Judicial Q&A: Julia Maldonado

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in March. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic primary candidates, including links to the interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Julia Maldonado

1. Who are you and what are you running for?

My name is Julia Maldonado, I am seeking election to serve as Judge of the 183rd District Court in Harris County, Texas.

I am a licensed attorney in the State of Texas with more than twenty-seven years of legal experience. I have been board certified in family law since 2012, reflecting my depth of knowledge and commitment to the profession. For the first eighteen years of my career, I operated my own firm, the J. Maldonado Law Firm, PC, where I served as a solo practitioner, focusing primarily on criminal and family law matters. During this time, I represented clients throughout Texas, gaining extensive experience in both areas of law and developing a comprehensive understanding of the issues facing individuals and families in our community. My legal practice in Harris County has provided me with substantial experience in criminal defense, having handled over two thousand cases in this jurisdiction.

My trial work encompasses a wide range of criminal matters, from assault and driving while intoxicated to complex and serious offenses such as continuous sexual conduct of a child and murder. In my most recent jury trial, in Liberty County, Texas, involved charges of continuous sexual conduct of a child, which carried a potential sentence of 25 to 99 years, I prepared and advocated thoroughly, tried the case to a jury, resulting in a verdict of not guilty. Additionally, I have successfully petitioned for relief in a bond matter by filing a Writ of Habeas Corpus with the First Court of Appeals. The appellate court reversed the decision of the trial court and ordered that the bond be reduced to $10,000.00.

In November 2016, I was elected to serve as the presiding judge of the 507th District Court of Harris County. My term began on January 1, 2017, and continued through December 31, 2024, providing me with eight years of direct judicial experience. During this time, I developed and implemented policies and procedures essential to the efficient operation of the court. My responsibilities included managing dockets, managing the court’s inventory of cases, overseeing thousands of cases tried before the bench, conducting numerous jury trials, and supervising court personnel to ensure the smooth functioning of the judicial process. Beginning in January 2025 and continuing to the present, I have remained dedicated to serving the Harris County community by taking on the role of Visiting Judge. In this capacity, I have provided vital support to my fellow Harris County judges whenever they have requested a visiting judge.

In addition to my judicial duties, I have worked as a mediator and arbitrator, helping to resolve legal disputes outside of the courtroom. Over the past year, I have successfully settled well over one hundred cases, further demonstrating my commitment to resolving matters efficiently and fairly for the benefit of the community. My career has been firmly rooted in public service, and I have consistently worked to ensure that justice is administered thoughtfully, efficiently, and with an appreciation for the real-world impact of judicial decisions on individuals, families, and the broader community. I am running for Judge of the 183rd Criminal District Court in Harris county to bring my experience, sound judgment, and compassion to the bench, without any predetermined stance on any case, and to further strengthen public confidence in our judicial system.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

The 183rd Criminal District Court in Harris County is one of the felony courts that has original jurisdiction in criminal cases of the grade of felony, of all misdemeanors involving official misconduct, and of misdemeanor cases transferred to the district court under Article 4.17 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. These types of cases are described as follows:

(1) Felony Criminal Cases are the most serious criminal charges under Texas law. This includes all levels of felonies—from state jail felonies to first-degree and capital murder cases—whether resolved by plea or by jury trial. Examples include murder, aggravated assault, sexual assault, robbery, drug trafficking, and other serious violent and non-violent felonies.

(2) Misdemeanors Involving Official Misconduct- although most misdemeanor cases are handled in county or municipal courts, in Texas a criminal district court has original jurisdiction to hear misdemeanor offenses that involve official misconduct by public officers.

(3) Other misdemeanor cases that the District Court has jurisdiction and that are relatively rare in Harris County are those that are properly transferred under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 4.17, which is a plea of not guilty to a misdemeanor offense punishable by confinement in jail, entered in a county court of a judge who is not a licensed attorney. This type of case is relatively rare in Harris County because our county judges are licensed attorneys before becoming judges.

In summary, most of the cases that would be heard by the 183rd Criminal District Court are felonies and misdemeanor official misconduct cases; however, it does have jurisdiction on cases transferred under C.C P. Art 4.17.

3. Why are you running for this particular bench?

I am seeking election to the 183rd Criminal District Court because I am dedicated to ensuring that everyone receives equal treatment under the law. My approach to judging is guided by fairness, integrity, and respect for every individual who appears before the court. Drawing on my extensive experience as a Criminal Defense Attorney, Presiding Judge of the 507th District Court, and as Administrative Judge of the Family Law Division, I offer strong judicial leadership and a comprehensive understanding of the law. My expertise in both criminal and family law prepares me to address the complex issues that arise in a criminal district court. Harris County deserves a judge who not only decides cases according to the law but also recognizes the real-life effects that judicial decisions have on families and communities. Harris County deserves a Judge that treats everyone with fairness, integrity and according to the law. I am committed to making sure that justice is both served and clearly demonstrated, helping to build trust between the court and the community.

4. What are your qualifications for this job?

I am a licensed attorney in the State of Texas with more than twenty-seven years of legal experience. I have been board certified in family law since 2012, reflecting my depth of knowledge and commitment to the profession. For the first eighteen years of my career, I operated my own firm, the J. Maldonado Law Firm, PC, where I served as a solo practitioner, focusing primarily on criminal and family law matters. During this time, I represented clients throughout Texas, gaining extensive experience in both areas of law and developing a comprehensive understanding of the issues facing individuals and families in our community. My legal practice in Harris County has provided me with substantial experience in criminal defense, having handled over two thousand cases in this jurisdiction.

My trial work encompasses a wide range of criminal matters, from assault and driving while intoxicated to complex and serious offenses such as continuous sexual conduct of a child and murder. In my most recent jury trial, in Liberty County, Texas, involved charges of continuous sexual conduct of a child, which carried a potential sentence of 25 to 99 years, I prepared and advocated thoroughly, tried the case to a jury, resulting in a verdict of not guilty.

Additionally, I have successfully petitioned for relief in a bond matter by filing a Writ of Habeas Corpus with the First Court of Appeals. The appellate court reversed the decision of the trial court and ordered that the bond be reduced to $10,000.00. In November 2016, I was elected to serve as the presiding judge of the 507th District Court of Harris County. My term began on January 1, 2017, and continued through December 31, 2024, providing me with eight years of direct judicial experience. During this time, I developed and implemented policies and procedures essential to the efficient operation of the court. My responsibilities included managing dockets, managing the court’s inventory of cases, overseeing thousands of cases tried before the bench, conducting numerous jury trials, and supervising court personnel to ensure the smooth functioning of the judicial process.

Beginning in January 2025 and continuing to the present, I have remained dedicated to serving the Harris County community by taking on the role of Visiting Judge. In this capacity, I have provided vital support to my fellow Harris County judges whenever they have requested a visiting judge. In addition to my judicial duties, I have worked as a mediator and arbitrator, helping to resolve legal disputes outside of the courtroom. Over the past year, I have successfully settled well over one hundred cases, further demonstrating my commitment to resolving matters efficiently and fairly for the benefit of the community. These qualifications reflect my commitment to justice, my thorough understanding of the law, and my unwavering dedication to upholding the rights of all individuals who come before the court. I am prepared to serve with fairness, impartiality, and respect for the rule of law.

5. Why is this race important?

This race is important because criminal district court judges are responsible for making decisions on serious criminal cases and other legal matters that directly and routinely affect people’s lives every day. The daily impact of these rulings means that the individual who serves as judge can shape the course of justice in the community in tangible ways. Harris County stands to benefit from a judge who reviews each case impartially, without any predetermined stance on any case—particularly when it comes to complex issues like capital punishment. Fair and unbiased consideration is vital to maintaining public confidence in the legal system. Voters have significant power in these elections, as their choices determine how justice is administered at the local level.

The outcome of this race will influence decisions on criminal sentencing, the protection of civil rights, and other fundamental aspects of the legal process. The judge who presides over the 183rd District Court also shapes the interpretation and application of laws, affecting areas such as criminal justice reform, civil liberties, and bail practices. For the Democratic Party, especially in a diverse and urban county like Harris, it is important to have judges who embody party values and commitments. When judicial decisions are made with integrity and a steadfast adherence to the law, community trust in the legal system is strengthened.

6. Why should people vote for you in March?

Voters should support my candidacy for the 183rd Criminal District Court because I bring experience, fairness, and a deep commitment to justice that serves both public safety and due process. I have dedicated my legal career to upholding the rule of law while ensuring that every person who enters the courtroom is treated with dignity and are afforded their constitutional rights. I understand the complexities of Harris County’s criminal justice system and the importance of managing a busy felony docket efficiently, ethically, and impartially. As judge, I will be firm but fair, guided by the law, the facts, and a respect for all parties—victims, defendants, attorneys, and the community, without any predetermined stance in any case. I believe in accountability, judicial independence, and thoughtful decision-making that promotes safety, fairness, and confidence in our courts. In March 2026, voters can trust that I will serve the people of Harris County with integrity, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Jim Kovach, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 2
Jimmie L. J. Brown, Jr, 270th Civil District Court
Ebony Williams, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 2

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Slightly better but still bad

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

That’s how one would describe the latest UT/Texas Politics Project poll numbers for Donald Trump and Texas Republicans.

The dominant political narrative for much of the past year has been that Democrats are sitting pretty heading into the 2026 midterms, while Republicans will be swimming against an upstream current, weighed down by the heavy millstone of President Donald Trump strapped tightly around their necks.

But a newly released poll of Texas voters suggests that while Republicans have more reason for worry than celebration 11 months before the November election, there is a largely buried — and perhaps unrecognized — glimmer of hope that they might catch a break in the fall.

Let’s get the GOP’s bad news out of the way first in the poll of 1,200 self-identified registered voters conducted by the Texas Politics Project and released Friday. Trump’s approval rating in Republican-led Texas is underwater. So are those of pretty much every Republican holding statewide office and those running for statewide office.

On a dozen issues state leaders tackled in the 2025 Legislature, respondents in the poll, taken Dec. 9-13, gave failing marks to 10. And on eight of them, the disapproval-to-approval ratio hovered close to 2-1.

Ironically, even that faint ray of sunshine for Texas Republicans looks, at first blush, like another cloud. It has to do with the economy, both at the national and personal levels, and the overall direction of the state and the nation.

More than one-third of respondents said the national economy was in poor shape, and only 24% said they themselves were doing OK financially. And that, paradoxically, is the good news.

Here’s why. In February, only 20% of Texans said they were happy with their own financial well-being. That survey came one month into Trump’s return to the White House and represented a 5-point drop from when Democratic President Joe Biden was still in charge. Confidence in the national economy had been dropping since April, falling to 27% in August. The latest poll shows a 7-point rebound.

[…]

Also, the poll suggests that, as in the 2018 midterms, Trump may once again be a gift to Democrats — given that midterm elections are often a referendum on the current occupant of the White House. Not only does he have a 44% approval to 50% disapproval rating, Trump’s standing among Texas Republicans is down 10 points since returning to power.

To be fair, that drop was from 92% to 82%. But in each of the six polls taken by the Texas Politics project over the past year, Trump’s approval rating among his own party has been lower than in the one before.

See here for our last visit to this polling data. I’m interested in this as a way to possibly gauge what the November electoral environment might be like. As noted in that earlier post, Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick recorded their lowest ever approval ratings in that September poll, for which quarterly data goes back over a decade, while Ken Paxton had his second-worst showing. All three had declined in each of the three quarters following a strong result in December 2024. Would that continue, and if so how far would it go? Here, from the linked poll summary page, is a roundup of the relevant approval results:

Gov Greg Abbott: 43% approve; 46% disapprove
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick:  31% approve; 42% disapprove
Attorney General Ken Paxton: 29% approve; 46% disapprove
U.S. Senator John Cornyn: 25% approve; 46% disapprove
President Donald Trump
Overall: 44% approve; 50% disapprove
Republicans: 82% approve; 11% disapprove
Democrats: 5% approve; 93% disapprove
Independents: 24% approve; 63% disapprove

The short answer is that Abbott and Patrick both bounced back a bit, Abbott more than Patrick, while Paxton‘s disapproval number ticked up a point and his approval number stayed the same; he’s now tied for his highest-ever disapproval rate while still second-worst on approval. Trump’s numbers remain in a tight band, though the steady drip-drip-drip of his approval rating among Republicans continues to fascinate me. I feel like if anything is going to contribute to dampened Republican turnout, it will be that.

So now we wait for the March numbers to see if Abbott and Patrick bounce back some more – Abbott is not used to being in negative territory in this poll – or if that was a blip. My thesis is that these low numbers among the Texas leaders, especially for Abbott, is a key difference from the environment in 2018. How much of a factor that may be, I can’t say. I’m just noting it for the record. And I will keep an eye on it.

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Dems call on Paxton to investigate Grok

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what I’m talking about.

Texas House Democrats on Monday dared Attorney General Ken Paxton to take on Elon Musk.

Led by Rep. Mihaela Plesa of Dallas, more than 40 Democrats demanded an inquiry into allegations that Musk’s social media platform X has been used to churn out explicit, sexualized images without consent.

[…]

Plesa said she became concerned with Grok, Musk’s chatbot tool, after encountering a sexualized image of Renee Nicole Good, the Minnesota woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week.

