Tag Archives: lawsuit

Harris County GOP sues Isabel Longoria

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a lawsuit kind of day. The Harris County Republican Party filed a lawsuit Monday against the county’s elections administrator, Isabel Longoria, for what they call the “worst elections fiasco in Texas history.” The lawsuit was filed after Longoria’s office … Continue reading →

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

How about a new Ken Paxton scandal?

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Funny how these things keep cropping up. It’s almost as if it were habitual or something. In late 2018, Conduent Business Services, the giant information company formerly part of Xerox, was on the edge of a financial cliff. For more … Continue reading →

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Paxton appeals gender affirming care order

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he did. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed for an appeal Thursday after a state judge blocked Texas’ child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum … Continue reading →

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

More school districts dropping mask mandates

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Unsurprising. Some of Texas’ biggest school districts are lifting mask mandates for students just weeks before spring break. Houston Independent School District, the state’s largest district, and Dallas ISD announced Monday that they would not require students to wear masks. … Continue reading →

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More people are choosing the medical abortion option

Posted on March 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not like there are good alternatives right now in Texas. The demand for abortion-inducing medication spiked in the month after Texas significantly limited abortion access and has remained high since, according to new data from a researcher at the … Continue reading →

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

Maybe suing to stop the vote count isn’t the best way to get the vote counted

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a thought. The Harris County Elections Division released the final, unofficial primary elections results early Thursday, following a GOP petition to impound the records which stopped vote counts hours earlier. Citing malfunctions and a lack of testing of election … Continue reading →

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

AstroWorld lawsuits get underway

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be fascinating, heartbreaking, infuriating, and a lot more. Lawyers packed a Harris County civil courtroom Tuesday morning as the judge overseeing litigation stemming from the deadly Astroworld Festival concert outlined the first steps to organize the hundreds of … Continue reading →

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

Investigation into trans teen’s family halted

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. A state judge blocked Texas’ child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care, citing the “irreparable injury” they would likely suffer. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum’s ruling does not … Continue reading →

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

Lawsuit filed to block investigation of gender-affirming care for trans teenager

Posted on March 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was inevitable. I very much hope it is successful. The state of Texas is investigating a family for child abuse after the parents obtained gender-affirming care for their 16-year-old transgender daughter. It’s believed to be among the first of … Continue reading →

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

More on Abbott’s involvement in “getting the power back on”

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Also known as more from the Brazos Electric Power Co-op lawsuit against ERCOT, but that didn’t fit well in the title. The former chair of the Texas Public Utility Commission testified in court Thursday that during last year’s winter storm and blackout Governor … Continue reading →

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SCOTx hears SB8 argument

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be honest, I had not realized this was on the calendar. The Texas Supreme Court got its first chance to weigh in on the state’s new abortion law Thursday, hearing arguments in a narrow challenge to the restrictions, which … Continue reading →

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Anti-abortion zealots make their move under SB8

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is where it really starts to get scary and ugly. For nearly six months, as Texas’ novel abortion law has wended its way through the courts, abortion providers and opponents have been locked in a stalemate. The law, known … Continue reading →

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

Beaumont versus Disney, Netflix, and Hulu

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, this is going to be fun. The City of Beaumont is suing Netflix, Hulu, and Disney for failure to pay franchise fees. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, the city attorney was officially authorized to file the lawsuit. The city … Continue reading →

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

Go ahead and blame Greg Abbott for your high electricity bills

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They really are his fault. The former head of the Texas power grid testified in court Wednesday that when he ordered power prices to stay at the maximum price cap for days on end during last year’s frigid winter storm and blackout, running up … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson will face some depositions

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A long-awaited update on this case. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson must undergo depositions in connection to at least some of the 22 misconduct allegations made against him before April, a judge on Monday ordered. Lawyers involved in civil litigation … Continue reading →

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Using the Texas model to protect voting rights

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some blue state needs to do this. In the midst of the ongoing debate over Republicans’ siege on voting rights in states they control, here’s an unconventional suggestion: Democratic state legislators should take a page from the Republican playbook and … Continue reading →

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I regret to inform you that Ken Paxton may not be an honest broker

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You should maybe be sitting down for this. The whistleblowers who sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton after he fired them for accusing him of bribery and abuse of office are speaking out against him publicly for the first time … Continue reading →

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

Hey, remember when disability rights advocates were worried about the voter suppression bill?

