Tag Archives: Justice Department

Judge orders some Uvalde records to be released

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Really hard to believe that this is still a contested issue, but here we are. The school district and sheriff’s office in Uvalde must release their records and documents related to the Robb Elementary School shooting — including police body … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, Attorney General, body cameras, Christina Busbee, DPS, gun control, guns, Justice Department, lawsuit, Merrick Garland, National Association of School Resource Officers, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Pete Arredondo, Roland Gutierrez, schools, Sheriff, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Public Information Act, Texas Rangers, Uvalde | Leave a comment

Federal ban on home distilling ruled unconstitutional

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a 156-year-old ban on at-home distilling is unconstitutional, siding with a group that advocates for legalizing the ability of people to produce spirits like whiskey … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, beer, distilleries, Hobby Distillers Association, Justice Department, lawsuit, Texas, US Treasury, wine | 1 Comment

We are still being teased with “Feds investigating Paxton” stories

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Please let this be true, please let this be true, please let this be true… A federal appeals court last week rejected an unnamed Texas agency’s attempt to withhold records and shield its employees from appearing before a grand jury … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged Attorney General, bribery, Election 2024, FBI, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, grand jury, impeachment, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, Nate Paul, Texas, Texas Whistleblower Act | Comments Off

SCOTUS to hear gender affirming care appeal

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Buckle up, this is a big one. The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the question of whether gender-affirming care bans for transgender youth are unconstitutional, in response to the Biden administration petitioning on behalf of trans youth and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Justice Department, lawsuit, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Tennessee, Texas, The Lege, transgender rights | Comments Off

SCOTUS swats away that bogus mifepristone case

Posted on June 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A good and expected result, though the door for future challenges remains open. A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the anti-abortion doctor plaintiffs in a major mifepristone case lack standing to reimpose restrictions on the drug. The case presented … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Donald Trump, Election 2024, FDA, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Joe Biden, Justice Department, lawsuit, Matthew Kacsmaryk, mifepristone, pharmacies, SCOTUS, Texas, Xavier Becerra | 1 Comment

Once again we ask, what’s up with that FBI investigation of Ken Paxton?

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? Federal agents were still actively investigating Paxton for alleged corruption after he was acquitted of related impeachment charges last year, according to multiple sources who spoke with The Texas Newsroom in recent weeks. Among Paxton’s potential crimes listed … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged Attorney General, bribery, Dan Cogdell, Election 2024, FBI, grand jury, impeachment, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, Nate Paul, Texas, Texas Whistleblower Act | Comments Off

Full Fifth Circuit hears Galveston redistricting case

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Always hard to feel any optimism when these guys are involved. Conservatives on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals occasionally sounded like Fox News talking heads Tuesday as they weighed whether coalitions composed of multiple minority groups are protected under … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Campaign Legal Center, Commissioners Court, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, filing deadline, Galveston, Justice Department, lawsuit, Mark Henry, primaries, redistricting, SCOTUS, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Stephen Holmes, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

“Reverse redlining”

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. A novel legal argument is at the heart of a federal lawsuit against the sprawling Colony Ridge housing development in Liberty County that could prove a test case for similar claims around the country, experts say. The lawsuit … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, Colony Ridge, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, John Harris, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Liberty County, Texas, Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending, The Lege, Trey Harris | 1 Comment

The Fifth Circuit has its merits hearing on SB4

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is the big one. A federal appeals court heard arguments Wednesday from Texas and the federal government about whether it should continue blocking a new Texas law that would let state police arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Bastrop County, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Hidalgo County, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, MALDEF, McLennan County, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege | Comments Off

Fifth Circuit leaves SB4 block in place

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal appeals panel late Tuesday night declined to put Texas’s migrant deportation law back in effect, saying the state law seizes powers that are “likely reserved to the United States.” The 2-1 opinion from the 5th Circuit Court … Continue reading →