“I was horrified when I saw what I saw on X, and I’m sure that parents are horrified to see this, too,” she said.

[…]

“We are asking the attorney general to focus on our kids, on women in the state who have experienced this and have become victims of this,” she said. “We are asking for clear pathways as to if you are a victim, how to resolve this, how to get legal action, how to get these images removed from the internet.”

Plesa, a two-term Democrat who represents a Collin County district that includes part of far North Dallas and Plano, said she encountered images while scrolling on X, began researching and found numerous Grok-created sexualized images.

Her call for an investigation adds Texas lawmakers to a growing set of officials across in the U.S. and beyond seeking government scrutiny of X. Several Democratic U.S. senators have called for a review of Grok, and the European Union ordered X to retain documents related to the AI chatbot.

Grok limited requests for AI-generated images to paid subscribers on Thursday.

Plesa said Texas lawmakers enacted tools that can hold Musk’s company accountable for the sexualized images.

Last year, the Legislature created the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, making it illegal to create an AI tool solely for the creation of child pornography and deep fake videos. The law took effect on Jan. 1.

Paxton “has the authority to ask X to shut down until we figure out what’s going on,” Plesa said.

See here for the background. My only quibble is that every single Dem in both chambers should have signed on to this; I expect that timing and not everyone being easily available played a role in the smaller number. Hopefully the rest will join in. If there was a letter sent to Paxton I didn’t find it out there – having one that can be linked to would be helpful, Rep. Plesa. And everyone else, please keep talking about this. This is a layup. More like this, please.

UPDATE: Texas Public Radio has more, and there is a letter, which can be seen here. Well done.

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Interview with Melissa McDonough

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Melissa McDonough

We move now to CD38, the new district from the 2021 redistricting cycle. I will have three interviews with candidates for CD38 this week, starting with the candidate who was the Democratic nominee in 2024, Melissa McDonough. McDonough is a realtor of over 30 years and has been an owner or manager or a real estate brokerage for 20 years. She has served as an election judge, including service on the Signature Verification Committee and Early Voting Ballot Board. She got 37.2% of the vote in 2024, about a point and a half less than Kamala Harris did in the district. You can listen to the interview I did with her for the 2024 primary here, and you can listen to the interview I did with her for this year’s below:

PREVIOUSLY:

Terry Virts – CD09
Leticia Gutierrez – CD09

You can find links to all my interviews and Q&As at the world famous Erik Manning spreadsheet, which has other information about candidates and races. I have two more interviews with candidates from CD38 this week. Let me know what you think.

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SOS hands over voter roll to Trump DOJ

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Surrender time.

Still the only voter ID anyone should need

Texas officials have turned over the state’s voter roll to the U.S. Justice Department, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, complying with the Trump administration’s demands for access to data on millions of voters across the country.

The Justice Department last fall began asking all 50 states for their voter rolls — massive lists containing significant identifying information on every registered voter in each state — and other election-related data. The Justice Department has said the effort is central to its mission of enforcing election law requiring states to regularly maintain voter lists by searching for and removing ineligible voters.

Alicia Pierce, a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, told Votebeat and The Texas Tribune that the state had sent its voter roll, which includes information on the approximately 18.4 million voters registered in Texas, to the Justice Department on Dec. 23.

The state included identifiable information about voters, including dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, Pierce said.

Experts and state officials around the country have raised concerns over the legality of the Justice Department’s effort to obtain states’ voter rolls and whether it could compromise voter privacy protections. The Justice Department has said it is entitled to the data under federal law, and withholding it interferes with its ability to exercise oversight and enforce federal election laws.

The department has now sued 23 states and Washington, D.C., for declining to voluntarily turn over their voter rolls. Those states, which include some led by officials of both political parties, have generally argued that states are responsible for voter registration and are barred by state and federal law from sharing certain private information about voters. In an interview with “The Charlie Kirk Show” last month, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said 13 states, including Texas, had voluntarily agreed to turn over their voter rolls.

In a letter to Nelson dated Friday and obtained by Votebeat and The Texas Tribune, the Democratic National Committee said the move to hand over the voter roll could violate federal election law.

DNC Chair Ken Martin said the turnover of such data is tantamount to a “big government power grab” and would invite privacy violations and could result in eligible voters being kicked off the rolls. The DNC, he said in a statement, “won’t stand idly by as the Trump DOJ tries to get access to Texas voters’ sensitive information.”

In its letter, Daniel Freeman, the DNC’s litigation director, requested records related to the Justice Department’s request, and warned the party could take further action.

Some election officials and voting rights watchdog groups have raised concerns about what the Justice Department intends to do with the information provided by the states, with some suggesting it may be used to create a national database of voters.

There may be litigation, for which the outcome is hard to predict. We’ll see what happens with the lawsuit filed against the states that have refused to comply. There’s no reason to believe anything but bad intent on the part of Pam Bondi and her minions, it’s just a question of how much they’ll try to do. One is always tempted to roll out the “if a Democratic President had tried this” trope, but it’s hard to do in this case because I can’t imagine a Democratic President or their Justice Department being anywhere near as malevolent and untrustworthy. For sure, though, if a Democratic President and their Justice Department had requested access to the state’s voter roll for some seemingly innocent or good-government reason, we all know that Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton and everyone else in their orbit would be screaming like banshees who just hit their thumbs with a hammer, and the rest of us would be scrambling around in response to that. This is yet another example of a related trope, the “It’s OK If You’re A Republican” trope, because, well, there’s no banshee screaming to be heard. Let’s all remember that for the next time.

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Is there an Astrodome decision coming soon?

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. But probably not.

Ready and waiting

The fate of the Astrodome — a beloved Houston landmark that’s sat largely unused for more than 20 years — could soon be decided.

Commissioners are expected to discuss options for the 1 million square-foot building at Thursday’s meeting. The move came after the Office of County Administration released December cost estimates for demolishing the building and renovating it. Demolition would cost nearly $55 million, according to OCA, while renovating the Astrodome would require a staggering $752 million.

Interim County Administrator Jesse Dickerman said in a Dec. 19 release that renovating the Astrodome would not be feasible without outside investment.

“These cost estimates illustrate that it will not be financially feasible for Harris County to renovate the Astrodome without significant private investment,” Dickerman said.

[…]

The Astrodome — which, along with NRG Stadium, is owned by Harris County — has become a political hot potato as the years have rolled by with its doors padlocked. The property is located directly adjacent to NRG Stadium — proximity that largely undermines any potential for the Astrodome to reopen as a stadium. The price tag for renovating the building is likely to also put off any private developers seeking to transform it into a mixed-use or commercial property.

That leaves demolition as the most viable solution, but many Houstonians have fond memories of the Astrodome, and demolition would likely carry political ramifications, Beth Wiedower Jackson, executive director of the Astrodome Conservancy previously told the Houston Chronicle.

“No elected official wants the Astrodome’s blood on their hands,” Jackson said.

Although demolition costs just a fraction of renovating the Astrodome, the county could also face roadblocks set by the Texas Historical Commission. The commission designated the stadium a state antiquities landmark in January 2017, which protects the Astrodome from being “removed, altered, damaged, salvaged or excavated” without prior approval.

The county is spending millions insuring and securing the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” as it serves as a glorified storage container. The county spends upwards of $5.5 million per year to insure NRG Park, which includes both the Astrodome and NRG Stadium.

See here and here for the most recent bits of Astrodome news. If there is any movement towards demolition, I feel like it would be more likely to come with a County Judge who is not running for re-election. I agree that this is a legacy-defining decision, however, and I can’t speak to where Judge Hidalgo may be on that. The various groups that want to Do Something with the Astrodome still need to come up with the money and a plan that would take into account the fact that unlike, say, the Alamo, which is in the middle of San Antonio’s downtown and easily accessible by pedestrians who have plenty of other things nearby to visit, the Dome is an island in sea of asphalt abutting a freeway. Any NewDomeThing would have to be a real destination and not just something people would drop by because there won’t be any ambient people to do the drop-by-ing.

That’s the Conservancy’s problem, not mine. The truth is that the simplest solution for now and likely for the foreseeable future is to do nothing. The insurance cost is small – that $5.5 million is for the entire NRG property; surely the Astrodome is a minor piece of that price tag – and until such time as there is a financed and viable Plan for the Dome and/or the Texans and the Rodeo draw a line in the sand of “demolish it so we can make more parking spaces or else”, there’s no compelling reason to do anything else. It’s not going anywhere, it’s not hurting anything, it’s not costing much money, it can be something for Future Commissioners Court to deal with.

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Weekend link dump for January 11

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

“But it ought to be pretty plain to people that when a new administration comes to Washington, it is not the ordinary and appropriate thing to start filling your own pockets, your friends’ pockets, your political allies’ pockets with public goods.”

“In an era when many species are declining because of multipronged, seemingly intractable problems, the solution to protecting loons is relatively straightforward. Anglers simply need to swap their old lead jigs and sinkers for tackle made from tungsten, steel, tin, or bismuth. Given loons’ immense popularity, you might think that would be an easy sell.” Spoiler alert: There’s a villain of this story, and it’s the NRA.

“In our own time, regrowing democratic habits requires that we first identify what some of those habits are. Let me name a few of them here.”

“Don’t trust billionaires. They don’t get rich by finding that money on the side of the road, brother!”

A very happy retirement to Patrick Nielsen Hayden, who was one of the first “big name” bloggers to put me on his blogroll a million years ago when that meant something. Also, I’m a big fan of the Scalzi books, so thanks for publishing those as well.

“The bottom line is, unlike the boat strikes the U.S. military has carried out to date that have occurred in international waters against stateless vessels, this operation, striking Venezuela and abducting its president, is clearly a violation of the prohibition on the use of force in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. That prohibition is the bedrock rule of the international system that separates the rule of law from anarchy, safeguards small States from their more powerful neighbors, and protects civilians from the devastation of war. The consequences of flouting this rule so brazenly are likely to extend well beyond the case of Maduro’s forcible ouster.”

“Two people close to the White House said the president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado, despite her recent efforts to flatter Trump, stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the president has openly coveted.”

“America’s Bourbon Industry On The Rocks Due To Unforced Error”.

“A woman so notorious that she had been a character in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Assassins,” alongside John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, was now the stepmother to Suzy and Cru.” A truly wild story.

“But there are ways to disguise yourself from facial recognition systems in your everyday life, and it doesn’t require owning clothes with a special design, or high-tech anti-surveillance gear.”

“Way back then, just before Thanksgiving, these MAGA evangelicals — Sean Feucht, Tom Buck, Andrew Walker, Mike Huckabee, Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie, Gary Bauer (still alive!), Johnnie Moore, Eric Metaxas, Jenna Ellis, Todd Starnes, et. al. — would have told you that as loyal, obedient MAGA footsoldiers, they were opposed to interventionist adventurism because it violated the sacred principle of America First.”

“Wyoming’s constitutional amendment, while passed as a rebuke to a Democratic president’s signature legislation, has inadvertently become a similarly effective shield against abortion restrictions in the state.”

“Five years after January 6, dozens of pardoned insurrectionists have been arrested again“.

“2 police officers relive Jan. 6 through their own bodycam footage”.

Why was the Trump Justice Department tracking Julie K. Brown, the journalist who has done the most work reporting on Jeffrey Epstein and his victims?

“Wildfire smoke is an emerging nationwide crisis for the United States. Supercharged by climate change, blazes are swelling into monsters that consume vast landscapes and entire towns. A growing body of evidence reveals that these conflagrations are killing far more people than previously known, as smoke travels hundreds or even thousands of miles, aggravating conditions like asthma and heart disease. One study, for instance, estimated that last January’s infernos in Los Angeles didn’t kill 30 people, as the official tally reckons, but 440 or more once you factor in the smoke. Another recent study estimated that wildfire haze already kills 40,000 Americans a year, which could increase to 71,000 by 2050.”

Aldrich Ames, CIA turncoat, has died, in prison.

“In the hours since U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in a pre-dawn raid Saturday, officials across the landscape of Major League Baseball have scrambled to check on the safety of players, coaches and scouts throughout the country, while trying to understand how the raid and its aftermath might affect the upcoming baseball season and World Baseball Classic.”

“Even so, whatever it is we’re doing in Venezuela isn’t really a war for oil. It is, instead, a war for oil fantasies. The vast wealth Trump imagines is waiting there to be taken doesn’t exist.”

“States have a long history of prosecuting federal officials for allegedly using excessive force on the job. And when federal courts agree that the force may not have been legally justified, they have allowed the state prosecution to proceed.” You know what needs to be done, Minneapolis.

“No matter: MAGA never allows truth to get in the way of their self-pitying narrative. On the contrary, it was darkly funny how much the self-appointed tough guys of the right whine like spoiled brats.”

“Which is why it’s long past time not only to treat an American move on Greenland as a theoretical exercise but a real likelihood—one that would be not only a morally reprehensible crime, but a national security crisis of a sort the United States has not seen in decades. There’s good reason to think it would be the greatest foreign-policy blunder since at least the Vietnam War.”

RIP, Jon Lindsay, longtime Harris County Judge and former State Senator.

