Category Archives: Legal matters

First federal vote by mail lawsuit hearing

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One down, two to go. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery heard arguments Friday in a federal lawsuit seeking to give all voters the option to vote by mail due to fears of catching or spreading the coronavirus. […] During Friday’s … Continue reading →

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When is a strip club not a strip club?

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

When it’s a restaurant, with no strippers. What, did you think that was a trick question? A week after a temporary court order allowed a Houston strip club to resume operations, a federal judge has ruled that the club’s owner … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court sticks its nose in

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was to be expected. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday temporarily put on hold an expansion of voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. Siding with Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Supreme Court blocked a state appeals … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds vote by mail order

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Second round goes to the plaintiffs. A state appeals court upheld a temporary order Thursday from a state district judge that could greatly expand the number of voters who qualify for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic, rebuffing Attorney General … Continue reading →

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Paxton tries a Supreme shortcut

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They sure are keeping busy. In a bit of judicial leapfrog, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on his interpretation of how voters can qualify for absentee ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. … Continue reading →

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LULAC joins TDP’s federal mail ballot lawsuit

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More plaintiffs, more fun. A prominent Latino civil rights group is jumping into the fight to expand Texas’ voting-by-mail eligibility, alleging the restriction that limits age eligibility for voting by mail to those 65 and older disproportionately harms Texas Latinos … Continue reading →

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Yet another lawsuit over voting by mail

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out there are a lot of obstacles to voting by mail in Texas, and so there are a lot of lawsuits being filed by various plaintiffs to rectify that. A coalition of voters and civil rights groups opened a … Continue reading →

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Criminal complaint filed against AG Ken Paxton

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I should say “another criminal complaint”, this one over his bullying tactics about vote by mail. Two voting rights advocates have filed a complaint with the Dallas County district attorney, alleging Attorney General Ken Paxton committed voter fraud in each … Continue reading →

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Appeals court rules that Texas Central is in fact a railroad

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems obvious, but these things are more complicated than you’d think. Planners of a Houston-to-Dallas bullet train scored a victory in Corpus Christi Thursday when a state appeals court said the company — despite not operating yet — is a … Continue reading →

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TDP petitions appeals court to get Paxton to knock it off

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas Democratic Party has asked a court to order state officials not to interfere with a previous court order that opened up mail-in voting in the state. In their filing Tuesday with the Third Court of Appeals, lawyers … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court is skeptical of stay-at-home orders

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not ready to act yet, though. In turning down a case challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s order allowing certain Texas businesses to reopen, the Texas Supreme Court hinted Tuesday that it is sympathetic to constitutionality concerns raised by coronavirus restrictions. … Continue reading →

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First hearing for TDP federal vote by mail lawsuit set for next week

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery has ordered a hearing on expanding vote-by-mail to all Texas voters in advance of the July 14 Democratic Party runoff election. The hearing, set for 9 a.m. May 15, will allow only … Continue reading →

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Paxton threatens county clerks over vote by mail instructions

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems to me this should get a bit more attention. Attorney General Ken Paxton informed county judges and election officials Friday that if they advise voters who normally aren’t eligible to apply for mail-in ballots due to a fear of … Continue reading →

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The TDP motion for a fast ruling in their federal vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned this in passing in yesterday’s post, so here are some more details. Updating an ongoing lawsuit, the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday asked a federal judge in San Antonio to issue an order by May 15 requiring state … Continue reading →

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Age discrimination lawsuit filed over vote by mail

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is something new. Citing the threats of the coronavirus, six Texas voters filed suit in federal court Wednesday challenging restrictions that limit age eligibility for voting-by-mail to those 65 and older. In a lawsuit filed in San Antonio, the … Continue reading →

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Hotze goes crying to the Supreme Court

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This effing guy, I swear. Houston conservative activist Steve Hotze on Monday filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court seeking an emergency ruling on Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s mask order, which took effect this morning. Hotze originally filed … Continue reading →

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Hotze sues Harris County again

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is just what he does now, I suppose. Houston conservative power broker Steve Hotze filed a lawsuit against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Thursday, alleging that her order requiring people to cover their faces in public violates the Texas … Continue reading →