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They were right to be worried. Because of course they were. As polls opened up for early voting this week, disability advocates say they still do not have adequate guidance from the state about new voter assistance rules and worry … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

COVID madness

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

How many ways will unhinged lunatics find to kill us? A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling, effectively halting United Airlines’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees. The majority on the 5th U.S. Circuit panel ruled in favor of lifting … Continue reading →

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Of course the Fifth Circuit put a hold on the SB1 injunction

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There is nothing more reliable in this world than the Fifth Circuit giving Republicans everything they ask for. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has put a temporary hold on a preliminary injunction that had blocked enforcement of a … Continue reading →

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Winter storm litigation about to get busy

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some test cases will be underway soon. During the past year, the wrongful-death, personal injury and property damage lawsuits — nearly all consolidated before one judge in Houston — moved at a snail’s pace. Hardly any court hearings were conducted. … Continue reading →

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Injunction granted in lawsuit over criminal penalties for election officials who encourage voting by mail

Posted on February 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a somewhat complicated headline for this. A new Texas law that keeps local election officials from encouraging voters to request mail-in ballots likely violates the First Amendment, a federal judge ruled late Friday. Following a testy three-hour hearing earlier … Continue reading →

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Here comes that AstroWorld task force

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Got to admit, I had thought this had already happened. Three months after 10 people were killed at the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park, Houston and Harris County have named a 10-person task force to review procedures, permitting and guidelines … Continue reading →

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Anti-Israel boycott law knocked down again

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out this is a First Amendment violation. Who knew? (Spoiler alert: Pretty much everyone else in the world.) Texas can’t forbid an engineering firm from boycotting Israel as part of its contract with Houston City Hall, a federal judge … Continue reading →

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Voting Rights Groups Sue Texas for Failure to Disclose Records Related to Voter Purges

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and DĒMOS filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. … Continue reading →

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No restraining order in SD10 lawsuit

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The March primary will officially proceed as scheduled. A federal three-judge panel in El Paso on Tuesday denied a request by Tarrant County residents to block a reconfigured state Senate district from being used in the upcoming March primary election … Continue reading →

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The SD10 redistricting lawsuit gets off to a rousing start

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I did not see this coming. In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new … Continue reading →

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Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

SD10 lawsuit gets its hearing

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The last possible obstacle to a March primary, and the first redistricting lawsuit to get a merits hearing. A federal district judge in El Paso on Tuesday will preside over one of several challenges against the state of Texas and … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court to hear whether state redistricting lawsuit can proceed

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the update I’ve been waiting for. Not what I was hoping for, but it is what it is. The state’s bid to toss a legal challenge arguing last year’s GOP-led redistricting effort violated the Texas Constitution is headed to … Continue reading →

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Paxton thumbs his nose at open records demand

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Water is wet. The sun rises in the east. Ken Paxton DGAF about government, ethics, accountability or any of that other namby-pamby stuff. Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Travis County district attorney’s determination that Paxton violated open records laws … Continue reading →

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SB8 litigation will stay with SCOTx

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another game of Calvinball, same result. The U.S. Supreme Court denied on Thursday abortion providers’ latest request to intervene in the ongoing legal challenge against Texas’ restrictive abortion law, cutting off one of their few remaining paths to a speedy … Continue reading →

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You (probably) still have to get vaxxed if you work in Houston

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see this, but there’s a huge question that this story doesn’t address, much less answer. Local companies say they will maintain their vaccination policies despite last week’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Biden administration’s vaccination … Continue reading →

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

SB8 lawsuit moves to SCOTx

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Like I said, the fix was always in. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday sent the legal challenge to Texas’ restrictive abortion law to the state’s Supreme Court, a move that is expected to significantly delay the … Continue reading →

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