Tag Archives: Attorney General

Felony judges move to dismiss bail lawsuit

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A group of district judges in Houston on Thursday argued for dismissal of a lawsuit alleging their felony bail practices are unconstitutional because they discriminate against poor people, keeping them jailed when they can’t pay bail. Among the … Continue reading →

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We still need that equality bill in the Lege

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That SCOTUS ruling was huge, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. LGBTQ Texans marked a major victory Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal civil rights law prevents employment discrimination on the basis of … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court denies GOP effort to force convention to happen

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Denied. The Texas Supreme Court on Monday rejected the state Republican Party’s appeal of a lower court’s decision regarding its in-person Houston convention, all but ensuring that Mayor Sylvester Turner’s move to cancel the event will stand. In an unsigned … Continue reading →

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AG sides with Mayor Turner in GOP convention litigation

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

But only in a limited and technical way, so cool your jets. The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Saturday sided with Mayor Sylvester Turner in a legal dispute over the state Republican Party’s in-person convention, arguing that the Texas Supreme … Continue reading →

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Move to Collin County on hold, Paxton judge recuses himself

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Stay with me here. The Harris County state district judge who handed Attorney General Ken Paxton a big win by moving his criminal case back to Collin County two weeks ago is now recusing himself because Paxton’s office is representing … Continue reading →

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Checking on Metro’s mask mandate

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I admit, I was a bit confused when I saw the earlier version of this story. Metro wanted to make sure its mask requirement for all passengers passed legal muster, asking a Houston lawmaker to seek an opinion from Texas … Continue reading →

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State ordered to pay plaintiffs’ fees in voter ID case

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Pending appeal, of course. Texas ultimately won the long-winding fight to keep its voter ID law on the books, but a federal judge has ruled the state is on the hook for nearly $6.8 million in legal fees and costs. In a Wednesday … Continue reading →

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A bipartisan equality bill

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the effort, but we can’t expect too much to come of this. Five Democratic and two Republican state legislators announced plans Wednesday to file a bill next legislative session that would bar discrimination against LGBTQ Texans in housing, … Continue reading →

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We don’t know enough about what’s happening at nursing homes

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve talked before about two of the main coronavirus hotspot types in Texas, prisons and meat processing plants. Now we’re going to talk about that third type, nursing homes. As the death toll grows at Texas nursing homes, so has the … 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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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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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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You got to dance with them what brung ya

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Kenny Boy Paxton is looking out for you. If you are one of his rich donors. When a small county in the Colorado mountains banished everyone but locals to blunt the spread of the coronavirus, an unlikely outsider raised a … Continue reading →

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The fight over sick leave has to be at the state level

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I get this, but it’s not going to work. The coronavirus outbreak is sparking a debate over paid sick leave in Houston, the largest U.S. city without a law requiring businesses to provide paid time off for workers who fall … Continue reading →

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Mask up

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time for the next step in virus mitigation. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Wednesday ordered residents to cover their faces in public, the latest effort by local governments to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The new rules, … 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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Still trying to do something about the coronavirus risk in the jail

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Time is extremely limited for this. A federal judge Friday asked lawyers to hammer out a plan for releasing about 1,000 indigent inmates detained on bonds of $10,000 or less amid fear of a COVID-19 outbreak at the third largest … Continue reading →

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Of course he thinks that’s “essential”

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t get any more on-brand than this. Gun stores are essential business and should be allowed to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday. Paxton said in his nonbinding opinion that state law prevents … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton does Ken Paxton thing

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Film at 11. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is not defending a state agency that is being sued for punishing a judge who refuses to officiate gay marriages. It’s the most recent in a handful of cases in which … Continue reading →

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We’re not going to get an independent redistricting commission

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to think about, but the set of circumstances that might lead to it are exceedingly narrow. Most of the seven states that have independent commissions adopted them by a citizens’ initiative. Since Texas doesn’t have that option, the only … Continue reading →

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Who sues first?

Posted on January 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It matters whether Harris County or the state of Texas is first to the courthouse against an industrial polluter. As chemical plant explosions and fires have disrupted lives and raised air-quality concerns in the Houston area this year, the state … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP sues for the right to be an anti-gay JP

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A Waco judge who received a public warning last month for refusing to officiate same-sex marriages filed a lawsuit against the state agency that issued the warning, claiming the governmental body violated state law by punishing her for actions … Continue reading →

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Last bail lawsuit hearing

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

At least I assume it’s the last one. I’ve been thinking this was all over but for the formality for months now, so what do I know? Dianna Williams has witnessed the “collateral damage” of jailing on the fabric of … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Paxton threaten transgender child

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’m utterly speechless. Top Texas Republicans have directed the state’s child welfare agency to investigate whether a mother who supports her 7-year-old child’s gender transition is committing “child abuse” — a move that has alarmed an already fearful community of … Continue reading →

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One thing our state loves spending money on

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Defending unconstitutional anti-abortion laws in the courts. As Texas defends abortion laws in federal court that mandate fetal burials and seek to outlaw certain medical procedures, the state has been ordered to pay pro-abortion attorneys $2.5 million — fortifying women’s … Continue reading →

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Red flag

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This seems like maybe it’s a problem. A report out Wednesday by the San Antonio Express-News found that a gun owner in Texas had sent more than 100 pages of racist and violent letters to the Texas Attorney General’s office … Continue reading →

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Here come the Rangers

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know where this is going to go, but it sure will be fun getting there. The Texas House General Investigating Committee voted Monday to request that the Texas Rangers look into allegations against House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over mail ballot practices

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t had a good voting rights lawsuit in a few months. In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Antonio, [two] voters — George Richardson of Brazos County and Rosalie Weisfeld of McAllen — alleged that the state law … Continue reading →

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The Harris County bail lawsuit effect on Dallas County

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib looks to see if the recent Harris County bail lawsuit settlement might affect the bail lawsuit in Dallas County. “Anytime one county settles, it could possibly provide a roadmap for another county, but I can’t say that it … Continue reading →

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David Temple convicted again

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

New trial, same result. A Harris County jury on Tuesday convicted David Temple of murder in the 1999 death of his pregnant wife, opening the door for the former Katy-area football coach to be sent back to prison several years … Continue reading →

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David Temple re-trial is now underway

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I continue to be fascinated by this. It’s 1999 in Katy, Texas. A seemingly perfect couple is falling apart at the seams. David Temple, a high school football coach, is having an affair with a beautiful teacher on campus. His … Continue reading →

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David Temple re-trial starts

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The beginning of the next chapter in a long story. For the second time in 12 years, a former Katy-area football coach is standing trial in the murder of his pregnant wife, seeking exoneration after prosecutorial misconduct caused his first … Continue reading →

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