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Abortion clinics say “ban’s over, we’re back”

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will be left alone. Texas clinics resumed offering abortions Wednesday after a strict bar on nonessential medical procedures was loosened at midnight. The ban on nearly all abortions in Texas has been the subject of weeks of … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit flips off abortion rights again

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so sick of this shit. A federal appeals court has again banned most abortions in Texas amid the coronavirus pandemic, though the ruling will only be in effect for two days. The ruling on Monday by the Fifth Circuit … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Paxton continue to play politics with abortion

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is exactly the problem with that Fifth Circuit ruling. Though Gov. Greg Abbott loosened a ban on nonessential surgeries, he said Friday it would be up to courts to decide if his order restores access to abortions — the … Continue reading →

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Here’s the official order in the TDP vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Round One went to the plaintiffs. From there, who knows. A Texas state district judge on Friday issued an order allowing voters to use the coronavirus as a reason to vote by mail for as long as the pandemic lasts … Continue reading →

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Hotze sues Abbott and Paxton

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just another day at the office for this guy. A group of conservative activists and pastors that’s challenging Harris County’s stay-at-home order is now also suing Gov. Greg Abbott, claiming his recent executive order to stem the spread of Covid-19 … Continue reading →

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TDP gets initial win in vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a good start, but we’ve got a long way to go. A state district judge on Wednesday said he will move forward with an order easing restrictions for voting by mail in Texas in light of the new coronavirus … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit allows medical abortions to proceed

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. A federal appeals court on Monday blocked Texas from enforcing a ban on medication-induced abortions as part of the state’s curbs on certain medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of fast-moving … Continue reading →

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And so we go to SCOTUS

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pardon me while I gird my loins for whatever happens next. Texas abortion providers have taken a back-and-forth legal battle with the state of Texas over its temporary ban on the procedure to the U.S. Supreme Court. The groups on … Continue reading →

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Another view of the lawsuit over expanded voting by mail

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Ian Millhiser at Vox, who is decidedly more pessimistic about the plaintiffs’ chances. He starts by noting how restrictive Texas’ existing vote-by-mail law is. The law only allows Texas voters to obtain an absentee ballot under a very limited … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s stay-in-jail order blocked and then unblocked

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was Friday. A state district judge in Travis County has temporarily blocked enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to limit jail releases during the new coronavirus pandemic. She cited unconstitutional provisions and overreach of executive power in the gubernatorial … Continue reading →

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Do I need to tell you that the Fifth Circuit did it again?

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to tell you anyway, because it’s what happened. In the latest turn of a whiplash-inducing federal court battle over Texas GOP officials’ near-total ban on abortion during the novel coronavirus outbreak, a federal appeals court on Friday once … Continue reading →

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Ridiculous Hotze lawsuit now in district court

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are all dumber by the mere existence of this. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Harris County’s stay-at-home order, though the legal fight is set to continue in state district court. The Wednesday … Continue reading →

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Abortion ban partially lifted

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. In a second rebuke to Texas GOP officials who have said a ban on nearly all abortions is essential as the state battles the novel coronavirus, a federal judge in Austin ruled Thursday that some abortions … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit sticks the shiv the rest of the way in

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The worst court in the country does its thing again. A New Orleans-based federal appeals court will, for now, allow Texas to enforce a ban on almost all abortions as the state battles the coronavirus pandemic. Overturning the decision of … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit filed over Abbott’s stay-in-jail order

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no slowdown in the litigation business, that’s for sure. Gov. Greg Abbott’s order restricting the release of some jail inmates during the new coronavirus pandemic is facing a second court challenge arguing his order violates the constitutional separation of … Continue reading →

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TDP files federal lawsuit over expanded vote by mail

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Double your venues, (hopefully) double your chances of success. With primary election runoffs scheduled for July and the November general election on the horizon, the Texas Democratic Party has expanded its ongoing fight for more widespread mail-in balloting to federal … Continue reading →

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DraftKings lawsuit tossed

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the Astros. A federal judge in New York mixed technical points of law with humor and theatrical flourishes in delivering a rousing defeat Friday to a group of baseball daily fantasy players who sued the Astros, Red … Continue reading →

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