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The Republican non-turnout problem

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Simon Rosenberg flags something of interest, about how MAGA voters are unhappy with the way things are going.

Of course this represents an extraordinary betrayal of what the flim-flam confidence man promised the American people when he ran last year. This sense of betrayal is captured in a new and truly remarkable Washington Post story this morning, MAGA leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen? A passage (gift link):

a growing chorus of faithful MAGA supporters who have begun raising concerns over what they see as Trump’s second-term shortcomings. In recent weeks, pockets of the president’s base — well-known for its unwavering dedication to Trump and his MAGA agenda — have accused the president of focusing too much on foreign affairs, failing to address the cost of living issues he pledged to fix, aligning himself too closely with billionaires and tech moguls, and resisting the release of more investigative files on the deceased sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Across the conservative spectrum, a steady drumbeat of commentators have warned that Trump’s coalition is weakened, and the party is headed for defeat in November’s midterms elections. There are concerns that the base won’t show up over frustrations that Trump hasn’t pursued the MAGA agenda aggressively enough. And others worry economic concerns could threaten his standing with the independent voters key in next year’s midterms.

Now let’s spend time with the comments for this story from Mark Mitchell, the lead pollster for Rasmussen, the most important of the right-aligned red wave pollsters, a man whose blood flows as MAGA red as anyone in America:

As Donald Trump ate his crab cake lunch inside the White House last month, conservative pollster Mark Mitchell tried to explain that there was a disconnect between what the administration seemed to be focused on, and what Trump’s passionate base of supporters want to see.

“Sir, you got shot at the Butler rally,” Mitchell said, invoking the “really strong optics” of Trump raising his fist in defiance after the attempted assassination in July 2024.

“You said, ‘Fight, fight, fight.’ But nobody ever clarified what that means,” Mitchell continued. “And right now, you’re fight-fight-fighting Marjorie Taylor Greene, and not actually fight-fight-fighting for Americans.”

The head pollster at Rasmussen Reports warned Trump that many of his supporters believe he hasn’t “drained the swamp” in Washington, and suggested the president refocus with a plan to embrace “pragmatic economic populism.”

“To the extent to which we were talking about the economic populism message, he wasn’t as interested as I would have hoped,” Mitchell said, adding that it was a “long-ranging conversation.”

And…..

Mitchell was invited to the White House by Vice President JD Vance, who follows him on X and has communicated with Mitchell about polling in recent months. Before lunch with Trump, Mitchell met with Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mitchell is not part of the president’s political operation, but Trump’s advisers were interested in hearing his outside perspective, a White House official told The Post.

Mitchell said Trump listened to his concerns and asked questions, but eventually pivoted to one of his favorite conversation topics: golf. He gushed about two of his golf partners, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Fox News host Bret Baier, both of whom are the subject of MAGA-faction ire. Trump also bragged about how much money he had raised during a golf fundraiser for Graham the weekend before, a day after he declared he was rescinding his support for Greene.

In an interview, Mitchell suggested that it would have been better for the administration to acknowledge early on that repairing the economy would take significant changes and would not occur overnight.

“The very first thing they shouldn’t have done is lower gas prices one dollar and then say, ‘The Golden Age is here,’ ” he said.

And……

Many supporters like her have been turned off seeing what was once a full calendar of rallies in Middle America replaced with opulent events with business leaders, deal-signings with billionaires and travel to other continents. While meeting with Trump, Mitchell told the president his base of supporters wanted to see him “smash the oligarchy, not be the oligarchy.”

“Building billionaire-funded ballrooms and jet-setting around the world and trillion-dollar investment deals looks a lot like oligarchy stuff,” Mitchell told The Post.

Crab cakes, golf outings, fundraising, gilded ballrooms and oligarchy – just OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me start by saying that I drafted this during Christmas week, which is to say before Venezuela and the brutal murder of Renee Nicole Good. Whatever might have been true then is almost certainly more so now. Hearing these comments is of course political crack for those of us who are viewing next year with something between hope and wild-eyed optimism/desperation. There’s a point I want to make about this but first have a look at this Politico piece, cut from a similar cloth.

The road to the tiny hamlet of Marion in northwest Montana is lined with the thick trees of the Flathead National Forest, with modern homesteads of trailers and modest homes dotting clearings here and there. Outside a timber frame café called the Hilltop Hitching Post, one of the only gathering spots for Marion’s population of less than 1,200, hunter Terry Zink pulled up in a dusty, well-used F-150 pickup and got out wearing a camo jacket against the early September chill, and a ball cap atop wire-rimmed glasses.

Zink, 57, is a third-generation houndsman who hunts big game, including mountain lions and bears. He also owns an archery target business. He’s a rural Montanan whose way of life and livelihood depend on public lands.

He led me into the Hilltop, where half the people inside knew his name, to a corner where we sat drinking diner coffee. “You won’t meet anyone more conservative than me, and I didn’t vote for this,” Zink said.

“This” is the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) deep cuts earlier this year to federal public lands agencies’ funding, and to the staff at those agencies who administer that funding and steward public lands and wildlife.

Zink voted for Trump but said he doesn’t agree with everything the president does. Zink clarifies he calls himself a “conservative” over calling himself a “Republican.” He doesn’t like Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric. “I prefer common sense in the middle,” he said.

He believes wolves need to be hunted to manage their numbers; abortion should only be legal in cases of rape, incest and to protect the mother’s life; and he’s an ardent Second Amendment supporter. He’s also a passionate advocate for public lands and wildlife. And the cuts have, frankly, ticked him off.

He is vocal not just about protecting public lands, but also about protecting the staff at those agencies. “We have to listen to our wildlife biologists. We have to be strong advocates for those people,” Zink said.

Hunting season had yet to open when we spoke, but Zink was already hearing from fellow hunters who had to cut their own way into trails to hunting camps after Forest Service trail crews were laid off en masse. He worries about wildlife management with agency scientists also terminated.

Zink’s story is just one example of how the DOGE cuts to public lands agencies are hitting rural, conservative communities — one of this administration’s strongest voting bases — the hardest. Starting in February, an estimated 5,200 people have been terminated from the agencies that manage the 640 million acres of federal public lands in the U.S. That number doesn’t include the many who took the administration’s buyout or early retirement offers also meant to cut staff. Further, Trump’s 2026 budget proposes more budget cuts and a reduction of nearly 18,500 more public lands employees.

We’ve all read enough “I didn’t vote for this” pieces to have a certain level of skepticism about them, but I found this one to be nuanced and engaging enough to cut it some slack. What both of them have in common is the notion that all of the Trumpian bullshit this time around may have a real dampening effect on Republican turnout in 2026, which combined with Democratic engagement and Latino retrenchment is another big problem for Republicans. And again, the awful and terrifying events since then magnify all that. What I would note is that Republicans didn’t have a turnout problem in 2018, at least not here in Texas. They went and set a record for off-year turnout as well, which was enough for them to hold onto statewide offices. But some backsliding, or even just softening, of their base turnout next year could mean the difference between yet another “better luck next time” and history being made.

Again, it’s early and all that. And Lord knows, we’ve clung to this kind of hope for longer than I can remember. All I’m saying is that this is another dimension to the picture for this year. We have very little control over it, much less than we have over turning out our people or convincing the persuadables to switch or come home. But it’s there and we should be aware of it. If nothing else, it may tell us we should be going bigger as we get closer to next November.

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Will Carla Wyatt be removed from office?

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but too soon to say.

Carla Wyatt

It’s too early to consider removing Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt from office or reducing her duties following her arrest, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.

The embattled treasurer was arrested and charged with misdemeanor burglary of a vehicle Dec. 28. She was previously charged with driving under the influence and twice violated her bond conditions. Wyatt, in both instances, blew above the limit into an ignition interlock device that a judge ordered be installed in her vehicle following her DWI offense.

“It’s a very concerning situation. Of course, the allegations are concerning. But the fact of the matter is, voters elected Treasurer Wyatt,” Hidalgo said. “A lot of elected officials cope with things in different ways, but as far as a revision of her duties or any kind of removal — not right now, we need to wait and see what the court says.”

Commissioners discussed potentially reassigning duties Wyatt’s office is responsible for in executive session, which is not open to the public. While the details of their discussion were not made public, commissioners did not take action on the item.

Wyatt was first elected in 2022, and is running for re-election this year. One of the two Republican candidates who have filed for the position, Marc Cowart, said at Thursday’s meeting that her arrest constituted a “disturbing pattern.”

“The issues reported in the media transcend party and politics. The recent arrest of Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt is deeply disturbing, especially following her prior arrest,” Cowart said. “Carla Wyatt’s behavior is growing into a disturbing pattern that has broken the public’s trust. Restoring trust begins with acknowledging when it has been compromised and taking appropriate action to ensure that it does not happen again.”

Wyatt’s DWI charge was dismissed in August after she completed a pretrial diversion program. As Harris County treasurer, she sits on the Harris County Bail Bond Board, which adjudicates bail disputes, violations committed by bondsmen and assists in guiding county bail policy. Wyatt is scheduled to go before a judge for a probable cause hearing Jan. 26. Should the judge determine there was no probable cause for the charge, the case will not proceed.

Wyatt’s attorney, Christopher Downey, told the Houston Chronicle that, although Wyatt was charged with burglary, she was simply sitting in an unoccupied vehicle and had no intent to steal.

“If, for example, you get into a vehicle thinking it’s your Uber and it turns out not to be, that’s not burglary,” Downey said.

Although Wyatt has twice been charged with criminal offenses, as an independently elected official, commissioners lack the authority to directly reprimand her or remove her from office. They can, however, reassign duties from her office to other county departments.

See here and here for the background. Judge Hidalgo’s statement is perfectly reasonable – Carla Wyatt is innocent until proven guilty. If she is ultimately convicted, then action up to and including removal may be warranted, and if she’s not – if the charges get dismissed, for example – then there’s nothing to address. We’ll know more after the January 26 hearing. I should note that removing her from office, if it comes to that, is not the same thing as removing her from the ballot. Wyatt would have to do that herself, again if it came to it.

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The restaurants are going through it

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Support your favorite places, they may be more fragile than you think.

In a time when people are grappling with their own economic pressures and chasing the latest food trends on social media, it’s easy to overlook the hardships felt by restaurants. But restaurants are what make Houston a cultural haven. And the ones owned by our hardworking neighbors are worth supporting.

From the outside, a restaurant can look like a far sexier business than it is. In reality, it’s grimy and dirty — words real restaurant owners used with me — and it requires relentless passion to keep one alive, now more than ever.

So why was this year so challenging? Here’s a recap of the hurdles.

Many restaurants came into the year still hurting from the expenses and loss of business from a derecho and hurricane in 2024. Multiple restaurants, including Waffle Bus, told me their insurance didn’t help them because of fine print that disqualified them from a payout. Two weeks closed in the Heights for Waffle Bus meant tens of thousands of lost revenue, not including bills to fix refrigerators and outside signs; that’s where the problems started.

Dry January kicked off the year with what felt like record participation as health-conscious lifestyles gained momentum. Alcohol sales dropped across the industry, a major blow for restaurants where alcohol often drives profit.

At the same time, the widespread use of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic changed consumer habits by curbing appetite and interest in drinking.

Valentine’s Day could’ve helped business, but then the three-week stretch of the rodeo in March halted momentum. It was a tough time for restaurants not near NRG Stadium. Both Riel and Auden shared their business concerns due to the rodeo, despite personally loving the event. Auden closed in April; Riel in August.

April brought the most uncertainty, and the anxiety lingered for months. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on nearly all imports. While some of those plans were later rolled back, the announcement spooked restaurateurs and customers alike.

“The couple days where the stock market dipped like crazy because of the tariffs, we were instantly slower,” said Johnny Cheung, owner of Hong Kong Food Street. “People see the bad news and they either don’t want to go out or they’re worried so they don’t want to spend money.”

Cheung saw prices from vendors rise by 10 percent overnight. The impact varied by cuisine and sourcing, but food costs were one of the most persistent issues I heard about all year. Eggs and beef were particularly affected.

Food prices have been high and rising since the pandemic, and owners told me they rarely come back down. When costs rise, menu prices follow. But recently, restaurants have hit a ceiling. A James Beard Foundation survey found that restaurants raising prices by 15 percent or more in 2024 experienced declining profits, fewer customers and poorer perception of overall performance. If costs keep climbing and prices can’t, restaurants bleed money. That can only go on for so long.

Rent was another pressure point. Landlords are asking for more, and many restaurants without deep-pocketed investors can’t sustain it. In the Heights, a 2,500-square-foot space was going for more than $20,000 a month.

New immigration policies also contributed to fewer diners. Andy’s Cafe believes it saw a drop in customers in early summer due to fear of ICE raids; the restaurant is located in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood.

All these issues collided at a time when the number of restaurants had ballooned in recent years. The Texas Restaurant Association confirmed earlier this year the Houston restaurant scene was oversaturated after a surge of openings post-pandemic.

Tariffs, labor shortages due to insane immigration crackdowns, higher insurance costs due to the effects of climate change – boy, what do all of those things have in common? For as great a food town as Houston is, I tend to eat in the same handful of places in my neighborhood. That’s partly because I’m not that adventurous palate-wise and partly because I don’t want to do more driving than I have to, but mostly because I want to help keep those places in business in my neighborhood, because they make my neighborhood a better place. Maybe when I’m retired and have more free time I’ll roam around more. But for now at least, I’m just trying to help maintain the character of my neighborhood.

