Tag Archives: LULAC

More requests for DOJ asked to investigate shady migrant flights

Massachusetts gets aboard. Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois is officially joining hands with California and Texas officials who have asked US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to help  investigate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s scheme to transport immigrants to Martha’s … Continue reading

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DOJ asked to investigate shady migrant flights

Feels like this should have been done awhile ago, but better late than never. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), California State Attorney General Rob Bonta and Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar sent a letter to the Department of Justice on Thursday … Continue reading

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Bexar County Sheriff’s Office files charges related to Florida immigration relocation stunt

Update of interest. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says it has completed its investigation into the transport of 49 migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last September by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and filed criminal charges with the … Continue reading

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Miles picks a team

He keeps moving, I’m trying to keep up. Newly appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles‘ first cabinet selections include a mix of HISD staff members, former employees of his charter school network, administrators from across Texas and educational analysts. Miles’ … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

NEW Houston requests retraction of bad KHOU story about paper ballot issues

From the inbox: Houston Leaders Call on Channel 11 To Retract Discredited Report On 2022 Election Paper Shortages Two New Investigations Debunk Central Claims Presented to the Public by KHOU; Deeply Flawed and Misleading Report Used As Basis by Gov. … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Second federal complaint filed over TEA takeover of HISD

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, the Houston NAACP, LULAC #19, and the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday regarding the Texas Education Agency’s … Continue reading

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LULAC files that lawsuit to end Houston City Council At Large districts

We’ve been waiting for this. The League of United Latin American Citizens on Monday filed its long-anticipated lawsuit against the city of Houston, seeking to get rid of at-large City Council seats that it says leave Hispanic residents with insufficient representation at City Hall. … Continue reading

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Perla Huerta added to migrants’ lawsuit against Ron DeSantis

Noted for the record. A Boston-based law firm suing Florida’s governor for his scheme to transport asylum-seekers from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard under false pretenses has added Perla Huerta — the San Antonio woman accused of recruiting the migrants … Continue reading

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How long has it been since the Fifth Circuit upheld a voter suppression law?

However long it’s been, they’re back at it. A federal appeals court on Wednesday revived a 2021 Texas law that set new residency requirements for voter registration, including one that civil rights groups alleged essentially blocked college students from signing … Continue reading

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Two DeSantis updates

From the Express News: Top aides to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were directly involved in arranging chartered flights that took 48 South Americans from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last month, records show. Texts from Larry Keefe, DeSantis’ public safety … Continue reading

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Treasury Department investigating DeSantis

Noted for the record. The Treasury Department is now investigating whether the taxpayer money Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) spent to fly Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard for political theater last month came from federal COVID-19 relief. Richard Delmar, the … Continue reading

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Houston City Council approves its new map

Now we wait for the lawsuit(s). City Council on Wednesday approved new boundaries for the city’s 11 districts for the 2023 elections, featuring modest adjustments affecting parts of downtown, Braeburn, Greater Inwood and a few areas in southeast Houston. The … Continue reading

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So did Ron DeSantis break Texas law or not?

A couple of lawyers try to figure it out. Bexar County, Texas Sheriff Javier Salazar has announced a criminal investigation into Venezuelan migrants being induced in San Antonio to board chartered planes and flown to Martha’s Vineyard. Florida Governor Ron … Continue reading

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Of course the redistricting lawsuit trial will be delayed

All we ever get is delays. The legal fight over the shape of Texas political representation for the next decade won’t be decided until next year after a federal panel agreed Tuesday to delay a trial over new political maps. … Continue reading

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Law against some new voter registration restrictions is struck down

Good, though one must always remember the threat of the Fifth Circuit. A federal judge on Tuesday night blocked a Texas law passed in 2021 that put new restrictions on people trying to register to vote in the state. The … Continue reading

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Redistricting plaintiffs get a win on discovery

Every little bit helps. A federal judge on Monday issued a wide-ranging discovery order requiring Texas state lawmakers to turn over documents related to the state’s congressional redistricting plans. The underlying lawsuit, filed by the League of United Latin American … Continue reading

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Chron story on the proposed new City Council map

