Category Archives: Legal matters

More lawyers for the bail practices lawsuit

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still not thrilled about this. Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to add another law firm to the county’s court fight against bail reform, a group whose job will be representing 16 county criminal judges who were recently added … Continue reading →

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Back to court for the Clean Power Plan

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. One of the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s final acts on Earth may have been to doom it. Last February, on the final Tuesday of Scalia’s life, the Supreme Court handed down a 5–4 decision suspending the Obama … Continue reading →

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School district to join lawsuit over STAAR test

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Ben Becker, the Houston father who helped organize a legal fight over last year’s STAAR exams, has repeatedly challenged superintendents over the last few months to join him in court to fight for their students. Becker describes his group … Continue reading →

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ACLU intervenes in transgender health care suit

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The ACLU and ACLU of Texas are getting involved in a lawsuit over a regulation in the Affordable Care Act. In August, Texas filed a lawsuit against federal regulations that prohibit healthcare discrimination against people who are … Continue reading →

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More on the Sandra Bland settlement

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Garnet Coleman is working to implement the reforms mandated by the Sandra Bland lawsuit settlement. House Democrats sparred with state law enforcement officials over questions of racial profiling Tuesday at a sometimes contentious hearing. It was the latest … Continue reading →

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Judge orders state to reword its voter ID outreach materials

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s try this again, shall we? In the continuing fight over Texas’ voter ID law, a federal judge on Monday ordered state officials to change, where possible, the language used to inform voters and poll workers about acceptable voting procedures … Continue reading →

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Texas versus the feds, Overtime Pay Edition

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, look, it’s another lawsuit filed by Texas against something the Obama administration did that our AG doesn’t like. Texas is helping lead a lawsuit against President Barack Obama’s administration over a new rule that makes millions of more workers … Continue reading →

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Spending money to defend our terrible bail practices

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. About $170,000 in tax money has been paid to outside attorneys to defend Harris Country officials from a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that the bail bond system discriminates against poor people, records show. That’s more than the cost … Continue reading →

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The city cab app

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Arro. Houston’s fractured taxi market is headed toward a rare bit of unity, with a push by the city toward how people hail cabs in the 21st century. As the taxi and limo industry adjusts to new ways of … Continue reading →

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Texas v. the Feds: Telemedicine edition

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a new one. Teladoc, the Dallas-based company that sued Texas over its telemedicine regulations, has a new ally in the Federal Trade Commission. In a letter sent to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court late Friday, the federal antitrust agency … Continue reading →

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Family of Sandra Bland settles its lawsuit

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this brings them some peace, but more importantly I hope it leads to fewer inmate deaths, in Waller County and elsewhere. The family of Sandra Bland — who died last year in a Waller County Jail cell — … Continue reading →

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Hearing on voter ID outreach set for Monday

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Once more into the breech, to see if the state needs to get slapped down again. Texas officials will be back in federal court next week to defend the state’s voter ID law, this time against accusations that they have … Continue reading →

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City loses in appeal against firefighters’ pension statute

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a pension fund-related litigation update for you. Houston can’t overhaul a state-governed firefighter pension system that the mayor claims is pushing the city towards insolvency, a Texas appeals court ruled. Houston sued the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund … Continue reading →

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Federal lawsuit filed in Alabama over statewide judicial elections

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There are now at least two lawsuits like this in the federal courts. Tuscaloosa reverend Curtis Travis has been voting his whole life in Alabama. While nearly one-fourth of the voting population, like him, is black, the three highest courts … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court declines to hear lawsuit over city’s same-sex partner benefits

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I had totally forgotten this was still a thing that was happening. The Texas Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging Houston’s extension of health and life-insurance benefits to same-sex spouses of married employees, calling an apparent end … Continue reading →

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State accused of misleading on voter ID education outreach

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. The federal government is accusing Texas of circulating “inaccurate or misleading information” to poll workers and would-be voters about relaxed identification requirements for the November elections. “Limited funds are being spent on … Continue reading →

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Three updates on county-related lawsuits

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Update #1: Judges sued as part of Harris County federal court bail challenge. Attorneys challenging the constitutionality of Harris County’s pretrial bail policies have added all 16 of Harris County’s misdemeanor court judges as defendants in a federal civil rights … Continue reading →

