Tag Archives: lawsuit

More on the oligarch suing Beto

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer; I’m picking it up after the initial statements by Beto that got Kelcy Warren’s undies in such a wad: Free-speech advocates and many legal scholars have long decried these sort frivolous lawsuits—known as SLAPPs, or Strategic Lawsuits … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chron story on City Council redistricting

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more info now. As Houston begins to redraw its City Council map for the 2023 elections, two districts representing western portions of the city, including Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, and Uptown, among other neighborhoods, have out-sized populations that … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chron story on City Council redistricting

Of course Ted Cruz supported sedition

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

None of this is surprising. And I’m certain there will be more, that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sen. Ted Cruz was dining near the Capitol on the evening of Dec. 8, 2020, when he received an … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Abortion funds accuse Briscoe Cain of defamation

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be fun. Earlier this month, Republican Texas House lawmaker Briscoe Cain sent Texas abortion funds cease-and-desist letters, threatening the funds, their donors and volunteers with criminal prosecution unless they stopped helping fund abortions in Texas. Now, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Judge rules against Prairie View students in 2018 voting rights case

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There was a lot of legal activity last week, so it took me a minute to get to this story. A federal judge ruled Thursday that Waller County did not discriminate against student voters at Prairie View A&M University during … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Judge rules against Prairie View students in 2018 voting rights case

SCOTUS unanimously rejects Dave Wilson

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against former Houston Community College trustee Dave Wilson, finding that he didn’t have an actionable First Amendment claim after suing his colleagues for verbally censuring him in 2018. In a 9-0 … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTUS unanimously rejects Dave Wilson

First “Trump Train” lawsuit to proceed

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ruled in favor of plaintiffs in Cervini v. Cisneros, the “Texas Trump Train” lawsuit filed against individuals in a convoy of Trump supporters who conspired to mount … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Justice Department sues over Galveston County Commissioners Court map

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but remember how the federal courts are these days before getting too optimistic. The Department of Justice on Thursday sued Galveston County over its new redistricting map, accusing Republican county officials of violating the Voting Rights Act last year … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Justice Department sues over Galveston County Commissioners Court map

Paxton appeals to SCOTx to re-allow investigations of trans kids’ families

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state Supreme Court to intervene to allow child abuse investigations into parents of transgender children. His request comes just days after a Texas appeals court reinstated a temporary injunction blocking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton appeals to SCOTx to re-allow investigations of trans kids’ families

More on the abortion funds’ lawsuits

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good overview in the WaPo. The Texas law has so far withstood multiple court challenges by employing a highly controversial legal strategy: empowering private citizens to sue anyone who helps facilitate an abortion after the legal limit. Abortion rights advocates … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fifth Circuit asks SCOTx for help on some SB1 issues

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Twitter summary: . Here are the questions the 5th Circuit asked the Texas Supremes to answer: https://ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/22/22-50110.0.pdf — Chuck Lindell (@chucklindell) 2:45 PM – 23 March 2022 To recap the history here, back in September a group of plaintiffs … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Fifth Circuit asks SCOTx for help on some SB1 issues

Yes, the statewide injunction against investigations into the families of trans kids is in effect

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas appeals court on Monday reinstated a temporary injunction blocking Texas from investigating parents for child abuse if they allow their transgender children to receive gender-affirming care. The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals issued the order as part of a lawsuit brought … Continue reading →

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

Beto responds to oligarch’s lawsuit

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Democrat Beto O’Rourke is blasting a pipeline company executive and top donor to Greg Abbott’s re-election campaign for filing a defamation lawsuit against him as he tries to unseat the two-term Republican governor. O’Rourke’s attorney filed a legal … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Beto responds to oligarch’s lawsuit

“Due diligence”

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just gonna leave this right here. The Browns said they did due diligence before agreeing to give Deshaun Watson a $230 million contract and complete a trade with the Texans. Watson is facing 22 civil suits for sexual harassment … Continue reading →

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

Appeals court upholds ruling to unseal MLB’s 2017 letter on sign stealing

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Look, if you’re going to follow a weird story, you’ve got to stay committed to following that weird story. A September 2017 letter from Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred detailing alleged sign-stealing by the New York Yankees should be … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Appeals court upholds ruling to unseal MLB’s 2017 letter on sign stealing

Abortion funds file their own lawsuits

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to fight back. I hope it can be successful. This week, the Lilith Fund and Texas Equal Access Fund, two of Texas’ oldest abortion funds, announced legal action (available to view here, here, here, and here) against two private individuals in Texas and two organizations based … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First round of Deshaun Watson depositions