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dallas and Williamson forced to abandon voting centers for Primary Day

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this.

In an about-face, Dallas County Republicans last week decided against hand-counting ballots in Texas’ March primary, saying they weren’t able to line up enough workers, among other hurdles.

That leaves just two counties where Republicans will hand-count their primary ballots: Gillespie County, west of Austin, and Eastland County, southwest of Fort Worth.

But Republicans in Dallas and Williamson counties are planning another major change for the March 3 primary election that will also require more election workers, and will affect how voters cast their ballots: They intend to eliminate the use of countywide voting sites on Election Day.

That means voters in these counties — Republicans and Democrats — would be required to cast ballots at assigned neighborhood polling places instead of at more centralized polling locations that can accommodate any voter from anywhere in the county.

Under state law, the parties have wide authority to decide how to run their primaries, but they must agree on whether to use countywide voting. If the Republicans don’t want to offer it, Democrats can’t offer it either.

Michelle Evans, the chair of the Williamson County GOP, said that having voters cast ballots at their assigned polling location brings “a higher level of confidence that the people that are coming in are people that are registered voters in that area, because that is their community.”

Democrats in those counties say they’re struggling to find enough locations to support neighborhood-level voting. “We don’t even have all the locations locked down,” said Kim Gilby, the Democratic Party chair in Williamson County. “To me, this is going to be a nightmare.”

Democrats also worry the change will confuse voters from both parties who have for years been used to countywide sites on Election Day. The move, they say, could potentially disenfranchise voters who go to the wrong location and aren’t able to cast a ballot.

In response to questions, Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Allen West said all voters receive registration cards that list their precinct. “I would hate to believe that we have devolved to a point where we feel the voting electorate is too incompetent to read their own voter registration card,” West told Votebeat in a text message.

See here for some background. My three things:

1. It really doesn’t sit right with me that one party gets to change the norm of voting centers that are used all throughout early voting just for Primary Day, while the other party has to accept it. I say there should be more of a burden on the party that wants to break the norm in that fashion, maybe by bearing more of the cost or by having to run that election separately. I don’t know what the best approach is, but it shouldn’t be that easy to make the other guys do it your special way on that one day.

And on a side note, to address the idiot Allen West’s ridiculous justification and as someone who remembers when voting was all precinct-based, what made it confusing was precisely that you didn’t know going in whether your precinct location would be where you’d vote. That’s because due to reasons such as turnout, cost, and variable demand depending on your location – even in a contested Presidential primary, there are only going to be so many Republicans voting in, say, Acres Homes, and only so many Democrats in Baytown – your actual location might have been consolidated with one or more other precincts. It was on you to look it up and figure out where you actually voted. Sure it’s not that hard to do, but it did always confuse some people. Some of those confused people, who may end up not getting to vote or voting in the wrong place as a result, will be Republicans.

2. The strategy for Dallas and Williamson County Democrats really has to be “Vote Early”. Vote early, vote early, vote early, because you can still vote wherever you want, wherever is most convenient for you. (Again, some of the people who will be voting on Primary Day for whom it would have been easier and more convenient to vote near where they work or on their way to or from work or where they’re picking their kids up or who knows what, will be Republicans. Does no one making this decision in Dallas or Williamson care about that?) The goal should be to get at least 80% of the vote to turn out early, to minimize the risk of votes getting lost.

3. And Harris County and Travis County and Bexar County and everywhere else, start thinking about how you would handle it if the GOP in your town tries this in 2028. Because unless the Lege takes action to discourage this – which they won’t – then you have no power to stop them if they’re hell-bent on it. You know what the risk is now. You’ll be able to learn from Dallas and WilCo’s experiences. Use that time wisely, just in case.

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San Antonio to install rainbow sidewalks

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t have rainbow crosswalks, so this will have to do.

Photo: Sanford Nowlin

The City of San Antonio has started preparing the sidewalks on N. Main Avenue to be painted in rainbow colors.

The decision comes after the city was forced to remove a rainbow crosswalk at Evergreen and Main by the Texas Department of Transportation. The directive came from Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to eliminate what he calls symbols of “political ideologies.”

Contractors began blocking off two blocks of sidewalk in front of some of the city’s LGBTQ+ bars along Main between Laurel St. and Park Avenue this week. The project is expected to last into February and cost around $170,000 for the installation. Removal of the Rainbow Crosswalk will start around Monday, Jan. 12.

In a memo to the San Antonio City Council, City Manager Erik Walsh said the project was being funded by existing money within the city’s public works department. Since the city is using a contractor previously approved by the council, a further council vote is not needed.

“The intersection will first be resurfaced, which includes the removal of the existing crosswalk, followed by the installation of a standard black-and-white crosswalk in accordance with City of San Antonio specifications which conform to TxDOT Pavement Marking Standards,” the memo said. “Prior to the resurfacing, pieces of the rainbow-colored crosswalks will be saved for possible future art installations.”

The rainbow crosswalk was installed in 2018 with about $19,0000 of donated funds collected by Pride San Antonio, the organizer of the city’s pride parade. Pride San Antonio had also raised the funding for regular cleanings. The crosswalk has been replaced at least once after a portion was damaged during an underground pipe repair by the San Antonio Water System last year.

The crosswalk has served as a defining marker for what is now recognized as the Pride Cultural Heritage District by the city as of last June. It’s been the site of many of San Antonio’s LGBTQIA establishments.

District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said she was “sad” to see the removal of the crosswalk but is “encouraged” that the city worked with the council to ensure pride is still shown.

“I love that the design created with input from the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board features the modern Pride flag, helping ensure that the Pride Cultural Heritage District remains a vital and inclusive space in our city,” she said.

Ben Harrell, the District 1 appointee on the city’s LGBTQIA Advisory Commission told TPR on Wednesday that although the LGBT community is losing the crosswalk, the addition of the sidewalks is a win.

“The state handed us an impossible situation here, and I think what the city is doing now with the rainbow sidewalks is the best of a bad situation, and in some ways it’s even better, because we’re going from having a single crosswalk to four city blocks of rainbow sidewalks,” he said. “It’s more gay and obnoxious than ever.”

I like the sound of that. San Antonio lost its appeal of the order to de-rainbow itself, and the sidewalk idea was floated shortly thereafter. As there’s no state or federal funding at risk for sidewalks, that was considered to be the best workaround. I appreciate that the city has refused to take this nonsense lying down. May the rainbow sidewalks be a bridge to the next time we have a sane and functional government again and can get back to where we ought to be. The San Antonio Report and the Current have more.

UPDATE: Hold on there a minute.

Talk about strange bedfellows.

The city’s plan to install rainbow sidewalks in the heart of its queer nightlife district is on hold after Pride San Antonio, organizer of the Pride Bigger Than Texas Parade, and the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum (TCLF), a group known for supporting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, sued over the project’s funding.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Bexar County District Court, the two groups accuse the city unlawfully allocating $170,000 in taxpayer money to remove the crosswalks and paint the sidewalks in the city’s Pride Cultural Heritage District. Pride San Antonio had raised the funds to install the rainbow crosswalk seven years ago.

The suit asserts that city officials have deprived the plaintiffs and residents to have the plans “deliberated in a public forum, have their elected representatives take a public vote on same, and hold them accountable (or at least know where they stand. Instead, the City has hatched a cockamamie plan to summarily circumvent the entire legislative process and unilaterally expended large sums of taxpayers’ money.”

You can read on for Pride San Antonio’s (weak) justification for winding up in the sack with the TCLF. All I know is there isn’t enough soap in the world to make me feel clean after that experience, but hey, you do you. Hopefully this will be dispensed with quickly.

UPDATE: Never mind.

A Bexar County judge on Friday denied a lawsuit that sought to temporarily block the City of San Antonio from installing rainbow-themed sidewalk art and removing the rainbow crosswalks in the city’s Pride Cultural Heritage District.

After a preliminary hearing, Judge Christine Vasquez-Hortick of the 225th District Court denied a request from plaintiffs — including Pride San Antonio and the Texas Conservative Liberty Forum — for a temporary restraining order that would have paused the city’s plans.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, argued the city lacked authority to proceed without additional City Council approval, asserting that Public Works funds may not be used for what plaintiffs described as expressive or artistic projects rather than construction, maintenance or repair.

“If you do not approve the temporary restraining order today, the rainbow crosswalk at Main and Evergreen will be destroyed on Monday,” Attorney Justin P. Nichols, representing the plaintiffs, told the judge.

City attorneys countered that Public Works is authorized to proceed through appropriations already approved in the FY 2026 budget and through existing task-order contracts, and that no separate council action was required.

City officials also said they must bring the crosswalks into compliance after the Texas Department of Transportation determined the markings do not meet state standards. Failure to act, they said, could put roughly $80 million in transportation funding tied to about 20 projects at risk.

“Everyone in this room might agree that this is a functional crosswalk,” Bonnie Kirkland an attorney retained by the city said. “The state has said it’s not, and we have to bring it into compliance.”

Vasquez-Hortick said she did not find evidence the city violated a statute, ordinance or funding requirement by proceeding under its existing budget authority.

“Based on what I have in front of me today, I don’t see that there was any additional requirement that the City of San Antonio needed to comply with that they did not,” she said. “So I respectfully deny your request.”

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In denying the request, Vasquez-Hortick said the court’s role was limited to determining whether the plaintiffs identified a specific legal requirement the city failed to weigh in on the political merits of the situation.

“This is a political mess that’s been brought into this city,” she said. “But it is not the job of this court or any other court to involve itself in political issues.”

After the ruling, the plaintiffs’ attorney Nichols said he respected the judge’s decision and that it remained to be seen whether his clients would pursue further legal action.

Nichols said the denial of the temporary restraining order does not necessarily end the case, noting plaintiffs could still request a temporary injunction hearing with additional notice. But he acknowledged the timeline may limit those options as the city moves forward with its plans.

That certainly counts as a quick dispensation. The work will nonetheless be paused for a couple of days because two Council members had also raised questions about the funding source, and there will be a briefing to Council before it begins.

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Who wants to take a “luxury commuter van” ride?

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno.

Houstonians now have a new way to hop between cities, and it comes with Wi-Fi, leather seats, and a guaranteed Buc-ee’s stop. On November 17, mobility startup Shutto launched its luxury van service connecting San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, offering travelers a more comfortable alternative to flying or long-haul rideshare.

Bookings are now available Monday through Saturday with departure times in the morning and evening. One-way fares range from $47-$87, positioning Shutto in a similar lane to Dallas-based Vonlane, which also offers routes from Houston to Austin and San Antonio.

Unlike other regional transit options, Shutto builds Texas road-trip culture into every journey. Each route includes a pit stop at Buc-ee’s so riders can stock up on kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, and drinks.

[…]

Shutto enters the market at a time when highway congestion is a hotter topic than ever. With high-speed rail still years in the future, its model aims to provide fast, predictable service at commuter prices. The startup touts an on-time departure guarantee and a relaxed ride. Only 12 passengers fit inside each Mercedes Sprinter van.

Beyond the scheduled routes, Shutto offers private, customizable trips anywhere in the country, a service the company expects will appeal to corporate retreat planners, wedding parties, and tourists wanting to make a day of crawling Hill Country wineries and breweries.

That last paragraph sounds like the more promising angle to me. On the plus side, you’re not driving, and those vans do look nice. But it’s not any faster than driving, and you’ll still get stuck in traffic, and those prices are similar to a Southwest flight. For sure, Greyhound or Megabus would be far cheaper, though obviously not as plush. I’m still mad that Texas Central hasn’t laid any tracks yet, but that and $47-$87 will get me a ride on Shutto, so.

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Judicial Q&A: Ebony Williams

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in March. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic primary candidates, including links to the interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Ebony Williams

1. Who are you and what are you running for?

My name is Ebony Williams and I am running for Judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law #2.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

This particular court hears a broad range of civil matters such as civil cases involving monetary disputes within the court’s statutory jurisdictional limits. Examples would be contract disputes, personal injury cases, and property-related claims. Other matters would include but are not limited to landlord tenant matters, evictions, cases involving collections, and injunctions and writs as authorized by law.

3. Why are you running for this particular bench?

I chose this particular bench because it was one of the 4 civil court at law benches that were up for re-election and I knew that I wanted to seek a civil judicial bench in 2026.

4. What are your qualifications for this job?

My qualifications for this job are simple but effective, I have been a licensed attorney for over 14 years and I have practiced law all over the state of Texas handling various matters. My legal experience includes personal injury related matters, family law matters, mediations, just to name a few.

5. Why is this race important?

This race is very important because this Court directly affects the everyday lives of thousands of Harris County residents. The decisions made in civil courts have immediate and long-lasting consequences for families, small businesses, renters, and homeowners across this county.

This court is where people come during some of the most stressful moments of their lives, when they may be facing the loss of housing, financial hardship, or legal uncertainty. How those cases are managed matters.