SCOTUS seems likely to dump the mifepristone ban case

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. For this Supreme Court to reject abortion restrictions, the argument has to be pretty bad. “That it?” Justice Amy Coney Barrett cut in tersely as anti-abortion group lawyer Erin Hawley (yes, that Hawley) enumerated the supposed harms … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, National news | Tagged Donald Trump, Election 2024, FDA, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Joe Biden, Justice Department, lawsuit, mifepristone, pharmacies, SCOTUS, Texas, Xavier Becerra | Comments Off

Mexico asks Fifth Circuit to keep blocking SB4

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

They definitely have an interest in this. The Mexican government is urging a federal court to block Texas’ migrant deportation law, arguing it will trample the country’s right to regulate its own borders, terrorize the 2.4 million Mexican nationals living … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Bastrop County, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Hidalgo County, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, MALDEF, McLennan County, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Sheriff’s Association of Texas, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Municipal Police Association, Texas Police Chiefs Association, The Lege | Comments Off

Fifth Circuit has its SB4 hearing

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

More whiplashing. The chief judge on an appeals panel weighing whether to block Texas’ new migrant deportation law appeared skeptical that it does not run afoul of longstanding precedent leaving immigration enforcement solely to the federal government. Questioning the state’s … Continue reading →

And just like that, SCOTUS flipflops on SB4

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

UPDATE: It’s blocked again! A federal appeals court late Tuesday night stopped a state law allowing Texas police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border — hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed it to go … Continue reading →

SCOTUS pauses SB4 again

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This time indefinitely. The Supreme Court on Monday extended a temporary block on a new Texas immigration law that is being challenged by the Biden administration. In an order issued by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the court again imposed a … Continue reading →

Now the state sues the Colony Ridge developers

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Following in the footsteps of the feds. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Houston-area developers of Colony Ridge on Thursday, accusing them of deceptive sales, marketing and lending practices that allowed their sprawling housing development to flourish. Residents of … Continue reading →

SB4 remains on hold

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. No rush. The Supreme Court on Tuesday further delayed a new Texas law empowering state authorities to arrest and deport migrants that would transform immigration enforcement long left to the federal government. Justice Samuel Alito extended an … Continue reading →

A closer look at Colony Ridge

Posted on March 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There have been problems for awhile. Not the kind of problems that got the wingnuts all frothed up, but problems nonetheless. When the fast-growing Colony Ridge development outside Houston became a fixation of right-wing media last year, Texas’ Republican leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, The great state of Texas | Tagged Attorney General, Colony Ridge, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ernest Bailes, Greg Abbott, Jay Knight, John Harris, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Liberty County, Robert Nichols, TCEQ, Texas, Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending, The Lege, Trey Harris | 1 Comment

City of Uvalde gets its report on police performance at Robb Elementary

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It landed with a thud. A city-commissioned independent review of Uvalde police’s response to the Robb Elementary School shooting cleared local officers of wrongdoing, infuriating parents of the 19 children killed in the massacre and at least two city council … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged Christina Busbee, DPS, guns, Jesse Prado, Justice Department, Texas, Uvalde, Uvalde County | 3 Comments

The Fifth Circuit remains extremely on brand

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of all the Fifth Circuits in the world, they’re the Fifth Circuitest. A new law empowering state authorities to arrest and deport migrants seeking asylum in the United States may soon take effect after an appeals court stepped in to … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege | 1 Comment

SB4 blocked by federal court

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge in Austin on Thursday halted a new state law that would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally. The law, Senate Bill 4, was scheduled to take effect Tuesday. U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Greg Abbott, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege | 1 Comment

SB4 lawsuit has its day in court

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what happens. Lawyers for the Biden administration and Texas faced off in a federal court in Austin on Thursday to argue whether a new state law that would allow police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico … Continue reading →

