Tag Archives: Travis County

DeLay gets his day before the CCA

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like he might have had a pretty good day, too. Oral arguments in Tom DeLay’s decadelong legal fight with the Travis County District Attorney’s office heated up Wednesday as Republican judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals questioned … Continue reading →

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Today’s the day for Tom DeLay at the CCA

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Apologies for the excessive alliteration. I got on a roll and couldn’t stop. DeLay’s appellate lawyer, Brian Wice of Houston, and Travis County prosecutor Holly Taylor will argue Wednesday before the state’s highest criminal court in Austin over whether the … Continue reading →

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More plaintiffs respond to Abbott’s recusal motion

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I think it’s fair to say that the plaintiffs are strongly opposed to Greg Abbott’s attempt to get Judge Dietz recused in the school finance trial. Lawyers representing hundreds of school districts pushed back Thursday against Texas Attorney General Greg … Continue reading →

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TPJ files amicus brief in DeLay appeal

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s almost time for Tom DeLay to go to court again. A government-watchdog group on Tuesday petitioned the state’s highest criminal court to reinstate the money-laundering and conspiracy convictions of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay, moving to join … Continue reading →

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AG opinion sought for Perry’s use of taxpayer funds for defense

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A Democratic House leader has asked for a legal opinion on how and if Gov. Rick Perry can bill taxpayers for his $450-an-hour criminal lawyer defending him in a grand jury probe. Perry is under a grand jury investigation … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry really wanted Rosemary Lehmberg to quit

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib. Even after Gov. Rick Perry stripped funding for the agency that prosecutes state public corruption cases, his emissaries worked to swap the resignation of embattled Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg for restoration of the money, several … Continue reading →

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The Rick Perry grand jury convenes

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. A grand jury was sworn in Monday to look into whether Gov. Rick Perry acted improperly last year when he threatened to kill funding for the Travis County district attorney’s public corruption division unless District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg … Continue reading →

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Perry lawyers up

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has hired a high-profile Austin defense lawyer to represent him in an investigation into whether he illegally withheld money from the Travis County District Attorney’s office. KVUE News and the Austin American-Statesman confirmed … Continue reading →

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Perry special prosecutor is “concerned”

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As are we all. A special prosecutor investigating whether Gov. Rick Perry abused his authority when he eliminated state funding of the Texas public integrity unit — which investigates government corruption and is housed in the Travis County district attorney’s … Continue reading →

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Early voting, one (six day) week in

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We have one week completed for early voting, though it was only a six day week thanks to the Presidents Day holiday. Here are the daily totals from the County Clerk. Republicans continue to be the majority of early voters … Continue reading →

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What’s at stake in the Democratic primaries

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve had my fun poking holes in Mark Jones’ ridiculous argument that we should all just vote in the Republican primary, but now it’s time to talk about the Democratic primary and why these races matter. US Senate On Monday … Continue reading →

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Lehmberg beats the rap

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for her. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg will remain in her position as the top felony prosecutor in Travis County, visiting Judge David Peeples ruled Wednesday. Lehmberg hugged her supporters in the courtroom after the decision was read, shedding tears. … Continue reading →

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Lehmberg civil trial this week

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’d almost forgotten about this. Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg heads to court this week as a defendant in a civil trial that could result in her ouster from office. The trial, set to start Monday in Austin before … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit against abortion restrictions goes to trial

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Seeking to block the state of Texas from implementing new abortion regulations, plaintiffs representing abortion providers argued Monday in a federal court that the state’s law violates the constitutional right of women to access the procedure. But … Continue reading →

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Perry special prosecutor seeks to hire investigator

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving right along. The special prosecutor in an ongoing investigation into whether Gov. Rick Perry violated state law by vetoing funding for the Travis County ethics-enforcement unit is seeking to hire an investigator and researcher, the first public hint the … Continue reading →

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Grand jury convening in Perry/Lehmberg veto threat case

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t wait to see how this turns out. A visiting state district judge began convening a special grand jury Wednesday to consider two possible criminal cases stemming from the April drunken driving arrest of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. … Continue reading →

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Texas Supreme Court to hear gay divorce case

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is a big can of worms being opened. The Texas Supreme Court announced Friday that it will determine whether same-sex couples, legally married in other states, can be granted a divorce in Texas. The cases, involving … Continue reading →

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Special prosecutor appointed in Perry/Lehmberg veto threat case