6. Why should people vote for you in March?

People should vote for me because I know I will bring the right combination of experience, fairness, efficiency, and respect for the community to a court that impacts the daily lives of Harris county residents. I understand why civil courts are needed and necessary and the role they play during moments of uncertainty and stress. I am committed to running an efficient courtroom so cases can be heard in a timely manner giving every litigant the fair opportunity to be heard. Kindness and accountability can exist on the bench, the law will be applied consistently and fairly with impartiality while treating everyone who appears in my courtroom with dignity and respect.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Jim Kovach, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 2
Jimmie L. J. Brown, Jr, 270th Civil District Court

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fombonne named County Attorney

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

White smoke emerges from the chamber of Commissioners Court.

Jonathan Fombonne

Jonathan Fombonne, first assistant county attorney to Christian Menefee, was named Harris County attorney Thursday.

The appointment came more than nine months after Menefee technically resigned to run for Congressional District 18. Fombonne has served as Menefee’s right-hand man since February 2021. Before joining the county attorney’s office, Fombonne was a partner at Kirkland and Ellis, LLP, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation, according to his LinkedIn.

“Thank you for the trust you placed me. I appreciate the vote of confidence and the chance to serve as Harris County attorney. I’m grateful for it. I take this job very seriously,” Fombonne said. “I see the county attorney’s job as being a practical partner to this court, helping you understand the legal landscape, finding solutions to legal problems, raising issues when we need to and staying out of the way when we don’t.”

Fombonne will lead the office until voters elect a new county attorney in November. Menefee, who was first Black Harris County attorney and the youngest person elected to the position, was first elected in 2020 and again in 2024. Whoever voters choose to succeed him in November will occupy the office for the remainder of his term before another election is held in 2028.

Menefee is currently gearing up for a runoff against Amanda Edwards for CD 18. The election is scheduled for Jan. 31, with early voting from Jan. 21 to Jan. 27.

Although he technically resigned in March, he remained in the position as a “holdover” — an elected official who, despite resigning, continues to hold office as officials search for a replacement — until Fombonne’s appointment Thursday. The holdover provision was included in Texas’ 1876 Constitution, and provided a carve-out intended to prevent vacancies from disrupting government services and functions.

We’ve been expecting an appointment for awhile. There had been a debate about whether to name a caretaker, who would not run for a full term, or essentially tab a successor who would. Fombonne is the former, and his name had been mentioned for that role more or less since Menefee announced his candidacy. He’s the logical choice, as Menefee’s top lieutenant. I have every faith he’ll do a good job, and perhaps he’ll stay on in that role for the next County Attorney. Congratulations to Jonathan Fombonne, and kudos to Christian Menefee for all the good work he did in that office. A pair of press releases, one from the County Attorney’s office and one from Christian Menefee, are beneath the fold, and Houston Public Media has more.

Continue reading →

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So when will Ken Paxton sue Grok?

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This year sure is off to a strong start.

We’re now into the first full week of January, and not only are Grok users still able to manipulate the bot into generating inappropriate images of minors, but many of the offending deepfakes are reportedly still live, even though some Grok enthusiasts have had their accounts suspended. Musk and his supplicants continue to celebrate “record engagement” and blithely promote the generative A.I. bot and its newest update, Grok Imagine, with little to no acknowledgement of the persistent masses of deepfaked pornography and child sexual abuse images. Musk has even encouraged his fans to add Grok to “your friends and family’s phones.” (Whether these friends and family are of appropriate ages or have the stomachs for such deluges of repellent visuals was left unclear.) Independent sites like Copyleaks are now digging into the prompts responsible for the output. Ashley St. Clair, the conservative influencer who claims to have mothered one of Musk’s many children, was also caught up in the deepfake spree and is reportedly considering taking legal action on behalf of herself and other affected users.

Most galling, however, may be the cowardice of the countries that fancy themselves opponents of child sexual abuse material yet have little or nothing to say about Grok’s “undressing.” The U.S. government, with which xAI has a contract, signed a sweeping, controversial bill in May that will soon require social media platforms to immediately take down nonconsensual deepfake pornography (as well as anything “reported” as such); so far, no agencies have commented upon the ongoing Grok incidents. In the United Kingdom, which added yet more liabilities for social platforms that spread nonconsensual sexual material, the ruling ministers have mostly demurred, only mentioning on Monday that they had made “urgent contact” with X. (This is not dissimilar to what happened last summer, when U.K. leaders refused to take any action after Grok went on a streak of “MechaHitler” Nazi rants. Those types of posts are still happening, too, by the way.)

Other nations, including France and India, are demanding answers from X leadership, while the European Commission announced Monday that it condemned Grok’s “spicy mode” generations and was “very seriously looking” into taking further enforcement steps against xAI, in a follow-up to the multimillion-dollar fine it issued to the company last month over violations of the European Union’s Digital Services Act.

But it’s not just that the U.S. and U.K.’s foot-dragging compares unfavorably with these countries’ statements—it’s that both superpowers have made a big show of forcing digital communities to add “safety measures,” from invasive age-verification gates to beefed-up moderation teams, for the ostensible sake of child safety. Yet at this moment, when an app that both governments use has devolved into a web-leading source of A.I.-deepfaked and nonconsensual porn, the Americans and Brits are keeping dangerously mum.

Late last year, U.S. lawmakers at both the state and federal level thought it would be a swell idea to try to fast-track bills that could collectively obliterate freedom of expression online: banning virtual private networks, sunsetting Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passing a “Kids Online Safety Act” that conservative activists have already promised to weaponize against online statements of LGBTQ+ support and abortion-rights advocacy. All of it was, naturally, framed as necessary for saving the children from mature and inappropriate detritus—by forcing them away from the net via unsafe collection of identifying information and strict restrictions on any website that primarily features user-generated content (including social networks much, much smaller than Facebook or X). Critics have pointed out, repeatedly, that these laws will do nothing to save underage users from exploitation and will instead criminalize a lot of stuff that isn’t child sexual abuse material.

One would think these lawmakers should know to expect more of this in the coming year. Grok is the same tool, remember, that has generated fake nude “pictures” of Taylor Swift, sexualized teenage TikTok creators, and offered detailed instructions for hunting other users down as well as sexually assaulting them. (Notably, one of Musk’s first moves after purchasing Twitter in 2022 was to sideline advisers who were experts on child sexual abuse imagery.)

Paxton has shown little hesitation in suing adult websites under a new Texas law that has since been upheld by SCOTUS. One could certainly argue that Twitter and Grok don’t count as “porn” sites, but there are now plenty of examples on Twitter because of Grok that would argue otherwise. And this is the most harmful and objectionable stuff out there, which Elon Musk as the owner of Twitter took direct and affirmative steps to make happen. Even just a “cease and desist” letter would be a lot more than what we’re doing now, which is nothing.

I mean, it’s his choice. Paxton’s gonna do what Paxton’s gonna do, and cravenly overlooking the offenses committed by his pals is in his wheelhouse. I’m just saying, this should be added to the long list of things that Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski attack him for. For that matter, any Dem running for any office in Texas is welcome to make the same attacks on their opponents, all of whom I’m sure would not like to address questions such as “so what is Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick et al going to do about this?” It’s right there, y’all. Daily Kos has more.

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Judicial Q&A: Jimmie Brown

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in March. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic primary candidates, including links to the interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Jimmie Brown

1. Who are you and in which court do you preside?

My name is Jimmie L. J. Brown, Jr.

I am an African-American Male. I am an attorney, licensed since Nov. 2, 1984.

I am the married to LaRita V. Lockhart-Brown, the father of two children, Jimmie L. Brown, III and Calena J. Brown-Abel, and proud father-in-law of Robert Abel.

Website: www.jbrownforjudge.com

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

Primarily civil.
District courts are the primary trial courts in Texas. Usually, the civil cases involve substantial monetary claims and legal complexities.

District courts handle Land Title Disputes – cases involving disputes over land titles are also under the jurisdiction of district courts, making them essential for resolving property-related conflicts.

District courts handle Election Contests – cases related to election contests, which may arise from disputes over election results or procedures.

The 270th Judicial District Courts handles significant civil litigation and the Judges oversees complex cases and plays a critical role in shaping Texas civil law through his/her rulings.

Texas district courts play a crucial role in the state's judicial system, handling a diverse array of cases and ensuring that justice is administered at the trial level.

3. Why are you running for this particular bench?

a. The role of a civil judge is to be an impartial gatekeeper of justice, applying the law to resolve disputes and ensure a fair process for all parties.

b. I believe that I have the experience, temperament, patience, skills, work ethic and organizational skills to manage the duties of managing the court, its docket, the cases that come before it and to uphold the central purpose of the law.

c. I was asked to run by practicing attorneys who have appeared before the present incumbent. I have been endorsed by CLEAT, the bailiffs who serve in her court and have been encouraged to run by court staff.

d. The rules of the court, under the present incumbent do not assist in the orderly and economic resolution and/or trial of a case.

1. Motion for Continuance

The outright suspension of motions for continuance simply makes no sense. A motion for continuance is a request to postpone or delay a case that has been set for hearing or trial.

This local rule complicates the practice of law for the attorneys and parties in the 270th Judicial District Court.

2. Virtual Docket/Trial

The requirement that (a) that pretrial conference be conducted on the day of trial and (b) that attorneys, parties and witnesses be available for trial with three (3) hours’ notice is unreasonable and denies due process and a fair trial.

The purpose of pretrial conference is to address (a) trail setting/scheduling, (b) trial motions regarding exhibits and witnesses and (c) pre-trial motions – all to afford the manner in which trial will be conducted.

The attorneys need to know – well before trial – what evidence is admissible, what witnesses will be allowed to testify and the availability and scheduling of witnesses, as well as use of deposition testimony and business records.

Three-hour notice is simply not sufficient for attorneys to travel and get ready for trial.

e. In light of the above, the incumbent, as cited in the latest Houston Bar Association (2025 Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire Results) is rated as 72.9% needs improvement – as rated below:

Dedra Davis – 214 Responses
Overall rating
Excellent 9.3% 20
Very Good 4.7% 10
Satisfactory 9.3% 20
Needs Improvement 72.9% 156
No Opinion 3.7% 8

4. What are your qualifications for this job?

(i) I graduated from UCSD in 1980. I was admitted to Thurgood Marshall School of Law, TSU in 1981 and graduated June 1984.

(ii) I successfully passed the Texas Bar Exam on Nov. 2, 1984.

(iii) I have practiced law for over 42 years:

* In law school, I joined the United States Naval Reserves as a Judge Advocate General (JAGC)and served from 1984 until 1988. Thereafter I joined the Naval Reserves and retired at the rank of Commander June 2021 – serving over 20 years.

* While serving in the Navy, I performed the duties: Summary Court Martial Officer, Administrative Board – Government Counsel, Naval Legal Service Office, Assistant Claims Officer, Reviewed Tort Claims pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act (e.g., Medical Malpractice, Slip and Falls, Air Mishap, Motor Vehicle Accident, etc.), Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, Defense Counsel, Staff Legal Attorney, Command Services Attorney, Performed legal investigations, court-martials, and wrote reports, First Lieutenant – Admin/Services Officer (Mobilization Team), Admiralty Attorney , VTU LAW NRC Austin – Executive Officer; and VTU LAW NRC Austin – Commanding Officer; Inactive Ready Reserve.

* In my civilian life, I have worked as Assistant Texas Attorney General – Child Support Enforcement – Lead Attorney, Supervise 3, civil litigation/family law; Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern Division United States Justice Department, Beaumont, Texas – Criminal Law Division/White Collar Crime; Texas Rail Road Commission, Administrative Hearings Officer/Transportation Division – Hearings Officer/Administrative Law Judge and Texas Department of Insurance, Section Chief Agent Activities, over saw the enforcement of Texas Statutes regarding the activities of insurance agents and insurance fraud in the State of Texas; supervised – 28.

* My legal experience over 42 years includes over 300+ hearings and trials, as well as approximately 15 appeals. While practicing as a general practitioner, I litigated and performed services in Business Litigation, Property, Civil Litigation, Civil Right Litigation (Title VII, ' 1983), Consumer Law, Family Law Litigation; and Appellate – Brief and Oral Argument.

5. Why is this race important?

Who the Judge is for the 270th Judicial District Court is important. At present, it is the court’s that are holding firm – albeit not consistently – our democracy. In Texas, the role of the court/judicial system is to uphold the Constitution and laws impartially, meaning they must apply the law fairly to everyone, without bias, personal views, or outside pressure (like politics or public opinion) influencing their decisions, ensuring due process and trust in the judicial system.

Currently, Texas is continuing and attempting to bring pressure, redistricting and amending the Texas Constitution to create additional judicial review, inserting politics or public opinion to influence judicial decisions, and under the guise of legislative law, shading due process and degrading trust in the judicial system.

A judge must follow just law and have the courage, notwithstanding outside pressure (like politics or public opinion), not to and to render the decision that stare decisis, legal training, justice and integrity require.

The decision to elect competent and civic minded judges in Texas has an important advantage:

Direct Democracy: Electing judges allows voters to have a direct voice in selecting their judges, potentially leading to more responsive and accountable judicial decisions.

Diversity: Judges elected in partisan elections are more likely to come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, ensuring a more diverse and representative judiciary.