Don’t expect much from that Uvalde grand jury

Posted on February 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, I wasn’t, but in case you were, don’t. After more than a year of pressure to file criminal charges against some of the Texas law enforcement officers responsible for the botched response to the Robb Elementary School shooting, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, Christina Busbee, DPS, gun control, guns, Justice Department, lawsuit, Merrick Garland, National Association of School Resource Officers, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Pete Arredondo, schools, Texas, Uvalde | Comments Off

DOJ releases its Uvalde report

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s brutal. Officers had many opportunities as the 2022 school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, was still unfolding to reassess their flawed response to the shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead, the US Justice Department concludes in a … Continue reading →

Justice Department sues over SB4

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As they had threatened to do. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas on Wednesday over a new state law that allows Texas police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally. “Texas cannot disregard the United States … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, DPS, Greg Abbott, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Steve McCraw, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

DOJ sues Colony Ridge developers

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Major plot twist. The federal government is suing Colony Ridge, accusing the Houston-area developer of using fraudulent lending practices targeting tens of thousands of Latino buyers with false statements and predatory loans in rural Liberty County. The U.S. Department of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Billy Knox, Colony Ridge, Consumer Financial Protection Act, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Dan Patrick, DPS, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, foreclosure, Greg Abbott, immigration, Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, Jay Dean, Jay Knight, John Harris, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Liberty County, special session, Steve McCraw, Texas, The Lege, Trey Harris | 9 Comments

ACLU and immigrants rights groups sue over our latest legislative atrocity

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Immigrant rights organizations have sued Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott approved one of the strictest state immigration enforcement laws, which authorizes police to arrest immigrants suspected of crossing the border illegally. In their lawsuit, the American Civil … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, DPS, El Paso, Greg Abbott, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, special session, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege | Comments Off

SCOTUS takes up mifepristone appeal

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. The Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will hear arguments on the accessibility of the abortion drug mifepristone in the biggest abortion case since Dobbs. The case stems from a widely panned decision handed down by notorious Donald … Continue reading →

Fifth Circuit does its thing with Galveston redistricting

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Death, taxes, and the Fifth Circuit being terrible. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked a new political map imposed on Galveston County by a lower court from taking effect. Plaintiffs are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Commissioners Court, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, filing deadline, Galveston, Justice Department, lawsuit, Mark Henry, primaries, redistricting, SCOTUS, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Stephen Holmes, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Galveston ordered to use its current map for 2024

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Pending the Fifth Circuit, of course. A federal judge ruled Galveston County must keep its old commissioner precinct map in place for the 2024 election while a federal appeals court mulls overturning its precedent and allowing new maps which do … Continue reading →

Yet another effort to kill the Voting Rights Act

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that the Fifth Circuit isn’the only home for terrible appellate judges. A divided federal appellate panel took a pipe to the knees of the Voting Rights Act Monday, handing down an eyebrow-raising decision that would severely curtail … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Arkansas, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department, lawsuit, NAACP, redistricting, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Fifth Circuit upholds (*) Galveston redistricting ruling

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

With an asterisk, as noted in the title. A federal appeals court Friday ruled that Galveston County commissioners violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act by eliminating the only majority-minority district in its latest redistricting process. The 5th Circuit Court of … Continue reading →

Galveston redistricting ruling paused

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Fifth Circuit strikes again. Less than a week after a federal judge ruled Galveston County’s precinct maps violated the Voting Rights Act, the U.S Fifth Circuit Court issued a stay on the order. U.S. Circuit Court Judge Jeffery V. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Alabama, Commissioners Court, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, filing deadline, Galveston, Justice Department, lawsuit, Mark Henry, primaries, redistricting, SCOTUS, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Stephen Holmes, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

Galveston County redistricting ruled illegal

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Galveston County Commissioners Court violated the Voting Rights Act when it approved a 2021 map that greatly limited voting power for Black and Latino voters in the county, a judge ruled Friday. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Alabama, Commissioners Court, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Galveston, Justice Department, lawsuit, Mark Henry, redistricting, SCOTUS, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Stephen Holmes, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

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