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State appeals dismissal of anti-refugee lawsuit

Posted on September 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Because of course it does. Texas is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit against the federal government and a refugee resettlement agency over the placement of Syrian refugees in the state. In a notice dated Aug. 12, Texas alerted the … Continue reading →

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You are now free to visually blight Texas highways

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

WTF? Opponents of billboards and other signs along Texas roadways reacted on Monday with dismay to an appeals court decision striking down significant portions of the Texas Highway Beautification Act, saying the ruling could lead to a litany of signs … Continue reading →

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Paxton encourages schools to discriminate against transgender students

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the ACLU of Texas: [Friday], the ACLU of Texas issued a letter to Texas school districts outlining their ongoing legal responsibility to provide transgender students access to educational opportunities and school facilities on the same basis as all other … Continue reading →

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How is the state going to do its voter ID education outreach?

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You don’t need to know. Texas will spend $2.5 million to spread the word about changes to the state’s voter ID law before the November election, but will not release details of how that money will be spent. More than … Continue reading →

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Microbreweries win their distribution rights lawsuit

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. A Texas law that prohibits brewers from selling territorial rights to distribute their beer is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Thursday, serving up a major victory to beer companies seeking to expand their presence in stores, bars and restaurants … Continue reading →

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Pasadena voting rights case moves forward

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. A federal judge has denied Pasadena’s request to throw out a lawsuit challenging its controversial city council redistricting plan, which a group of Hispanic and Latino residents alleges dilutes the voting rights of the suburb’s growing minority population. … Continue reading →

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No injunction against HISD school name changes

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The changes can remain, at least for now. A civil court judge has declined to stop the Houston school district from changing the names of eight campuses that were named after Confederate loyalists. Judge John Wooldridge this week denied a … Continue reading →

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When is Texas going to file that voter ID appeal?

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Lone Star Project would like to know. Last week, Texas AG Ken Paxton made a big show in the press by announcing that he would file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the ruling of the 5th … Continue reading →

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Another Voting Rights Act violation alleged

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Friday: Today, a coalition of 10 groups sent a letter to Carlos Casco, Secretary of State of Texas, requesting that his office take immediate steps to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1985 (VRA) and the Texas … Continue reading →

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Paxton continues his war on transgender people

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is just ugly. Ramping up its fight over the rights of transgender people, Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government over a regulation prohibiting discrimination against transgender individuals in some health programs. Texas, on behalf of Franciscan … Continue reading →

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STAAR test lawsuit survives motion to dismiss

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

On to trial. After a group of parents sued the Texas Education Agency over the 2016 administration of STAAR exams, state lawyers argued this summer that the parents had no standing and asked the courts to drop the case. This … Continue reading →

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Preliminary injunction granted in transgender bathroom directive case

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A federal judge in Fort Worth has blocked Obama administration guidelines directing the nation’s public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. In a 38-page order released Sunday, U.S. … Continue reading →

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No injunction for campus carry

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. A federal judge has denied three University of Texas at Austin professors’ initial attempt to keep guns out of their classrooms under the state’s campus carry law. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled that the professors, … Continue reading →

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Bail practices lawsuit update

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There was a hearing in court this week, and the judge was skeptical. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal declined Thursday to rule on whether Harris County should be dismissed from a lawsuit intended to force officials to reform a tough … Continue reading →

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State sues Alabama-Coushatta tribe over casino

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. A new legal salvo was fired this week in the state’s long-running battle against Indian gambling with a filing in federal court that seeks to close the gaming hall on the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation. A motion for … Continue reading →

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More on the latest voting rights lawsuit ruling

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Coverage from the Chron: In contrast to the discourse over the voter ID law, it’s not clear there are many political stakes over the law [Judge Robert] Pitman tossed out Friday. There are enough Hispanic and Latino voters in every … Continue reading →

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Laredo plastic bag ban overturned

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The Fourth Court of Appeals on Wednesday sided with merchants and free-market groups who argued that Laredo’s ban on single-use bags is illegal because it is pre-empted by state law regulating solid waste disposal. The 2-1 ruling overturned a … Continue reading →

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