Accountability: The election process holds judges accountable to the public, as they must run for office and convince voters of their qualifications The judicial system's structure and function are essential for the proper functioning of the state government and the protection of the rights of its citizens and having the right judge, with the requisite experience and training to ensure an ordered and stable society by establishing standards of conduct, maintaining order, protecting individual rights and liberties, and resolving disputes through a system of justice protecting society, cities, county and State and protecting the people from an oppressive entity, society, city, county and State.

6. Why should people vote for you in March?

By early voting and voting on March 3, 2026, people should vote for me because:

a. I am the better person for Judge for the 270 th Judicial District Court.

b. I have gained valuable courtroom and leadership experience.

c. I am temperate and judicial in nature.

d. I believe in both judicial restraint and activism. Activism is necessary when the government has overreached. A judge must have the courage not to follow an unjust law and to hold and declare the law unjust. The more conservative approach is to disfavor judicial activism when those benefitting from the law are oppressing the disenfranchised, poor and powerless. Judicial activism is a judicial philosophy where judges are more willing to decide constitutional issues and invalidate legislative or executive actions. It involves courts going beyond the applicable law to consider broader societal implications of their decisions. This approach contrasts with judicial restraint, which emphasizes adherence to precedent and a reluctance to reinterpret the law. Unjust law is not justice, rather it is an affront to justice.

e. I believe a judge must be impartial and decide cases based solely on the facts and relevant law, free from political pressure, personal bias, or prejudice based on characteristics like race, gender, or religion, while ensuring that that law is impartial as political pressure, political bias, or prejudice based on characteristics like race, gender, or religion.

f. I believe that honesty and integrity are central to judicial conduct. A judge must not only be honest but must also be perceived as honest to maintain public confidence.

g. I believe in judicial integrity. While judicial codes require judges to uphold the integrity of the judiciary by maintaining high standards of conduct both inside and outside the courtroom, this must not only be in word but by deed.

h. In my 42 years, I have learned that a judge has a broader role, to include managing the proceedings, being mindful of the role as a "gatekeeper" of the legal process by overseeing all aspects of a case, from pretrial motions to hearings, to ensure procedures are followed and trials are conducted fairly.

i. I promise to protect due process, and to ensure that all individuals are afforded due process, meaning they each have a fair opportunity to be heard and have their legal rights protected.

j. I will work to reduce the judicial backlog – but not to sacrifice justice and fairness for judicial economy.

Vote Brown this time around.

PREVIOUSLY:

Judge Jim Kovach, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 2

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Drainage, demolition, what’s the difference?

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all vibes, man.

Mayor John Whitmire

Houston officials on Wednesday authorized an eyebrow-raising deal allowing $30 million to be spent from the city’s stormwater fund to demolish blighted buildings.

Council Members Edward Pollard, Sallie Alcorn, Abbie Kamin, Tiffany D. Thomas, Mario Castillo, Julian Ramirez and Alejandra Salinas voted in opposition. Council Member Tarsha Jackson was absent.

The legality of the funding request has been questioned since the ask first appeared on a council agenda in December. The city’s $166.6 million stormwater fund is made up of drainage charges, combined utility charges and property and sales taxes, and is earmarked for projects that help improve Houston’s drainage and stormwater systems.

Whitmire and his team have said it’s necessary to use the funds to deal with the city’s ongoing problem with dangerous buildings, adding that the fund had been used for demolition before. The city’s dangerous buildings directly led to complications with stormwater and drainage since the lots are often the sites of illegal dumping, they say.

The $30 million allocation will help demolish 343 of the 2,300 dangerous buildings logged in the city’s system. The building must meet criteria to affirm that they impede the city’s stormwater system, officials say.

Controller Chris Hollins has argued that using the fund to demolish buildings is illegal.

During a tense financial report Wednesday, Hollins said this isn’t a general-purpose fund or a backstop for code enforcement.

“Crossing those boundaries is not creativity,” Hollins said. “It’s breaking the rules.”

Illegal dumping is happening regardless of whether a building was blighted or not, Hollins said. He told the council he had consulted with former mayors, former controllers and attorneys who affirmed the fund hadn’t been used this way previously and that this use didn’t pass the smell test.

“At moments like this, leadership requires someone to tell the truth, and the truth today is that this action is not allowed,” Hollins said.

City Attorney Arturo Michel said the move was legal. He said controller has not specified where city legal’s argument could be flawed and noted the line item in the stormwater fund to demolish buildings using the $30 million was in this year’s budget, which Hollins certified.

[…]

Michel added Wednesday a court would find the fund usage legal, and that the term “maintenance” is unambiguous.

“We have here the factual underpinning that if you’re going to show that it can impede or block our stormwater system, I think it falls clearly within that definition,” Michel said. “I’m confident a court would uphold this.”

Well, we’re likely to find out, given the previous fight over how the Renew Houston funding source was used. That usage was also a stretch, and it was geared more towards transportation infrastructure. Which I generally supported, to be clear, on the grounds that I thought it was a worthwhile use of the money and I also think revenue caps are stupid and should be circumvented at any opportunity. I suppose the good news here is that based on that past history, it could be a decade or more before the bill for this, um, “creative” usage comes due.

I’m also an advocate for finding new revenue, which Whitmire has stubbornly refused to do before this action. Which I think is wrong-headed and long-term unhelpful, but that’s been his way. Good thing he’s so transparent about how the money is being spent.

Even though Whitmire has been a staunch advocate of transparency with the city’s spending, he said that residents wouldn’t care where the money came from to tear down buildings as long as the problem was being fixed.

“The public’s not going to question (it). They just want to get it done,” Whitmire said during the December council meeting when the item was introduced. “People I visit with are not going to ask you about which fund. They’re going to ask you, ‘did you demolish these dangerous buildings that are contributing to our drainage?’”

Well, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Or something like that. What do you think is the over/under on how long it takes someone to file a lawsuit over this?

UPDATE: Emily Hynds has more.

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dallas County sues to regain lost federal health funds

Posted on January 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never.

Dallas County, buoyed by a recent Harris County court win, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the clawback of $70 million in public health funds.

Dallas County’s lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5, claims the demand last spring that $11.4 billion in unspent pandemic-era funding be returned to federal coffers was an illegal one. The argument mirrors one made in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of 23 states — all led by Democratic governors — and the District of Columbia, that the rescinding of the unspent money awarded under one president cannot be seized under a different one. The states’ court battle is ongoing.

Texas did not join the states’ lawsuit, despite losing an estimated $700 million.

In Dallas County’s case, the public health department lost $70 million in federal funding funneled through the Texas Department of State Health Services and as a result, the county had to lay off nearly two dozen employees. The sudden loss in funding will cause “significant harm” to Dallas County, the lawsuit states.

“The funding, which Dallas County received through new grant programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, was not limited to the duration of the pandemic and was generally expected to address the effects of the pandemic and prepare Dallas County for future public health crises,” Dallas County’s lawsuit states.

The federal government’s reasoning for the clawback — that the grants are no longer needed because the pandemic had ended — “is based on factors that Congress did not intend

Defendants to consider and improperly assumes without support that the funds were only intended for pandemic-related use,” Dallas County’s lawsuit states.

Dallas County’s case is now before U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, the same judge who last summer ordered the return of $20 million in slashed federal public health funds to Harris County.

See here and here for the background. Harris County, along with numerous other local entities, filed suit in April and got that ruling in June. I don’t know why Dallas didn’t join in at the time, and I don’t know why it took them another six months to hop on the bandwagon, but that’s a question you Dallas folks can ask your county commissioners. It ought to be straightforward from here, so best of luck with it. Any other counties out there that still haven’t acted on this, what in the world are you waiting for?

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Interview with Leticia Gutierrez

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Leticia Gutierrez

There are six candidates running in the new CD09 but a couple of them don’t have any online presence, so in the interest of making this easier and more valuable for all of us, I’ve limited myself to two of them. I may revisit that if one of the other candidates makes it to a runoff, but that’s a question for Future Me. For today, we have a conversation with Leticia Gutierrez, who is the Director of Government Relations and Community Outreach for Air Alliance Houston. She previously ran for City Council under her married name, Leticia Ablaza, and yes I interviewed her back then. A native of Mexico, she is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas with a degree in finance. Here’s what we talked about:

PREVIOUSLY:

Terry Virts – CD09

You can find links to all my interviews and Q&As at the world famous Erik Manning spreadsheet, which has other information about candidates and races. I will run interviews with candidates from CD38 next week, then we’ll get to some Harris County races. Let me know what you think.

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Texas AFT files lawsuit over C*****e K**k investigations

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hell yeah.

One of Texas’ largest teacher unions wants a federal court to block Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the state education agency from investigating teachers accused of making inappropriate remarks about conservative activist C*****e K**k’s assassination on social media, saying the act violates legally protected speech.

A lawsuit the Texas American Federation of Teachers filed Jan. 6 argues that Morath “unleashed a wave of retaliation and disciplinary actions against teachers” when he urged school districts to report “reprehensible and inappropriate” content about K**k’s killing last year.

Texas AFT also wants the court to require that Morath retract his policy calling on school leaders to report any instances of “inappropriate content” related to K**k’s death posted to teachers’ social media accounts. The lawsuit also asks the judge to require that Morath issue new guidance making clear to superintendents that districts do not have to report such conduct to the state if the alleged speech is legally protected.

The Texas Education Agency has dismissed hundreds of complaints or found them unsubstantiated. On Jan. 5, the agency said it was still investigating 95 complaints.

[…]

The union cites the cases of four members who it believes faced unfair disciplinary action for private social media remarks related to K**k’s death. Those actions include termination, being subjected to investigations, or having their employment records negatively marked.

In each of those cases, the teachers faced discipline “solely for their speech, without any regard to whether the posts disrupted school operations in any way,” according to the complaint. The teachers’ comments ranged from criticizing K**k for statements he made about Black Americans to condemning the activist’s stance on immigration, the suit states.

The lawsuit describes Morath’s letter asking superintendents to report inappropriate social media posts as “vague” and “overbroad” because it does not ask school leaders to evaluate such posts’ impact on the school environment.

The lawsuit notes that the letter has led to arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement across districts.

It adds that the education agency did not issue similar letters with respect to teachers who posted about the assassinations of Democratic Minnesota lawmakers Melissa Hortman or John Hoffman. A gunman killed Hortman and her husband at their home last year while wounding Hoffman and his wife at their residence.

“Instead, the TEA appears to mandate investigations only for school personnel voicing criticism of the Commissioner’s preferred political figure,” the lawsuit says.

Numerous Texas AFT members have since deleted their social media posts and accounts. The lawsuit says the latter shows that teachers “remain fearful” about sharing their opinions on matters of public concern if their viewpoints do not align with those of the Texas state government.

Someday I’m going to get tired of observing how the “free speech warriors” have been awfully quiet about this sort of thing – well, except when they’re cheering it on – but today is not that day. I’m just glad to see action being taken here, and I wish everyone who was affected by this hysteria all the best. And no, I’m not going to use that guy’s name on my site. The Chron and TPR have more.

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

First trial over Uvalde law enforcement response to begin

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

First of two, assuming no plea deals or late-in-the-day dismissals.

Former Uvalde schools police Officer Adrian Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive at Robb Elementary in 2022 after a gunman opened fire on students and teachers. Gonzales’ criminal trial — the first over the delayed law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history — is set to begin Monday.

Prosecutors allege that instead of rushing in to confront the shooter, Gonzales failed to take action to protect students. Many families of the 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers who were killed believe that if Gonzales and the nearly 400 officers who responded had confronted the gunman sooner instead of waiting more than an hour, lives might have been saved.

The trial in Corpus Christi is a rare case in which a police officer could be convicted for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives.

[…]

Gonzales was charged with 29 counts of child endangerment for those killed and injured in the May 2022 shooting. The indictment alleges he placed children in “imminent danger” of injury or death by failing to engage, distract or delay the shooter and by not following his active shooter training. The indictment says he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was located.

Each child endangerment count carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison.

State and federal reviews of the shooting cited cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology and questioned why officers from multiple agencies waited so long before confronting and killing the gunman, Salvador Ramos.

Gonzales’ attorney, Nico LaHood, said his client is innocent and public anger over the shooting is being misdirected.

“He was focused on getting children out of that building,” LaHood, said. “He knows where his heart was and what he tried to do for those children.”

Jury selection in Gonzales’ trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 5 in Corpus Christi, about 200 miles southeast of Uvalde. The trial was moved after defense attorneys argued Gonzales could not receive a fair trial in Uvalde.

Gonzales, 52, and former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo are the only officers charged. Arredondo was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. His trial has not been scheduled, and he is also seeking a change of venue.

Prosecutors have not explained why only Gonzales and Arredondo were charged. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment.

I remember Pete Arredondo – I suspect most of us do – but I don’t remember the name Adrian Gonzales, and I don’t see anything in my archives related to him. I guess we’ll learn about him and his role in this together. As the story notes, it is unusual for law enforcement officers to be criminally charged in this fashion, but everything about the Uvalde massacre was weird and upsetting. My guess is that if Gonzales gets off then the charges against Arredondo may get dropped, and if Gonzales gets convicted Arredondo will be very interested in a plea deal. We’ll see.

