Tag Archives: SCOTUS

The Women’s March, the next generation

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to a day when these aren’t necessary, but in the meantime I am grateful to all who cared enough to participate or were there in spirit. A crowd of more than 10,000 turned out Saturday in downtown … Continue reading →

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The “abortion bans are good for interstate commerce, actually” defense

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can never tell when Ken Paxton is trolling or sincere. In briefs filed Wednesday in the Justice Department’s challenge to Texas’ abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted the trips Texas women are making out of state to … Continue reading →

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How the “heartbeat” lawsuits may proceed

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The recent “Amicus” podcast from Slate had a bonus segment on the many lawsuits that have been filed in relation to and challenge to SB8, the so-called “heartbeat” bill. For all the normal people out there who don’t follow this … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Patrick whine about State Bar complaint against Paxton

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Poor, poor babies. The state’s top officials came to the defense of embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying a state bar investigation into his professional conduct is “politically motivated” and raises questions about the state’s separation of powers. On Friday, … Continue reading →

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Trying again to get SCOTUS to stop SB8

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. A coalition of Texas abortion providers went back to the Supreme Court Thursday, asking the justices to expedite a review of the state law that bars abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The law has been in effect … Continue reading →

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Texas takes its potty obsession to court

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, brother. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over recent federal guidance issued to protect LGBTQ people in the workplace, including a directive that says employees should be allowed to use the bathrooms, locker rooms and … Continue reading →

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First “heartbeat” lawsuit filed

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t take long. A San Antonio physician is facing a lawsuit after he admitted performing an abortion considered illegal under Texas’ new law. Why it matters: The civil suit, filed by a convicted felon in Arkansas, against Alan Braid is the first such … Continue reading →

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“Heartbeat” lawsuit bait

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this was going to happen sooner or later. A Texas doctor stepped forward Saturday to say he had performed an abortion that is illegal under the state’s restrictive new law to force a test of its legality. “I … Continue reading →

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The electoral dress code lawsuit

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still interesting. A U.S. magistrate judge this week recommended striking down parts of Texas law that prohibit wearing political apparel within 100 feet of a polling place as unconstitutionally vague — but upholding a narrower provision that specifies that clothing … Continue reading →

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Planned Parenthood gets injunction against Texas Right to Life

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. A district court in Travis County granted a temporary injunction on Monday, which will stop an anti-abortion group from being able to sue Planned Parenthood centers under SB 8, the so-called “heartbeat bill.” Planned Parenthood affiliates in … Continue reading →

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Justice Department files its motion for an injunction against SB8

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hope they get a quick win. The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order or injunction that would prevent Texas from enacting a law that bans nearly all abortions in the state, heating … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues over “heartbeat” law

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Justice Department sued Texas on Thursday over its new abortion restrictions law, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters, a week after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block the law. Garland announced the lawsuit, filed in a federal district … Continue reading →

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More on the AG response to the “heartbeat” bill

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, like this. Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee are calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to prosecute people who are now empowered to file lawsuits against abortion seekers under Texas’ new abortion … Continue reading →

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Three more lawsuits filed against the voter suppression law

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a law now, and the legal machines are humming to do something about it. Though delayed by Democratic quorum breaks, Texas has officially joined the slate of Republican states that have enacted new voting restrictions following the 2020 election. … Continue reading →

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The federal response to the “heartbeat” bill

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope it amounts to something, and I hope they’re quick about it. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday the Department of Justice is “urgently” exploring ways to challenge Texas’ strict new abortion law, but did not specify what … Continue reading →

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The tab for voter ID

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Texas remains responsible for nearly $6.8 million in legal fees and costs owed to the collection of parties who sued over its voter ID law. Though the state ultimately won the long-winding fight to keep the voter ID law … Continue reading →

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No Roe roundup

Posted on September 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have a good title for this post, but I do have a collection of stories. Planned Parenthood files restraining order against Texas Right to Life. Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas and its affiliates filed a temporary restraining order … Continue reading →

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Killing Roe softly

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Honestly, there’s not a whole lot to add here from yesterday. As of this writing, SCOTUS has still not acted on the emergency petition from Texas abortion providers over SB8. SCOTUS will issue a response to that request, but they … Continue reading →

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The legal situation with the heartbeat bill

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m writing this at eight PM, and will very likely be asleep before SCOTUS takes any action, if they do take action. So let’s start with what we have as of now: . The abortion providers and others challenging #SB8 … Continue reading →

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The “heartbeat” bill is about to become law

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s nothing standing in the way. A Texas law that would ban abortions after as early as six weeks is poised to take effect Wednesday, after a federal appellate court’s rulings stymied efforts to block the law. On Friday night, … Continue reading →

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Is it really a quorum?

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It is if no one is counting too closely. Texas House Republicans finally got their long-sought quorum Thursday — by the skin of their teeth. There were 99 members registered as present Thursday evening, the exact number needed to end … Continue reading →

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The abortion ban chaos is coming

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already ugly. The National Abortion Federation has told doctors in Texas it will stop referring patients and sending money to clinics that offer abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. In North Texas, the Texas Equal Action Fund will … Continue reading →

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A response to Paxton’s response

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As you may recall, back in June we learned about a State Bar of Texas complaint against Ken Paxton for his ridiculous and seditious lawsuit that attempted to overturn the 2020 Presidential election. That complaint was filed by four people: … Continue reading →

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Another State Bar complaint against Paxton

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He certainly deserves all the trouble this has brought him. Whether any of it leads to actual consequences, we’ll have to see. Four former presidents of the State Bar of Texas joined a group of high-profile lawyers on Wednesday to … Continue reading →

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The DACA ruling

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that allows certain immigrants to temporarily avoid deportation and receive renewable work permits, is illegal and ordered the Biden administration to stop granting new … Continue reading →

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Day 3 not as long omnibus quorum busting post

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in… Who’s paying for Texas Democrats’ trip to DC? Beto O’Rourke has already raised $400K. Beto O’Rourke’s political action committee has raised nearly half a million dollars to support Texas Democrats’ escape to Washington, D.C., he said … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against “heartbeat” abortion law

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, I’d say this has an excellent chance of success, given that all previous litigation over such bans have been wins for the plaintiffs. But we are in uncharted territory here. Two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law … Continue reading →

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Let a thousand Justice Department probes of Texas voter suppression bloom

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just don’t expect too much to happen. With Texas lawmakers poised to push for new voting restrictions in a special session next week, the state’s congressional Democrats are urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Texas’ existing voting laws. … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS takes another knife to the Voting Rights Act

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The red carpet for voter suppression has been rolled out. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against voters of color. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion in … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit tossed

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a bit of good news. A Travis County judge has thrown out McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley’s lawsuit against the state panel that sanctioned her in 2019 for refusing to perform same-sex weddings. Judge Jan Soifer … Continue reading →

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Methodist anti-vaxxers officially fired

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than 150 Houston Methodist Hospital employees resigned or have been fired as of Tuesday over a recent policy that required hospital employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday. All told, … Continue reading →

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The Texas Dem legislators and the push for federal voting rights legislation

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We know this happened. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday pointed to Texas Republicans’ push for sweeping new voting restrictions as a key illustration of the need to restore federal oversight of elections. While meeting at the White House with … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Obamacare again

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another Ken Paxton failure, for which we should be grateful and also really pissed off. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas-led legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, saying the plaintiffs in the 2018 lawsuit are … Continue reading →

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State Bar investigating Paxton

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well, well… The Texas bar association is investigating whether state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s failed efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election based on bogus claims of fraud amounted to professional misconduct. The State Bar of Texas initially declined … Continue reading →

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