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He hasn’t had much to say so far. Four days after a Harris County grand jury chose not to indict Deshaun Watson, the Texans quarterback answered questions for the first time while under oath in connection to 22 civil lawsuits accusing him … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on First round of Deshaun Watson depositions

Still more on the mail ballot rejections

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Associated Press moves the ball forward now that the votes have been canvassed. Texas threw out mail votes at an abnormally high rate during the nation’s first primary of 2022, rejecting nearly 23,000 ballots outright under tougher voting rules … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Deshaun Watson traded to Cleveland

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He’s someone else’s problem now. The Texans have traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns. The quarterback waived his no-trade clause for Cleveland after initially eliminating the franchise, a person with knowledge of the negotiation said, but Watson reversed his decision … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

OAN sues AT&T over being dropped from their service

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Worth keeping an eye on. Right-wing cable network One America News is suing Dallas-based AT&T and DirecTV, alleging the companies breached their contract with OAN and conspired with a company currently suing OAN’s owners. AT&T and DirecTV became the target … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A trifecta of crap from the Fifth Circuit

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what they do. A federal appeals court has ruled for Texas in three lawsuits challenging the state’s voting laws, including mail-in ballot provisions and the elimination of straight-ticket voting. In a series of 2-1 rulings Wednesday evening, a panel … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is that statewide injunction against investigations into the families of trans kids in effect?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ken Paxton wants you to think it isn’t, but it’s not really up to him. When a judge ruled Friday that Texas could not investigate parents for child abuse simply for providing gender-affirming care, it was immediately clear that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Of course the Census undercounted people of color

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was the Trump administration’s goal from the beginning. The 2020 census continued a longstanding trend of undercounting Black people, Latinos and Native Americans, while overcounting people who identified as white and not Latino, according to estimates from a report the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Of course the Census undercounted people of color

More data about mail ballot rejections

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Keep it coming. Thousands of Texans who attempted to vote by mail in the March primary were disenfranchised in the state’s first election conducted under a new Republican voting law. The state’s largest counties saw a significant spike in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas sues to keep federal funds that would be denied for bullying trans kids

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The utter gall, it’s breathtaking. Texas is worried it could lose over a billion dollars in federal funding over Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive requiring medical professionals to report transgender children receiving gender-affirming health care as potential child abuse. Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas sues to keep federal funds that would be denied for bullying trans kids

No charges against Deshaun Watson

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good for him, I guess. A Harris County grand jury on Friday declined to indict Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, choosing not to criminally charge him in nine alleged instances of sexual assault or harassment during various private massage appointments, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Statewide injunction issued against Abbott/Paxton witch hunt

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news to end the week. State District Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled Friday that providing gender-affirming care is not a reason for the state to investigate a family for child abuse, and halted all such investigations. The statewide … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Statewide injunction issued against Abbott/Paxton witch hunt

SCOTx puts the last nail in the federal lawsuit against SB8

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The fix was in from the beginning. The Texas Supreme Court dealt a final blow to abortion providers’ federal challenge to the state’s latest abortion restrictions Friday. The court ruled that state medical licensing officials do not have authority to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ken Paxton repays the Briggle family for their hospitality

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What a scumbag he is. When the case worker asked to inspect the house, Amber and Adam Briggle first led her to the kitchen. They opened the cabinets to show they were full of food. They moved on to the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

State Bar sues Sidney Powell for professional misconduct

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Busy times at the State Bar of Texas. The State Bar of Texas has filed a disciplinary suit against former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell alleging that she committed professional misconduct when she filed multiple lawsuits seeking to invalidate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Bar sues Sidney Powell for professional misconduct

Appeals court denies Paxton appeal of gender affirming care order

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas appeals court sided with the parents of a transgender teenager in a ruling Wednesday, rejecting Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to allow a child abuse investigation to proceed. The ruling will allow a lower court to hold … Continue reading →

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

And more people are travelling for abortions

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The number of abortions performed in Texas has declined greatly since the passage of SB8. But the number of Texans seeking abortions has remained the same, which is what abortion advocates have always said would be the case. The number … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Longoria to resign as Election Administrator

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ultimately for the best. Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria submitted her resignation Tuesday, about an hour and half after Judge Lina Hidalgo announced she intended to replace her following last week’s bungled primary contests. Longoria said her resignation would … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Longoria to resign as Election Administrator

One of Abbott’s billionaire patrons just sued Beto

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

OMG, this is amazing. The former CEO of one of the nation’s biggest pipeline companies and a major donor to Gov. Greg Abbott is suing Democrat Beto O’Rourke for defamation, slander, and libel for talking about his company’s role in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments