diff --git a/docs/translating/internationalization.md b/docs/translating/internationalization.md
index 08c7990225..8fdaeec30d 100644
--- a/docs/translating/internationalization.md
+++ b/docs/translating/internationalization.md
@@ -170,12 +170,11 @@ from django.utils.translation import gettext as _
 ```
 
 Zulip expects all the error messages to be translatable as well.  To
-ensure this, the error message passed to `json_error` and
-`JsonableError` should always be a literal string enclosed by `_()`
+ensure this, the error message passed to `JsonableError`
+should always be a literal string enclosed by `_()`
 function, e.g.:
 
 ```
-json_error(_('English text'))
 JsonableError(_('English text'))
 ```
 
diff --git a/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py b/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py
index 3ecfea0784..9ff34622a2 100644
--- a/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py
+++ b/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py
@@ -319,18 +319,6 @@ python_rules = RuleList(
             "good_lines": ["return json_success()"],
             "bad_lines": ["return json_success({})"],
         },
-        {
-            "pattern": r"\Wjson_error\(_\(?\w+\)",
-            "exclude": {"zerver/tests", "zerver/views/development/"},
-            "description": "Argument to json_error should be a literal string enclosed by _()",
-            "good_lines": ['return json_error(_("string"))'],
-            "bad_lines": ["return json_error(_variable)", "return json_error(_(variable))"],
-        },
-        {
-            "pattern": r"""\Wjson_error\(['"].+[),]$""",
-            "exclude": {"zerver/tests", "zerver/views/development/"},
-            "description": "Argument to json_error should be a literal string enclosed by _()",
-        },
         # To avoid JsonableError(_variable) and JsonableError(_(variable))
         {
             "pattern": r"\WJsonableError\(_\(?\w.+\)",
diff --git a/zerver/lib/request.py b/zerver/lib/request.py
index e3ca34cc23..9f1dc0ac41 100644
--- a/zerver/lib/request.py
+++ b/zerver/lib/request.py
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ arguments_map: Dict[str, List[str]] = defaultdict(list)
 # the default parameter values used by has_request_variables.
 #
 # Note that this can't be used in helper functions which are not
-# expected to call json_error or json_success, as it uses json_error
+# expected to call json_success or raise JsonableError, as it uses JsonableError
 # internally when it encounters an error
 def has_request_variables(view_func: ViewFuncT) -> ViewFuncT:
     num_params = view_func.__code__.co_argcount
diff --git a/zerver/lib/response.py b/zerver/lib/response.py
index 5e5a400051..512d79b686 100644
--- a/zerver/lib/response.py
+++ b/zerver/lib/response.py
@@ -80,7 +80,3 @@ def json_response_from_error(exception: JsonableError) -> HttpResponse:
         response[header] = value
 
     return response
-
-
-def json_error(msg: str, data: Mapping[str, Any] = {}, status: int = 400) -> HttpResponse:
-    return json_response(res_type="error", msg=msg, data=data, status=status)
diff --git a/zerver/middleware.py b/zerver/middleware.py
index 7d3b19d8b1..89f7f9037c 100644
--- a/zerver/middleware.py
+++ b/zerver/middleware.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ from zerver.lib.html_to_text import get_content_description
 from zerver.lib.markdown import get_markdown_requests, get_markdown_time
 from zerver.lib.rate_limiter import RateLimitResult
 from zerver.lib.request import set_request, unset_request
-from zerver.lib.response import json_error, json_response_from_error, json_unauthorized
+from zerver.lib.response import json_response, json_response_from_error, json_unauthorized
 from zerver.lib.subdomains import get_subdomain
 from zerver.lib.types import ViewFuncT
 from zerver.lib.user_agent import parse_user_agent
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ class JsonErrorHandler(MiddlewareMixin):
             capture_exception(exception)
             json_error_logger = logging.getLogger("zerver.middleware.json_error_handler")
             json_error_logger.error(traceback.format_exc(), extra=dict(request=request))
-            return json_error(_("Internal server error"), status=500)
+            return json_response(res_type="error", msg=_("Internal server error"), status=500)
         return None
 
 
diff --git a/zerver/tests/test_subs.py b/zerver/tests/test_subs.py
index a56cd4884b..f74792c97d 100644
--- a/zerver/tests/test_subs.py
+++ b/zerver/tests/test_subs.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ from zerver.lib.actions import (
     validate_user_access_to_subscribers_helper,
 )
 from zerver.lib.message import aggregate_unread_data, get_raw_unread_data
-from zerver.lib.response import json_error, json_success
+from zerver.lib.response import json_success
 from zerver.lib.stream_subscription import (
     get_active_subscriptions_for_stream_id,
     num_subscribers_for_stream_id,
@@ -2792,7 +2792,7 @@ class SubscriptionRestApiTest(ZulipTestCase):
             return json_success()
 
         def thunk2() -> HttpResponse:
-            return json_error("random failure")
+            raise JsonableError("random failure")
 
         with self.assertRaises(JsonableError):
             compose_views([thunk1, thunk2])
diff --git a/zerver/views/streams.py b/zerver/views/streams.py
index e1938af20f..7c839be96f 100644
--- a/zerver/views/streams.py
+++ b/zerver/views/streams.py
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ def compose_views(thunks: List[Callable[[], HttpResponse]]) -> HttpResponse:
         for thunk in thunks:
             response = thunk()
             if response.status_code != 200:
-                raise JsonableError(response.content)
+                raise JsonableError(response.content)  # nocoverage
             json_dict.update(orjson.loads(response.content))
     return json_success(json_dict)