Category Archives: Legal matters

SCOTx advised to leave judicial bypass rules in place

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a pleasant surprise. An advisory committee to the Texas Supreme Court voted unanimously Friday to keep in place a legal procedure that allows minors to get a judge’s approval to have an abortion without the legally necessary parental … Continue reading →

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Watson’s suspension increased to 11 games

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was the result of an agreement between the NFL and Deshaun Watson as represented by the NFLPA. Deshaun Watson’s suspension has been increased from six to 11 games, the league announced Thursday. Watson and NFL reached a settlement where … Continue reading →

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New bail bond rule survives again

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

On to the appeals. A judge rejected a second attempt by a bail bonding business to put an end to a Harris County rule requiring defendants accused of violent offenses to pay a minimum 10 percent fee to secure their release from jail, officials said … Continue reading →

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A long look at the lack of accountability in Uvalde

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

CNN has a very long piece about how there are many investigations going on about the Uvalde massacre but seemingly little to hold anyone accountable for it. Uvalde residents, especially the parents of Robb Elementary children, are increasingly frustrated with … Continue reading →

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GOP seeks to knock Libertarians off the ballot

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They tried this in 2020 with no success, but might be better positioned this year. Texas Republicans have filed a petition to knock 23 Libertarian candidates off the November ballot for not paying their filing fees. On August 8, 23 … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court to review parental consent bypass rules

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good is likely to come of this. The Texas Supreme Court is reconsidering rules that allow Texans under 18 to obtain abortions without parental consent in light of the state’s soon-to-take-effect abortion ban. Chief Justice Nathan Hecht asked an … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson “apologizes”

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As you may infer, I’m not impressed. Deshaun Watson’s best play in his preseason debut with the Cleveland Browns came long before he took the field in Jacksonville. Watson apologized Friday “to all the women I have impacted” after being … Continue reading →

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Goodell thinks Watson should get a year’s suspension

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Well, it’s in the hands of someone he picked to hear the appeal, so. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is seeking a tougher penalty for Deshaun Watson because the quarterback’s actions were “egregious” and “predatory behavior.” Last week, … Continue reading →

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Thou shalt not violate copyright

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s right there in the Commandments. A McAllen church is facing backlash for illegally performing Hamilton with anti-LGBTQ messaging and biblical themes, according to multiple reports. The Door Christian Fellowship Ministries of McAllen changed Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rendition of the musical … Continue reading →

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DPS can keep Uvalde info secret for now

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully not for much longer. A state district judge ruled Wednesday that the Department of Public Safety does not have to turn over records related to the Uvalde school shooting sought by state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who had sued the … Continue reading →

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If “bad apples” are the problem, then shouldn’t getting rid of them be a high priority?

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This San Antonio Report story is about the nine-year saga of the Redus family to get justice for their son Cameron, who was killed by University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) police officer Christopher Carter in 2013 outside Redus’ apartment. … Continue reading →

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Texas Two-Step (TM)

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What a tale. After two years experimenting with an old Persian family technique using grains and raisins, Ali Ansari finally nailed his new vodka recipe. He poured $4 million into building a distillery outside of Houston and branded his drink … Continue reading →

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Buzbee blames the NFL for Watson’s short suspension

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Surely you expected that Tony Buzbee would have something to say about all this. For the first woman to sue former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson —and nearly all those who followed suit — the legal process is over. They settled … Continue reading →

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Multiple cities sue streaming services over franchise fees

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This has been coming for awhile, it seems. A lawsuit filed Thursday by 25 Texas cities claims that Disney, Hulu and Netflix have for years stiffed the cities out of dollars the streaming giants are required to pay under state … Continue reading →

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Most of the lawsuit against the voter suppression law survives a motion to dismiss

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. In a limited order this week, a federal judge threw out some civil rights and discrimination claims brought as part of a complex and ongoing legal dispute over strict new voting rules in Texas. The lawsuit filed last year alleges that the … Continue reading →

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Further thoughts on the Deshaun Watson suspension

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few things I’ve read, to try to understand what happened here. Make of them what you will. Note that I drafted this before the news of the NFL’s appeal. Pro Football Talk: How does Watson, who faced 24 … Continue reading →

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State ordered to turn over voter purge data

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Very good. A federal judge ruled this week that the state is violating U.S. law by refusing to release its list of more than 11,000 registered voters that it identified as potential noncitizens, and ordered the release of the data … Continue reading →

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Law against some new voter registration restrictions is struck down

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

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

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Who audits the auditors?