UPDATE: Opening statements have been made.

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Judicial Q&A: Judge Jim Kovach

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in March. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic primary candidates, including links to the interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.

Judge Jim Kovach

1. Who are you and in which court do you preside?

I am Judge Jim F. Kovach, and I am the presiding Judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 2. I was first elected in 2018.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

We hear civil matters with an amount in controversy of $325,000 or less.

3. What have been your main accomplishments during your time on this bench?

I was the administrative judge my first two years on the bench and converted our filing system to go electronic online and stopped paper files. I also helped institute implicit bias training for court appointments and opened up the special commissioner appointments by having annual training classes.

4. What do you hope to accomplish in your courtroom going forward?

I would like to continue to run the court efficiently and use my 34 yeas of legal experience to help litigants resolve their disputes in an efficient and fair manner.

5. Why is this race important?

County civil court at law no. 2 disposed of over 10,000 cases in 2025. There are many litigants relying on the court to have the experience and proper temperament to effectively handle the high volume of cases in an efficient and fair manner. I handle eviction appeals, homeowner association cases, and creditor/debtor matters. We are a very high volume court.

6. Why should people vote for you in March?

I was recently rated by the Houston Bar Association (lawyers who practice in our courts) as the top judge in the county civil courts at law and the number 3 highest rated judge in all of Harris County. I received an overall rating of excellent by 66.1% of respondents and very good by 16.9% of respondents for a total of 83% of respondents rating me very good or excellent.

I have 34 years of experience as a lawyer including 7 years of being judge of this court. I am well liked by the parties and my reputation is that I am fair, just, efficient, and courteous. I encourage voters to look at my HBA Results as I rated very good or excellent in all categories and to check out my website at www.Kovachforjudge.com.

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Andrew White drops out of Governor’s race, endorses Gina Hinojosa

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting.

Andrew White

Houston businessman Andrew White on Monday dropped his Democratic bid for governor and endorsed state Rep. Gina Hinojosa to take on Gov. Greg Abbott in November.

“With the primary just weeks away, the responsible choice is to come together to defeat Greg Abbott and protect our schools, hospitals and infrastructure,” White said in a statement. “I’m proud to endorse Gina Hinojosa for governor, and I look forward to voting for her twice: once in March and again in November.”

White, the son of former Texas Gov. Mark White, had pledged to run as an independent-minded Democrat and unite Texans across the political spectrum. His departure leaves Hinojosa, former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell and retired firefighter and rancher Bobby Cole in the race, among others. It also marks White’s second unsuccessful run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, after he lost in a runoff in 2018.

White said in a video on social media that his campaign hadn’t raised enough money to be successful, despite internal polling placing him second in the nine-person race. He had pledged to personally cover the overhead expenses of his campaign.

“Instead of fighting this fight against Gina, I think it’s better for me to step aside and Gina save her resources so she can beat Greg Abbott in November,” he said.

Good on him. That’s not an easy thing to do – it always seems easier for candidates to talk themselves into believing they still have a chance – but he did it. I hope his fundraising challenges were representative of people coalescing around Hinojosa and not of there being no money for Democratic candidates for Governor. I suppose I’ll find out when I start looking at the finance reports.

It should be noted that while White is suspending his campaign, he will still appear on the primary ballot. The deadline to withdraw and have your name not appear on the ballot was December 9. Hopefully enough people will get the message about this so they don’t waste their vote in March. I’ve included statements from candidates Bobby Cole and Chris Bell beneath the fold. The Chron has more.

Continue reading →

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Four fewer contested judicial primaries

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes the fiercest action occurs outside of public view.

Four judicial candidates withdrew from their 2026 election bids after incumbent judges and other Democratic opponents filed lawsuits alleging their candidacy filings contained forged signatures and other irregularities.

Allison Mathis, a candidate for the 180th District Court; Anna Eady, a candidate for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 3; Angela Reese Mckinnon, a candidate for 295th District Court; and Velda Faulkner, running for the 190th District Court, all withdrew from their races last week, Harris County Democratic Party Chair Mike Doyle said.

A judge on Monday ordered the removal of three candidates from the ballot.

While the challenges levied against Faulkner and McKinnon were largely built on procedural issues — including, in Faulkner’s case, failing to list the name of the office she sought on her original filing — those brought against Mathis and Eady alleged the pair’s election filings contained signatures that were “forgeries or fraudulent,” according to Eady’s opponent, defense attorney Carlos Aguayo, in his complaint against the Harris County Democratic Party.

Mathis and Eady used the same circulator to collect signatures to file their candidacy, records show.

Mathis, a criminal defense attorney, stood by the circulator’s work.

“The allegations are unproven, unsubstantiated and I feel like this is an example of why people get disgusted with politics,” Mathis said. “I think when there’s Democratic in-fighting, it gives Republican arm strength to say these elections are unfair and that’s not true.”

Mathis withdrew from the race to avoid potentially exorbitant legal costs in fighting off her primary challenger, Stephanie Morales, in the courts.

“My choice was to start litigating this — I’m not a civil litigator — with an elections law attorney who charges $400 an hour,” said Mathis, who is not a party in the challenge. “The timelines on these are so fast … I would need to get an attorney and start employing them around the clock.”

[…]

Candidates seeking a place on the ballot for judicial positions in major Texas counties, such as Harris and Bexar counties, are required to gather signatures from a minimum of 250 eligible voters in addition to paying a filing fee, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Otherwise, candidates must collect triple that to forgo the filing fee.

Some signature collectors, also known as circulators, for judicial candidates may gather support from people at political party events or from shoppers at grocery stores.

I try to go to events where I know judicial candidates will be gathering petition signatures, because I know what a pain that is. The filing fee is $2500 for candidates in counties with at least 1.5 million people. I’m not sure where the provision is about triple the fee if no petition signatures are gathered, but I can understand why someone would be reluctant to fork over $7500 for the privilege. I can also understand why someone wouldn’t want to take on the legal fees to defend against this kind of challenge. It’s not at all great from a democracy perspective, but here we are anyway.

I’m not sure which of the three candidates out of the four named in this story will no longer appear on the ballot. If the fourth one remains and winds up winning the primary, that would be awkward to say the least. I remain a defender of the judicial election process, certainly against the half-baked proposals that won’t make anything better yet still pop up every cycle, but I feel like there ought to be a better way to get candidates on the ballot than this. As I don’t have a fully-formed proposal that has a snowball’s chance in Lubbock of getting anywhere myself, I’ll leave it here.

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Texas blog roundup for the week of January 5

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes you a better 2026 than whatever 2025 was as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff cheered as Ken Paxton got blocked again from his latest attempt to harass local prosecutors.

SocraticGadfly offered up his fake New Year’s resolutions and wishes for others.

Neil at Houston Democracy Project said there will be two local protests Tuesday, 1/6, to mark 5th anniversary of insurrection attempt. The next protest is when you organize it.

========================

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

The Texas Observer rounded up its most read stories from 2025.

Law Dork pushed back on a dumb narrative about SCOTUS criticism.

Your Local Epidemiologist found twenty public health wins from 2025.

The Barbed Wire has a measured view of New Year’s resolutions.

The Dallas Observer reports on a possible new ICE detention facility in Dallas County.

OK Magazine informs us that the Trump wax figure at Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio had to be taken down because too many people were abusing it. This is not a Texas blog but we had to give this a mention, so here we are.

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Interview with Terry Virts

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Terry Virts

It’s January of an even-numbered year, and that means we are off and running for primaries. Believe it or not, we are six weeks (and one day, thanks to Presidents Day) out from the start of early voting for the March 2026 primaries. In between we’ll have the runoff for the special election in what will no longer be CD18, but before and after that it’s all about who’s running for what on the Democratic ballot. We kick things off with Terry Virts, Air Force pilot turned astronaut who switched to CD09 after being one of the first candidates in the Senate race. It’s not every day that I get to talk to an astronaut so of course I had a few questions about that in addition to the usual kind of stuff I ask about in interviews, and you can listen to it all here:

I will feature a different race each week up to the week of early voting. The schedule is still fuzzy right now, in part because I’m still doing interviews, but I’ll let you know as we go. Tomorrow we begin Judicial Q&A season as well. You can keep track of all my interviews and Q&As at the world famous Erik Manning spreadsheet, which has other information about candidates and races. Let me know what you think.

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Council proposal to limit HPD cooperation with ICE fails

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I’m annoyed by this, but it’s not the end of the line.

Letitia Plummer

A City Council proposal that would have given Houston police officers discretion over calling federal immigration officials during traffic stops has officially met its demise.

The policy change was pitched by Council Member Letitia Plummer under Proposition A, a charter amendment that allows any three council members to put forward agenda items as long as they’re legal.

The proposal would have given HPD officers a choice on whether to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials during traffic stops, and would have prevented HPD from holding those they pull over on the side of the road until those federal officials arrived.

Plummer had the backing of Council Member Tarsha Jackson, but still needed one more person to sign on before the item appeared on a council agenda. It also needed approval from the city’s lawyers to make sure it was legal.

Plummer’s proposal came with a stringent timeline – she leaves office in January after filing in the election to replace Lina Hidalgo as Harris County Judge, meaning she needed to forfeit her seat as an at-large council member. Lawyer Alejandra Salinas will be sworn in sometime in January to take over Plummer’s position.

The item could have still made the agenda if the councilmember got the support she needed before she left office, though she would have not been able to participate in discussions as an elected official.

Now, Plummer does not believe the proposal will gain any more traction once she leaves office.

Plummer struggled to get the last signee she needed without a legal opinion after concerns emerged about how it would work with SB4, a state law that requires local law enforcement to comply with immigration enforcement. The city attorney did not immediately return a request for comment on whether Plummer’s proposal passed legal muster.

Plummer said Tuesday she was disappointed at the lack of support she received.

“Being able to redefine the relationship between ICE and HPD would’ve been beneficial,” she said, adding that her intention wasn’t necessarily to get the proposal passed, but to have a public conversation in  a council committee about HPD’s working relationship with ICE.

[…]

Immigration lawyers have questioned the legality of the city’s current policy, saying the prolonging of traffic stops beyond their purpose required the suspicion of a new crime. An ICE warrant, they said, did not provide enough basis.

The story doesn’t mention when now-former CM Plummer put forth this proposal, so I can’t tell if the City Attorney may have dragged his feet or if this was a late addition to the pipeline that just ran out of time. It may also be that the City Attorney didn’t see the need to take action in the absence of a third Council member supporting the proposal, since it wasn’t an official agenda item yet, and it may be that other potential supporters of this were waiting to see what the City Attorney said before being willing to sign on. I’m annoyed, but how much I’m annoyed may vary.

Be all that as it may, there’s no reason why this can’t be picked up again, perhaps by new CM Alejandra Salinas. As far as I know, in the absence of a sponsoring CM leaving Council, there’s no deadline on these things. And if the City Attorney is in fact ducking the question, then find some outside lawyers, or maybe a law professor or two, who could fill in some blanks. This was a good proposal, and unless it’s clear that it would conflict with state law it should be pursued. I will be even more annoyed if this just gets forgotten.

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Hope you’ve had your flu shot

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not too late to get it now.

Flu season is off to a rough start this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the virus arrived as expected, cases are rising faster, compared with previous years.

Last week, more than 19,000 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals, up about 10,000 from the previous week, according to new CDC data. To date, the CDC estimates at least 7.5 million people have been sickened, and over 3,100 people have died from the flu.

The surge seems to be driven primarily by a new strain of the virus — subclade K of influenza A(H3N2) — that emerged in Australia over the summer.

“Anywhere we detect this virus, you can see a large surge of influenza cases coming afterwards,” says Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In the U.S., “the timing is not that much different from other flu seasons, but the number of cases, and how quickly those cases are increasing is something that is not usually seen this time of year.”

New York has been hit especially hard, with state health officials announcing over 71,000 cases last week — the most cases ever recorded in a single week in the state. But other states are seeing high levels of flu activity, particularly in the northeast, midwest and south.

“The map is mostly red,” says Pekosz, indicating high levels of disease that will likely increase over the coming weeks.

“When you’re in the middle of seeing the curve start to go up, we just don’t have any sense of where it’s going to stop,” he says. “That’s the big concern in most of the medical communities right now.”

[…]

There are some concerns that this season’s flu vaccine may not be a perfect match to the new strain, given it emerged after the formulation was decided last February. “I think we’re going to have a mismatch between the strain circulating and the vaccine,” says Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC until he resigned in August. “But the vaccine is still the best protection we have, even if it’s imperfect protection.”

Preliminary data from the United Kingdom, which saw an early surge of flu this year, suggests the vaccine is about 30 to 40% effective at preventing hospitalization in adults. “Those numbers are in line with what you would typically see,” says Krammer, though he stresses those are preliminary estimates.

My wife and I both came down with the flu last year while on a trip. Thankfully, as we are both regular flu shot receivers, it was pretty mild and all it meant was missing out on a couple of days’ worth of sightseeing. I’ve been getting annual flu shots since I was a grad student and that was the first time I think I’d ever had the flu. Anyway, getting the shot is your best bet to reduce your odds of infection and making any case you do get less severe. Your old friend the N-95 or K-95 face mask is also a good strategy if you’re in a crowd. I’d wear a mask if I were going to be flying anywhere right now. Stay well, y’all.

