Category Archives: Legal matters

Texas to appeal voter ID ruling to SCOTUS

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, whatever. Texas plans to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court challenging a lower court decision that found the state’s voter ID law discriminates against minorities. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said Tuesday it will appeal the ruling … Continue reading →

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Microbrewery lawsuit heard in court

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t wait to see how this turns out. Just how much is it worth for that Velvet Hammer or other local craft brew to make it to your favorite bar or convenience store? That’s one of several key questions … Continue reading →

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Texas loses another voting rights lawsuit

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge Friday blocked Texas from enforcing a state law that limits the availability of interpreters in polling places, ruling that it violates protections guaranteed by the U.S. Voting Rights Act. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert … Continue reading →

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No ruling yet in potty lawsuit

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We should get one soon, at least as far as the request for an injunction goes. U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor did not issue a ruling from the bench after an almost two-hour long hearing during which state attorneys … Continue reading →

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Transgender rights are about more than bathrooms

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s also drivers licenses. A Texas appeals court ruled last week that a transgender man isn’t entitled to change the gender marker on his driver’s license from “female” to “male.” However, LGBT legal experts say they don’t expect the decision … Continue reading →

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Voter ID changes approved

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all set. Texas’ voter ID law, cast as the strictest in the nation, will be substantially watered down during November’s election after a federal judge Wednesday approved a deal that allows those lacking required identification to cast a ballot … Continue reading →

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UT and AG ask for campus carry lawsuit to be dismissed

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty standard procedure. The Texas Attorney General’s Office and University of Texas at Austin on Monday asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by three UT-Austin professors seeking to keep guns out of their classrooms despite the … Continue reading →

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Family of Ahmed Mohamed files lawsuit against his former school

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’d sue, too. Nearly one year after 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a “suspicious-looking” homemade clock to class, his family has filed suit against his former Texas school district, the principal of the high school and the city … Continue reading →

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Appeals court blocks litigation against payday lenders

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Lousy. The Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio derailed a class action lawsuit aimed at keeping payday lenders from using the state’s criminal justice system as de facto collection agencies. The suit filed by 1,400 plaintiffs argued that Cash … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS blocks order on transgender bathroom access for students

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For now. The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a court order that had allowed a transgender boy to use the boys’ bathroom in a Virginia high school. The vote was 5 to 3, with Justice Stephen G. Breyer joining … Continue reading →

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Harris County sued over disabled voting access

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Harris County, which includes Houston, has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because many of its polling places are inaccessible to voters with disabilities, a new lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice alleges. … Continue reading →

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Paxton responds to campus carry lawsuit

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called a lawsuit brought by three University of Texas at Austin professors against the state’s campus carry law “frivolous” and said the professors have no valid reasons for … Continue reading →

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Voter ID law changes agreed to

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We have a deal. Texas struck a deal Wednesday that will soften its voter ID law for the November general election — a development that lawyers suing the state say will make it easier for minorities to cast their ballots. … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the next abortion lawsuit

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Expect it in a couple of months. Texas’ proposed rules requiring the cremation or burial of fetal remains “will almost certainly trigger costly litigation,” reproductive rights lawyers say. In a letter to the Texas Department of State Health Services, lawyers with … Continue reading →

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Friday was a very good day for voting rights

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In North Carolina: The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s opinion in North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP v. McCrory is nothing short of a beat down. The court does not simply tear apart major provisions … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues Austin over open carry

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No subtext at all to this, I’m sure. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Austin in Travis County district court, trying to force the city to comply with his reading of the state’s open carry law … Continue reading →

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Can we PLEASE get some action on redistricting?

