Tag Archives: Attorney General

Time for the biennial attack on the Travis County DA

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Every two years, some Republican legislators try to kill the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. An amendment tacked on to the House budget bill approved last week would shift roughly $3.4 million a year from … Continue reading →

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The end of the Willingham case for the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Dave Mann reads the Willingham report from the Forensic Science Commission so you don’t have to. The commission’s nearly 50-page report—the product of a high-profile, frequently stalled investigation—is an odd mix. It documents at length the flawed state of fire … Continue reading →

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Can we please get back to the basics?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The ongoing saga of the Texas Forensic Science Commission: Adding an unexpected twist to its investigation of the science used to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham for arson murder, the Texas Forensic Science Commission voted Friday to seek an … Continue reading →

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Amazon sues Texas

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Four months after Texas officials told Amazon.com Inc. that it owes $269 million in uncollected sales taxes, the online retail giant has filed a lawsuit demanding that the comptroller’s office release the audit information it used in arriving … Continue reading →

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Austin gay divorce upheld

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Gay divorce seekers are one for two in the state of Texas. Over the objections of state Attorney General Greg Abbott, an Austin appellate court has upheld the divorce of a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts. When a lower court granted … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Abbott wants to block Austin gay divorce

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Attorney General Greg Abbott is once again fighting to protect the sanctity of divorce in Texas. Texas law not only limits marriage to opposite-sex couples, it forbids any action — including divorce — that recognizes or validates a same-sex marriage … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Early voting? Never heard of it

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhat incredibly, there were still endorsements being made over the weekend. Two newspapers finally got around to picking a side in the Governor’s race. The good news is that at least they picked the right one. First up, the Abilene … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: DMN for BAR

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have to admit, I was not expecting to see any Democrats for statewide non-judicial offices endorsed other than Bill White and Jeff Weems, but I am delighted to see this. [A]fter eight years of [Attorney General Greg] Abbott, Texas … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: And I hope for a pony, too

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I am not surprised that the Chron has endorsed AG Greg Abbott for re-election. My expectation was that the newspapers would all endorse Bill White, Jeff Weems, and each of the Republican incumbents, and so far there have been no … Continue reading →

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Interview with Barbara Radnofsky

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Coming into the home stretch, we move towards the top of the ballot with Barbara Radnofsky, who is running for Attorney General. Radnofsky, the 2006 Democratic nominee for Senate, is an attorney and mediator who has remained very active in … Continue reading →

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UT/TT poll: Perry 39, White 33

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Another poll result. Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads his Democratic challenger, Bill White, by 6 percentage points — 39 percent to 33 percent — in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Libertarian Kathie Glass has the support of 5 … Continue reading →

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Appeals court overrules gay divorce ruling

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Gay couples who got married outside of Texas can’t get a divorce inside Texas, according to the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas. Two men won’t be able to turn their Massachusetts marriage into a Texas divorce, the Dallas Court … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry isn’t the only debate ducker out there

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of debates and those who don’t want to have them, meet Greg “I’ll leave the decision about whether or not I participate in a debate to my staff” Abbott. What are these guys afraid of? Is the thought of … Continue reading →

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If not Planned Parenthood, then who?

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is another can of worms being opened. State Sen. Bob Deuell wants Planned Parenthood’s clinics out of the state’s Women’s Health Program, which provides family planning services — but not abortions — to impoverished Medicaid patients. … Continue reading →

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The SBOE and charter schools

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some members of the State Board of Education want to get into the charter school business. Representatives for Texas’ 460 independent charter schools asked the State Board of Education on Wednesday to tap into the state’s education trust fund and … Continue reading →

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Fundraising: Other statewides

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bill White kicked butt in the fundraising department, but how did the other statewide candidates do? Not nearly as good, unfortunately. Here’s a look: http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/summary.php?rn=458383&form=COH Totals From Report For Linda Chavez-Thompson Filed on: July 15 2010 Covering the Period February … Continue reading →