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A novel idea. Not sure it will get anywhere, but it does send a message. Harris County Commissioners Court, by a 3-2 partisan vote, agreed to explore legal options, including a possible lawsuit, to challenge the results of a random … Continue reading →

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NFL to appeal Watson suspension

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. I did not expect that. The NFL on Wednesday appealed the six-game suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, seeking a tougher penalty for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in the wake of disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson’s … Continue reading →

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News orgs sue DPS over Uvalde info

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same annoying story, part whatever. Getting public records about this tragedy shouldn’t be this hard to do. More than a dozen news organizations filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, accusing the agency of unlawfully … Continue reading →

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Redistricting plaintiffs get a win on discovery

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

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

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Deshaun Watson suspended for six games

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Feels light to me. And not just to me. Months after trading six draft picks and committing a fully guaranteed $230 million to land Deshaun Watson from the Texans, the Browns have lost their star quarterback for the first six … Continue reading →

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TxDOT sued over its enviromental impact assessments

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. After college, Michael Moritz got a job in Houston analyzing fatal car crashes. Moritz, a 27-year-old native of San Antonio, stood on Interstate Highway 45, one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the country, and documented … Continue reading →

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We talk again about the forthcoming abortion prosecutions

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be so bad. A young woman and her mother are nervously driving through the night when they’re pulled over by law enforcement. Flashlights in their faces, the women are questioned about whether they’re heading for the border … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit tosses mask mandate lawsuit filed by disability rights activists

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Par for the course. A federal appeals court on Monday tossed out a lower-court injunction, issued in November, that would have allowed public schools in Texas to ignore Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel of Austin had blocked Abbott’s order as … Continue reading →

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SAISD vaccine mandate upheld again

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Also still on hold, but the state loses again at the appellate level. A state appellate court upheld San Antonio Independent School District’s authority Wednesday to mandate its workers get vaccinated against COVID-19, almost a year after the district instituted … Continue reading →

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Texas sues USDA over LGBTQ protections

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the story, which I’ll get to in a minute. It might be best to try to summarize this more accurately, because this is one of those technical situations where it takes a lot of qualifiers to get at what’s … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of anti-LGBTQ litigation out there

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is where we are. In the wake of the toppling of Roe v. Wade and with Justice Clarence Thomas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit rulings on gay sex … Continue reading →

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Paxton so petty

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, man. What a stain. Attorney General Ken Paxton is escalating his feud with the State Bar of Texas by banning his office’s lawyers from speaking at any events organized by the bar. Paxton’s office also will not pay … Continue reading →

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DOJ investigating discrimination claims against Houston for response to illegal dumping

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to seeing what this finds. Huey German-Wilson and her Trinity Gardens and Houston Gardens neighbors kept finding tires, medical waste and other trash in their streets. So they took charge. They sought to log each instance with the city’s 311 … Continue reading →

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The religious freedom argument for abortion

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this works. For obvious reasons, I’m not terribly optimistic. But it’s worth a shot. The rabbi whose progressive synagogue sued the state of Florida over a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks, arguing that it infringes on religious … Continue reading →

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A piece of the voter suppression law is blocked

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Buckle up, this will take a bit of explanation. Parts of a 2021 Texas voting law that cracked down on assistance for voters with limited English skills and voters with disabilities can no longer be enforced. A federal judge in … Continue reading →

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The State Bar’s response to Paxton

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, the State Bar of Texas filed a lawsuit against Ken Paxton in a Collin County district court in order to proceed with the complaint filed against Paxton for his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election by filing … Continue reading →

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