Remember, you heard it here first. Houston’s proposed City Council maps for 2023 elections make only minor changes to district boundaries near Rice University, Freedmen’s Town and parts of downtown. Overall, less than 3% of Houston’s 2.3 million residents will … Continue reading

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City Council redistricting on the agenda

Get ready for some public hearings. The City Council of the City of Houston, Texas, will hold the following public hearings in the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 2nd Floor, 901 Bagby, Houston, Texas 77002. The purpose of the hearings is … Continue reading

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Two redistricting lawsuit updates

Legislators involved in the most recent redistricting effort can be made to sit for depositions. The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to block the deposition of Texas lawmakers in redistricting suits. Mum as to whether there were any dissents, the order from the … Continue reading

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Here’s your public meeting schedule for Houston City Council redistricting

Attend one and be In The Know. Houston residents will have a chance to preview potential changes to Houston’s 11 City Council districts at a series of public town hall meetings in April and May. […] The town hall meetings … Continue reading

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Chron story on City Council redistricting

Lots more info now. As Houston begins to redraw its City Council map for the 2023 elections, two districts representing western portions of the city, including Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, and Uptown, among other neighborhoods, have out-sized populations that … Continue reading

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Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading

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A brief update on the Gutierrez/Eckhardt redistricting lawsuit

First news we’ve had in awhile. Plaintiff: Democratic state Sens. Roland Gutierrez and Sarah Eckhardt What the lawsuit argues: Ahead of lawmakers’ third special session, two Democratic state senators sued to block the Legislature from redistricting in a special session … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

First lawsuit filed against the redistricting maps

Why wait? We already know they suck. Before they’ve even been signed into law, Texas’ new maps for Congress and the statehouse are being challenged in court for allegedly discriminating against Latino voters. Filing the first federal lawsuit Monday in … Continue reading

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Senate passes Congressional map

Start the litigation countdown. Yes, I know, this still has to pass the House, but still. The Texas Senate approved a map Friday that would largely protect incumbents in Congress while reducing the number of districts in which Black and … Continue reading

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Three more lawsuits filed against the voter suppression law

It’s a law now, and the legal machines are humming to do something about it. Though delayed by Democratic quorum breaks, Texas has officially joined the slate of Republican states that have enacted new voting restrictions following the 2020 election. … Continue reading

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First post-legislative session voting rights lawsuit filed

Surely not the last. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, a Latino civil rights group and a voting rights group say a bill signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week that prevents Texans from using a commerical … Continue reading

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First major vote suppression bill passes

Nothing’s going to stop them. Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access. In an overnight vote after more than seven … Continue reading

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Fifth Circuit upholds Abbott’s mail ballot dropoff limits

Because of course they did. Why would you have expected anything else? In a ruling issued late Monday night, a federal appeals court upheld Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that limited counties to one mail-in ballot drop-off location. A three-judge panel … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Judge briefly halts Abbott’s order limiting mail ballot dropoff locations

Late Friday breaking news, which lasted until the early afternoon on Saturday. A federal judge ruled Friday that Texas counties can have multiple drop-off locations for absentee ballots heading into the Nov. 3 general election, blocking the enforcement of Texas … Continue reading

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First hearing for mail ballot dropoff locations

Hopefully we’ll get some action quickly. Lawyers for voters and voting rights groups asked a federal judge Thursday to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent order limiting counties to one location where voters can hand-deliver mail-in ballots. Abbott waited too long … Continue reading

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Lawsuit filed over Abbott’s order to limit mail ballot dropoff locations

As expected. Voting rights advocates and civic groups have rushed to the courthouse in a bid to block Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s Oct. 1 order allowing Texas counties no more than one drop-off location for voters casting absentee ballots, calling … Continue reading

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No relief from SCOTUS on vote by mail

This is not really a surprise. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an initial bid by state Democrats to expand voting by mail to all Texas voters during the coronavirus pandemic. Justice Samuel Alito — whose oversight of federal courts … Continue reading

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TDP appeals to SCOTUS on vote by mail

Here we go. After a series of losses in state and federal courts, Texas Democrats are looking to the U.S. Supreme Court to expand voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. The Texas Democratic Party on Tuesday asked the high … Continue reading

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