “Now it’s full steam ahead.”

Do you have any advice? Email Caroline Love at [email protected].

Caroline Love is a Report for America corps member for KERA News.

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