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Radnofsky urges Abbott to sue Wall Street

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas should file a sweeping lawsuit against Wall Street firms similar to the ones that led to the multibillion-dollar tobacco settlements of the 1990s, Democratic attorney general candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky argued Monday. Shortly after she launched her appeal, … Continue reading →

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Gay divorce lawsuit update

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all a little surreal. A man seeking to end his same-sex marriage in Dallas County is arguing an ironic point in a state that doesn’t recognize his nuptials: Grant the divorce and there will be one less gay marriage … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s health care lawsuit

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a copy of the lawsuit that AG Greg Abbott and a dozen of his buddies have filed against the health care reform bill that was signed into law today. You may be wondering, as I have been, … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for statewide candidates

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It almost seems a bit silly to look at the January campaign finance reports, since the 30 days out report is due in two weeks, but I’ve created a Google spreadsheet with summaries for the statewide candidates. A couple of … Continue reading →

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No check for you!

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nice little bit of holiday cheer for Texas’ retired public employees this week. Retired public employees discovered yesterday that they would not receive additional $500 checks this year. According to Senator Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, they shouldn’t hold their breath for … Continue reading →

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You sure you’re married?

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe you are, and maybe you’re not. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of … Continue reading →

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Perry’s got a secret

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Quite a few secrets, actually. He really, really doesn’t want you to know what he’s up to over there. When a national news organization in 2003 asked the state archives for the execution memoranda written for former Gov. George W. … Continue reading →

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Lone Star Project on Bohac

Posted on August 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, the Lone Star Project took a look at how now-reassigned Associate Voter Registrar Ed Johnson got his hands on drivers license data, which he and his business partner State Rep. Dwayne Bohac then used to sell campaign data … Continue reading →

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More names surfacing for statewide runs

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Greg, it appears that Smokey Joe Barton may want to party like it’s 1993. No one seems to be mentioning U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, as a candidate to replace outgoing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. Turns out that … Continue reading →

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Ellis asks for AG opinion on Cole pardon

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You remember Timothy Cole, the wrongly-convicted man who died in prison ten years ago and has since been exonerated in a court of inquiry. The Lege passed a bill named for him to increase compensation to those who have been … Continue reading →

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Earle is running for something

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, he’s taken the first step towards running for something, anyway. Democrat Ronnie Earle today filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to run for office in 2010 but did not specify which office he will seek. The former Travis … Continue reading →

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Jeff Weems

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been hearing plenty about the top of the ticket for Democrats in 2010, but there are still several slots to fill. One of them is the Railroad Commissioner seat held by Victor Carrillo. Via email to Carl Whitmarsh, here’s … Continue reading →

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The first domino

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Everybody’s been waiting to see what Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst will do next year, in the anticipation that if he announces a run for something else, Attorney General Greg Abbott will announce that he’s running for Lite Gov, and the … Continue reading →

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Radnofsky says she’s in for AG

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, since she has been talking about running for Attorney General for awhile, but Barbara Radnofsky sent out a press release yesterday confirming that she’s in the race for keeps. From the release: Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston attorney … Continue reading →

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Berman says he’s in for Governor

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Finally, the Republican primary for Governor becomes interesting. With plans to join the GOP primary with Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said today he wil announce as a candidate for governor … Continue reading →

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More on Radnofsky for AG

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Barbara Radnofsky talks to Gardner Selby about her intent to run for Attorney General in 2010. Radnofsky said Thursday she’s going to run next year for attorney general, starting with an Austin fund-raiser Tuesday featuring nine Democratic state representatives (all … Continue reading →

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The fees not paid

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The battle over the dueling strip club bills in the Lege this session has mostly been over how much revenue each would collect. But the state has to actually collect that revenue for any of that to be relevant. Dozens … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Paying for rape kits

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I missed this last week, and reading it now I’m one part outraged and one part puzzled. Victims of sexual assault are getting bills, rejection letters and pushy calls from bill collectors while a state crime victims’ fund sits full … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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