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Weekend link dump for January 4

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

“2026” is definitely a science-fiction year.

“The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back. They were not defending a universal right to freedom of speech; they were defending a right to monologue. They could say what they want, and you could shut up and like it.”

“But what’s been missing from the articles I’ve read about these works is the recognition of Dickens’s central accomplishment: He prodded (and entertained) millions of readers into caring about the poor. Instead of seeing the poor, as Malthus did, as some abstract, seething mass of “surplus population,” Dickens saw them as individuals, engaging enough to merit novels of 700, 800, and 900 pages. He made his readers see them that way too. And that was a revolutionary accomplishment.”

“Experts who once backed ‘shaken baby’ science now fight to free imprisoned caregivers”.

“Without pennies, should retailers round up or down? States offer their 2 cents.”

RIP, Melanie Watson, actor and activist for people with disabilities, best known for a recurring role on Diff’rent Strokes.

Here are your 2025 Golden Dukes winners.

“Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work.”

“Two more artistic groups announced that they have canceled upcoming performances at the Kennedy Center, adding to a growing list of acts that have chosen not to perform at the storied institution after its board of directors announced earlier this month that it would add President Donald Trump’s name to the venue.”

“AI INVENTED A SHITLOAD OF CATS I DON’T OWN”.

RIP, Tatiana Schlossberg, environmental journalist, daughter of Caroline Kennedy, granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, who recently wrote about the rare and aggressive blood cancer that was discovered while she was giving birth to her second child and which did eventually kill her.

“The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2025″. The reviews themselves have a lot of good writing in them. There are links at the end to the lists from previous years, if this wasn’t enough for you.

“Your holiday gift returns might go to a landfill. Here’s what you can do about it”.

Let Bishop Marian Budde be one of our guides for 2026.

“The numbers don’t lie: American viewers like their old TV favorites, and they really like TV they can watch for the nice price of free.”

“I don’t want Katie Miller, who is, again, in the financial position to not have to work for the rest of her life, to have this podcast just to make feminists like me happy. I am okay! I don’t need her to do anything for me. As a long-time feminist, I am thrilled to release her of this burden, and if the thing that would make her happiest would be to stay at home and raise her children, I think that’s exactly what she should do.”

“A team of researchers at Epoch AI, a non-profit research institute, are using open-source intelligence to map the growth of America’s datacenters. The team pores over satellite imagery, building permits, and other local legal documents to build a map of the massive computer filled buildings springing up across the United States. They take that data and turn it into an interactive map that lists their costs, power output, and owners.”

RIP, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, former US Senator from Colorado.

“From high up in the mountains to the deep sea, take a tour across the world to meet five new species discovered in 2025.”

“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart.”

RIP, Victoria Jones, actor and daughter of Tommy Lee Jones.

“In Trump’s mind he owns the country and its power. He won it fair and square in the 2024 election. Everything that stands in the way of that basic premise is an obstacle to be overturned.”

RIP, Diane Crump, first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby.

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An opening statement on the 2026 elections

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be a somewhat long post about the upcoming elections and my coverage of candidates in the primaries. I’ve got some ground to cover, so settle in.

At this time, we have the following elections on the calendar:

January 31: The special election runoff for CD18 between Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards. Early voting will run January 21-27. The special election runoff for SD09 in Tarrant County is on the same schedule. A win by Democrat Taylor Rehmet would be at least a minor earthquake. A close loss would at least portend positive things for the rest of the year.

March 3: Primary Day 2026. Early voting runs from Tuesday, February 17 through Friday, February 27. Monday the 16th is Presidents Day and there is no voting on federal holidays, so we get one fewer day. The 2026 elections calendar is here for your reference.

April 4: Special election day for Houston City Council District C, to fill the vacancy left by the coming departure of CM Abbie Kamin, who is running for Harris County Attorney. As of this writing there are four declared candidates: Nick Hellyar, Joseph Panzarella (these are the only two officially filed candidates as of December 31), Angelica Luna Kaufman, who is the chief of staff for County Judge Lina Hidalgo, and Patrick Oathout, who this article says “works in AI safety”, whatever that means. The filing deadline for this race is February 2. Early voting will most likely run from Wednesday, March 25 through Tuesday, March 31, as that is the normal schedule for a Saturday race. If I’m wrong about that, it will be that early voting starts on Monday the 23rd instead.

May 2: Uniform election date for May. Generally there’s not much in Harris County in May of even-numbered years. Katy ISD looks like the main event to me.

May 26: Primary runoffs. There could be runoffs on the Democratic side for Senate, Governor, and Lite Guv, and here in Harris County for CD18 (again). The Republicans could have a runoff for Senate. Don’t expect things to get quiet after March.

Unknown at this time: The runoff for District C. I guess maybe it could be on May 2? If not, then there could be three May elections, or an election in June. I’ll get back to you on this.

I will begin running candidate interviews and judicial Q&As starting tomorrow. I’ve done interviews for the following races:

CD09
CD29
CD38
HD131
Harris County Judge
Harris County Attorney
HCDP Chair

There’s a big field for Harris County District Clerk, but with that many candidates and only so much one can ask about for that office, I decided to put that off for the runoff. I also chose to not revisit CD18, as I did recent interviews with Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards and I didn’t see the value in covering that ground again. Those interviews are still worth your time to listen to, so please do that. I did not reach out to Rep. Al Green – I made an effort to interview him some years ago, and he declined the opportunity. Had I felt the need to do other interviews for CD18 I’d have tried again but I had enough other stuff to do. I may revisit this one in the runoffs as well.

There are seven races and seven Mondays until early voting starts, so you do the math on the interview schedule. I will start with CD09 and then CD38, and likely the two Harris County races after that. I’ve still got a couple of interviews to do, which is partly why the schedule is still in flux.

I don’t often ask you, my readers, to do things for me, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would share links to any of the forthcoming interviews that interest you. I do these to help people know who they’re voting for, and selfishly sometimes to help me decide who I’ll be voting for, and so I hope to get these out to as wide an audience as possible. Share them however you like – if you follow the Off the Kuff Facebook page, you can share the posts about the interviews from there as well. Whatever you can and are willing to do, I appreciate it.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Get ready to hear from a bunch of candidates, and get ready to vote. Here’s to a good 2026 for us all.

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Harris County Treasurer appears in court

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This wasn’t as straightforward as one might have expected.

Carla Wyatt

A judge on Friday deemed allegations against Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt following her Washington Avenue arrest ambiguous enough to merit a deeper look.

Wyatt, a Democrat elected in 2022, was charged with misdemeanor burglary of a vehicle following her Dec. 27 arrest in the Forget Me Not restaurant parking lot, where employees noticed a woman in a colleague’s vehicle. The vehicle’s owner, who had her keys, did not know Wyatt, a prosecutor, Carina Batista, said.

Restaurant workers saw Wyatt rifling through the vehicle, taking things out and looking for something to steal, Batista said. A security guard confronted Wyatt just before noon as police were called.

The treasurer’s hired attorney, Christopher Downey, countered Wyatt was still in the vehicle, which had been unlocked, when confronted and did not appear poised to steal the car or its contents. Downey and Batista debated the allegations as Wyatt sat in the County Criminal Court at Law No. 4’s gallery, wearing a black suit.

“I guess it’s left to interpretation,” Judge Shannon Baldwin said of the dueling accounts.

The judge ordered both sides to return Jan. 26 for a probable cause hearing to determine whether enough evidence exists for the case to proceed.

Downey conceded that Wyatt showed “some unusual behavior” amid the incident but nothing criminal happened. He declined to elaborate on what was unusual about Wyatt’s behavior as he left the courtroom with the treasurer.

See here for the background. If I’m interpreting this correctly, attorney Downey asserts that Wyatt may have mistaken the car in question for her own and entered it accidentally, with no bad intent. That’s at least a plausible hypothesis, I’m sure many people have tried to get into the wrong car in a parking lot at least once in their lives. I did that myself once, opening the door to a car I thought was mine only to find that there were people I didn’t know already in it. So sure, something like that could have happened, and if she wasn’t rifling through the glove box or trying to hot-wire the car, maybe there’s insufficient evidence to suggest she was anything other than confused. Maybe. Obviously the prosecution sees it differently. Either they’ll produce enough evidence on the 26th to move the case forward, or perhaps there will be a plea or dismissal before then. I’ll keep an eye on it.

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Dallas County Republicans abandon hand count plan

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Some unexpected sanity.

Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press (2022)

After months of laying the groundwork to hand-count thousands of ballots in the March 3 primary, the Dallas County Republican Party announced on Tuesday it has decided not to do so, opting instead to contract with the county elections department to administer the election using voting equipment.

The decision spares the party the pressure it likely would have faced if a hand-count had delayed results beyond the state’s 24-hour reporting requirements in the state’s closely watched GOP primary for U.S. Senate, among other offices.

In a statement posted on social media, Dallas County Republican Party Chair Allen West said he decided to work with the county to “conduct a precinct-based, community, separate Election Day electoral process.” The move, he said, “reduces the liabilities” of the party. “In this case, discretion is the better part of valor.”

The decision reverses months of statements suggesting the party was seriously preparing to count tens of thousands of Election Day ballots by hand — a move that would have affected all Dallas County voters, regardless of party.

[…]

In early December, West said the party had raised more than $400,000 toward a hand-count effort and recruited more than 1,000 workers. But there were still unresolved concerns about staffing, training, security, facilities, and funding, particularly as the Texas Secretary of State’s Office warned counties it may not have enough money to reimburse unusually high primary costs if many jurisdictions choose to hand-count.

Hand-counting would also have required significantly more polling locations and workers than recent primaries. In elections that are hand-counted, Texas law requires ballots to be cast and counted at assigned precincts, and in all elections, the law mandates that counting continue without interruption once polls close. Election workers must be paid at least $12 an hour, and large hand counts can stretch late into the night or beyond.

In an interview on Tuesday, West said the party would need at least 3,000 hand-counters but had recruited fewer than half that number. “We cannot take that risk of not being able to have the appropriate amount of counters because it would put our election judges in an untenable legal position,” he said. “We’ve got 63 days to go — early voting will start the 16th of February.”

See here for the background. It makes no difference to me if Dallas County Republicans want to make fools of themselves, but in this case it would have forced Dallas Democrats to have to abandon voting centers on Primary Day, and that would have sucked. I think – it’s not fully clear from the story – that this is no longer the case. Maybe running into the unforgiving logistics of this will dampen the enthusiasm for this madness a bit, but I wouldn’t count on it. There will need to be an actual flameout, with crippling costs and endless litigation, for the lesson to be learned. So maybe some other time.

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DPS investigating Flock

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

More of an administrative matter than anything else, but potentially with real consequences.

State troopers are investigating the company behind thousands of license plate-reading cameras used by police agencies and private groups across the Houston region, over claims the company operated at various points without required licenses, authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The Texas Department of Public Safety, which issues private security licenses, began scrutinizing Flock Safety’s license in August, officials said. At the time, the license was set to expire in October. Before the expiration, DPS suspended the license because the company did not maintain proof of required liability insurance.

State officials lifted the suspension on Nov. 12 after processing the company’s liability insurance. By then, however, the private security license had expired. DPS did not issue a new license until Dec. 4, when it granted Flock a license valid through Sept. 30, 2026, officials said.

Now, state troopers have opened an investigation into Flock related to broader licensing issues, officials said. From 2019 to 2024, the company operated without a required private investigator license, a lapse that led the state to issue a cease-and-desist letter in 2024. State investigators declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation.

A spokesperson for Flock Safety, in response to earlier questions about whether the company was operating without a license, called the issue an “administrative error” that wouldn’t affect operations moving forward.

When asked about the investigation, Flock officials responded with a statement that didn’t directly address the investigation.

“Flock initiated the required filing to renew this license in July 2025,” officials wrote. “Due to various administrative issues in the review process unrelated to Flock’s operations in the state, the application was not finalized until the first week of December.”

[…]

Officials with the Houston Police Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the state investigation, or whether it had affected how they were using Flock cameras in their investigations.

An earlier Chronicle investigation found police in the region were using the surveillance tool to track the movements of any vehicle, while justifying their work less and less. In a growing number of logs investigators make when using the technology, police aren’t listing a reason for the search.

Some civil rights groups and activists have voiced concern about how the technology stores data and intrudes on peoples’ privacy, given that fact, since it is gathering location data on vehicles that have not been tied to a crime.

“Flock’s lack of a private investigator license presents substantial risk to past, current and future criminal prosecutions across Texas,” argued David Moore, an online activist against Flock cameras. “Evidence collected by Flock … cameras could be adjudicated to be illegally obtained and thus subjected to being excluded via a motion to suppress.”

See here, here, and here for more on Flock and its uses, many of which are nefarious and kept out of the public eye. If they end up getting into hot water because of not maintaining proof of liability insurance it would be both a serious disruption of their “service” and also possibly the least serious way in which they could be brought to heel. It would still be something, and as noted it could end up in a bunch of arrests and convictions being challenged. Always stay on top of your paperwork, kids. We’ll see where this goes.

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