Lubbock County Commissioner Jason Corley says a text message he sent to former Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance led County Judge Curtis Parrish to remove him from office and appoint Mark Meurer in December 2025, an action Corley calls illegal.
Corley provided Lubbock Lights with a screenshot of the text. He said Hance forwarded it to Parrish. Lubbock Lights has not independently verified that the message was forwarded or determined whether it influenced Parrish’s decision.
Lubbock Lights has reached out to Hance for comment and will update this story if he responds.
Parrish later referred to the text during a December 19, 2025, hearing over the Precinct 2 seat, according to Lubbock Lights’ courtroom coverage.
Corley’s message
Corley says Parrish confirmed in court that Hance forwarded the message.
“Yes, I know in the affirmative that Kent Hance did in fact send that text message to Judge Parrish. I’ve heard rumor of this and then the judge confirmed it in his testimony and trial. I believe that was on December 19, 2025,” Corley wrote in a text to Lubbock Lights.
Corley also expressed frustration with Hance, referring to the firing of former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach.
“Which was really frustrating. I’ve been trying to find it in my heart to forgive Ken Hance for firing Mike Leach, and then he goes and participates in the illegal removal of an elected official,” Corley wrote.
“Yes, I know in the affirmative that Kent Hance did in fact send that text message to Judge Parrish.”
Jason Corley
The text was sent November 14, 2025. In the screenshot, it appears as an outgoing message to a contact saved as “Kent,” with a timestamp of 12:19 p.m.
“Hello Mr. Hance, my name is Jason Corley. I am the County Commissioner for Lubbock County precinct 2. I’m running for Congress in congressional district 19,” Corley wrote.
He asked what a member of Congress could do to help Texas Tech and mentioned Cody Campbell’s work on name, image and likeness rules for college athletes.
“I wanted to get a better understanding of what I can do as a congressman for the Texas Tech University system,” the message says.
Jason Corley provided this screenshot of his November 14, 2025, text to Kent Hance. Image courtesy of Jason Corley.
The screenshot shows the message was delivered. It does not include a reply from Hance or indicate that the message was forwarded.
Why the timeline matters
Whether Corley had to give up his county seat depends on when he became a candidate for Congress.
Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution says certain officeholders, including county commissioners, automatically resign if they announce or become candidates for another office with more than one year and 30 days left in their current terms.
Corley’s term ends December 31, 2026. When he texted Hance on November 14, 2025, more than one year and 30 days remained. By the time he publicly announced his campaign 18 days later, on December 2, only one year and 29 days remained. An announcement at that later point would not, by itself, trigger automatic resignation under the provision.
But did a private text count as announcing a campaign? Corley maintains that telling Hance privately he was running for Congress did not amount to a public announcement. Parrish relied on the text and a November 12 announcement of a congressional exploratory committee, which used a “Corley for Congress” email address, as evidence that Corley had become a candidate before the threshold passed.
If Corley had not automatically resigned, Parrish had no vacancy to fill. The date alone does not settle whether Corley resigned or Parrish acted illegally.
Potter County Attorney Scott Brumley, representing the state, backed Corley’s position in a court filing and noted that Corley filed for a place on the Republican primary ballot December 3.
Parrish appoints Meurer
On December 8, 2025, six days after Corley’s public campaign announcement, Parrish declared the Precinct 2 seat vacant and swore in Meurer before that morning’s Commissioners Court meeting.
Corley sued Meurer the same day. He contended that the seat had never become vacant and that Parrish had acted on an incorrect interpretation of the law.
Twenty-four days separated Corley’s text to Hance from Parrish’s appointment of Meurer. Graphic: Lubbock Lights.
What happened in court
At the December 19 hearing, Brumley questioned Parrish about the vacancy.
“You determined Mr. Corley automatically resigned?” Brumley asked.
“I just announced it,” Parrish replied.
“I just announced it.”
Curtis Parrish, during the December 19 hearing
Brumley then asked whether a court or another body had declared the seat vacant.
“No,” Parrish said.
Visiting Judge Patrick Pirtle issued a temporary order allowing Corley to return to the commissioner’s seat while the case proceeded.
Parrish later told The Texas Tribune that he acted because he believed the constitutional requirement applied. He also said he would have handled the matter the same way regardless of which commissioner was involved.
Appeal dismissed
Meurer appealed the trial court’s orders but later asked the Seventh Court of Appeals to dismiss the case.
The court granted that request September 30, 2026, and assessed appellate costs against Meurer. The dismissal ended the appeal without a ruling on whether Corley had automatically resigned.
Meurer’s appointment also prompted questions about county salary payments made to him during the period Corley held the seat. Lubbock Lights previously reported that District Attorney Sunshine Stanek recused her office from that investigation and referred it to the Midland County District Attorney’s Office.