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Mike McCrum. District Judge Robert Richardson named Mike McCrum to look into a complaint filed by Texans for Public Justice against the governor. The watchdog group alleges that Perry abused his power by threatening to cut funding to the … Continue reading →

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Special prosecutor to be appointed in Perry/Lehmberg veto case

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving forward. A San Antonio senior state district judge confirmed Thursday that he will name a special prosecutor to investigate possible charges of coercion and abuse of official capacity against Gov. Rick Perry. Judge Robert “Bert” Richardson said he expected … Continue reading →

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Travis County to fund Public Integrity Unit

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not optimal, but better than the alternative of shutting it down till 2015. The Travis County Commissioners Court agreed [last] Tuesday to restore some money to the Travis County district attorney’s Public Integrity Unit after Gov. Rick Perry in June … Continue reading →

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Judge assigned in complaint about Perry veto of Public Integrity Unit

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving along slowly. A San Antonio judge on Tuesday was assigned to hear a complaint that alleges Gov. Rick Perry committed coercion, bribery and official oppression by vetoing funding for the Travis County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit. Senior Judge … Continue reading →

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Special election set in HD50

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Strama announced his resignation from the Lege in February to go and run Google Fiber in Austin. Last week, Rick Perry set November 5 as the special election date to replace him. The race to serve out the remainder … Continue reading →

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Turner seeks a way to get around Public Integrity Unit de-funding

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Sylvester Turner takes aim at one of Perry’s vetoes. Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, said he would propose a House Concurrent Resolution advocating restoration of funding for the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County district attorney’s office, which was … Continue reading →

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Perry goes on a veto spree

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list. Among the victims are the omnibus ethics bill HB217, thus giving Allen Blakemore his fondest wish; two bills aimed at reducing the number of standardized tests some students must take, one of which will make William … Continue reading →

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TPJ alleges Perry broke the law when he threatened to veto Public Integrity funds

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Well, now isn’t this a nice little can of worms. In a complaint sent to prosecutors today, Texans for Public Justice alleges that Governor Rick Perry potentially committed several criminal offenses related to his recent threat to use his discretionary … Continue reading →

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Perry will veto Integrity Unit funds unless Lehmberg resigns

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This could be checkmate for Rosemary Lehmberg. Gov. Rick Perry will veto financing for the public integrity unit — the state’s ethics enforcement division — unless embattled Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg resigns, an official close to the governor … Continue reading →

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Another petition filed against Lehmberg

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The filer is a former colleague as well as a former opponent of Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg. Rick Reed, who ran against Lehmberg in 2008 and is now a defense attorney in Austin, filed the petition with the district … Continue reading →

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Lehmberg out of jail

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Her incarceration may be over, but Rosemary Lehmberg’s problems are far from it. Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was released from jail early Thursday after serving half of a 45-day jail sentence for pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated. … Continue reading →

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What to do with a problem like Rosemary?

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Austin Chronicle has a great overview of the Rosemary Lehmberg situation. All speculation aside, Lehmberg has vowed that she will not resign. In a letter to Travis County residents (apparently dictated to friends from jail and posted to her … Continue reading →

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Cities generally ignore Abbott’s domestic partnership opinion

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s opinion [last] week, while not binding, is the latest of several challenges to same-sex benefits across the country that so far have had mixed results in the courts and prompted changes after officials … Continue reading →

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Not just Austin, dammit

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What Flavia Isabel says: The single purpose of this post is to eradicate the phrase “Oh yeah, Austin is a blue dot in a sea of red” from the vocabulary of anybody who cares about turning Texas blue. I am … Continue reading →

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Weekend legislative threefer

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you heard on Friday was Rick Perry stamping his feet if he doesn’t get his way. Gov. Rick Perry is warning state legislators that it could be a long, hot summer in Austin if they don’t pass his … Continue reading →

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Who resigns after a DUI arrest?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman asks the question and gets some answers. In 2006, District Attorney Tim Cole had a decision to make. The then-chief prosecutor for Montague, Clay and Archer counties had been arrested for drunken driving after a day of July … Continue reading →

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Lehmberg pleads guilty, gets 45 days

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Off she goes. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg has pleaded guilty to drunken driving, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and immediately taken into custody. Lehmberg’s blood alcohol level registered at 0.23 when she was arrested April 13, her attorney … Continue reading →

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