Maria Rojas, the Houston-area midwife at the center of Texas’ first criminal abortion prosecution, fell behind on payments for the court-ordered GPS monitor she must wear while fighting the charges, her lawyer told a Waller County judge on Wednesday. The missed payments came up during a status hearing that also focused on discovery and scheduling. Rojas has been out on bond since April 2025 and remains under pretrial supervision while she appeals court orders that closed her clinics.
Defense: monitor fees 'aren't cheap'
Defense attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube told the court that electronic-monitoring fees have become a financial strain and said monitors can run about $300 a month, according to Click2Houston. "These devices aren’t cheap," Hochglaube told the station, adding that the cost has made it harder for Rojas to work while she faces serious felony allegations. The comment was noted at a Waller County District Court status hearing attended by prosecutors from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Charges and case background
The Texas Attorney General’s Office first announced an investigation into Rojas’ clinics in March 2025, according to a press release from the Texas Attorney General’s Office. A Waller County grand jury later returned a 15-count indictment that includes three counts of performing abortions and 12 counts of practicing medicine without a license, according to reporting by the Houston Chronicle.
Pretrial conditions and schedule
Court filings and prior reporting show Rojas was released on bond and ordered to wear an electronic monitor while the criminal proceedings move forward, reporting by Houston Public Media indicates. At the status hearing, attorneys said discovery is still being exchanged; a prosecutor told Click2Houston that "I'm not at liberty personally to speak about it," and the judge set the next status date for June 3, 2026.
Why the monitor fee matters
Reporting and research have documented that many jurisdictions pass the cost of electronic monitoring to defendants - often hundreds of dollars a month - which can create a heavy financial burden for people awaiting trial. Investigations such as ProPublica’s reporting on so-called "digital jails" show how those fees can push low-income defendants into debt and reduce the practical benefit of pretrial release. ProPublica has found multiple examples where monitoring costs exceeded what many families could afford.
Legal implications
Under Texas law, performing an abortion that results in the death of an unborn child can be prosecuted as a first-degree felony, and practicing medicine without a license carries its own criminal penalties, reporting shows. The indictment and civil injunctions against Rojas' clinics have fed a broader debate about where midwifery care ends and illegal medical practice begins, an issue explored in coverage by the Houston Chronicle and in statements from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Rojas’ defense says discovery gaps remain and that the monitoring fees unfairly burden a defendant still presumed innocent. The case - civil and criminal - will be closely watched at the June 3, 2026 status hearing for any movement on evidence, potential plea negotiations, or scheduling toward trial.