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Lone Star Project: Earlier today, plaintiffs in the pending Texas congressional and state house redistricting case filed a motion with the presiding three-judge federal panel in San Antonio requesting a conference to discuss further action on the case. … Continue reading →

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Media covers latest voting rights lawsuit

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Glad they finally noticed. A group of Hispanic voters has filed a lawsuit challenging how Texas selects judges to its top two courts, arguing that statewide elections for the state Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals dilutes the … Continue reading →

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State settles birth certificate lawsuit

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. After undergoing mediation, the state of Texas has reached an agreement with undocumented families in a lawsuit over its denial to issue birth certificates to children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants. The state will clarify and expand … Continue reading →

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New affidavit procedure implemented for HD120 special election runoff

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Seems likely this is what we’re going to get for November. Now before the Court comes the Consent Motion for Entry of Temporary Remedial Order, filed on July 23, 2016. The Court has considered the motion and determined that it … Continue reading →

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Voting rights lawsuit filed over Texas statewide judicial elections

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This happened on the same day as the Fifth Circuit ruling on voter ID. [Wednesday], the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), Garza Golando Moran, PLLC, and Dechert LLP filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court … Continue reading →

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What next for voter ID?

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Hasen, writing in Slate: The trial court was ready to throw out the entire law, but the 5th Circuit said such a remedy went too far. The court held that when a trial court finds a law has a … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit affirms voter ID ruling

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Made it by the deadline. Texas’ voter identification law violates the U.S. law prohibiting racial discrimination in elections, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed previous rulings that the 2011 voter ID law … Continue reading →

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Can we try this again with nine Justices, please?

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t hurt to ask. The Obama administration on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the legality of the president’s controversial immigration enforcement plan, which stalled last month when the high court deadlocked on an appeal. The program, known … Continue reading →

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First potty case reaches SCOTUS

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The legal fight over transgender bathroom rights reached the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time on Wednesday as a Virginia county school board sought to block an order that lets a student who was born a … Continue reading →

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The Observer talks to now-retired Judge John Dietz about school finance reform

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A brief taste: One really important point, which was certainly not addressed [by the Supreme Court]: With economically disadvantaged students, the undisputed testimony is that if you didn’t grow up economically disadvantaged, when you arrived at school you had roughly … Continue reading →

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We should hear something soon on voter ID

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So says Rick Hasen: The federal challenge to Texas’s strict voter identification law is pending before the entire Fifth Circuit sitting en banc.  The Supreme Court set a soft July 20 deadline for a decision—after that the Court has invited … Continue reading →

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More opposition to North Carolina’s HB2

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Justice Department seeks to halt implementation of North Carolina’s viciously anti-LGBT law. The billowing legal fight over North Carolina’s House Bill 2 continued to grow this week with the U.S. Department of Justice asking a federal judge to suspend … Continue reading →

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More on Mississippi’s anti-LGBT law and the effect in Texas

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t look like we’re going to learn anything from the Mississippi experience. Reeves’ ruling isn’t likely to deter Texas Republicans who have stated adamantly that Christians and others with sincerely held religious beliefs need extra protection when following their faith, … Continue reading →

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More states file potty lawsuits

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, goodie. Ten additional states are suing the Obama administration to stop a directive that requires schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity under the threat of losing federal funding, bringing the total number … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over campus carry

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Three University of Texas at Austin professors sued their university and the state on Wednesday, claiming Texas’ new campus carry law is forcing the school to impose “overly-solicitous, dangerously-experimental gun policies” that violate the First … Continue reading →

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Paxton petitions for national injunction against transgender bathroom directive

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Plunging further into the politics of public school bathrooms, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday expanded his federal lawsuit against an Obama Administration directive instructing schools not to discriminate against transgender students, saying he wants … Continue reading →

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Appeals court reverses Ashby damages award

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s kind of amazing to me that the Ashby Highrise saga is still a newsmaker. In a major ruling that could stymie future legal challenges against developers, a state appellate court has reversed a key portion of the 2014 judgment … Continue reading →

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Mississippi anti-LGBT law struck down

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This definitely has consequences for Texas. A federal judge stopped Mississippi’s controversial “religious freedom” law Thursday night, minutes before it was set to take effect. In a opinion that cited scripture and Mississippi’s segregationist past, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton … Continue reading →

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