Tag Archives: SCOTUS

More on Texas proving the need for the Voting Rights Act

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN: “There have been growing arguments that the Voting Rights Act is obsolete and should be struck down,” says University of Michigan law professor Ellen Katz, a nationally recognized expert on the Voting Rights Act. “But [Gov.] Rick … Continue reading →

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The state of Texas has already proven the case for the Voting Rights Act

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So as you know, the state of Texas had its rear end handed to it in both the redistricting and voter ID preclearance lawsuits. Both of these rulings will be appealed to the Supreme Court, with the ultimate goal being … Continue reading →

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No changes to interim maps

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I noted this Friday afternoon, but in case you missed it the San Antonio court has ruled that the interim maps will be used as is for the November election. Texas will use its current district maps for the upcoming … Continue reading →

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Federal court refuses to preclear Texas voter ID bill

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another bad day in court for Texas Republicans. A federal three-judge panel on Thursday blocked the Texas voter ID law passed by the Republican Legislature, saying the new restrictions would place an unfair burden on Latinos, racial minorities and the … Continue reading →

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The UT admissions lawsuit

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t paid much attention to the latest lawsuit over the University of Texas’ admissions standards and practices – as with school finance lawsuits, I’ve lost count of how many there have been in my lifetime – but there are … Continue reading →

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Federal court denies preclearance on all redistricting maps

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The long-awaited ruling in the preclearance lawsuit by the DC Court

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Fifth Circuit strikes again

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Texas did not act unconstitutionally when it moved to expel Planned Parenthood from a health and contraceptive care program for low-income women. The ruling overturned a preliminary injunction, issued in April by … Continue reading →

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Guess who likes the Obamacare ruling now?

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas, that’s who. But not for any positive reason, of course. The high court decision limited the power of Congress to force states to take certain actions by threatening to withhold federal money – in the Affordable … Continue reading →

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Waiting for Rick (and Greg, and David)

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey breaks out his crystal ball and looks ahead to the 2014 election. Remember this: In his long history in state politics — closing in on three decades — [Rick] Perry has run for everything he said he was … Continue reading →

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Medicaid expansion: Not as expensive as the state claimed it would be

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember last year when the state Health and Human Services Commission claimed that Medicaid expansion would cost the state of Texas $27 billion over ten years, causing every Republican in the state to have a fainting spell and a hissy … Continue reading →

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No Medicaid expansion for you!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. Texas will not expand Medicaid or establish a health insurance exchange, two major tenets of the federal health reform that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last month, Gov. Rick Perry said in an early morning announcement. … Continue reading →

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What will Texas do now?

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Now that the Affordable Care Act has been upheld by the Supreme Court, there are two big issues that Texas will have to face. (*) One is the health care exchanges, and the other is Medicaid expansion, now that there’s … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Obamacare

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You can read the decision here. I’ll skip the analysis, since you can find a link to someone saying something about it on approximately 97% of the Internet today, but I will give a few links of my own, to … Continue reading →

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Skilling asks for new trial

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling’s appellate battle apparently will continue with what his attorney says is “newly discovered evidence.” In a motion for a time extension filed last week, Daniel Petrocelli asked to have until August … Continue reading →

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A trio of trial updates

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Planned Parenthood versus Texas: A ruling affecting health care, including contraception, for some 130,000 low-income Texas women probably won’t come until late this year as Planned Parenthood and the state of Texas plan for mid-October oral arguments in their legal … Continue reading →

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Texas continues its fight against clean air

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas was back in court last week, arguing for its right to pollute other states’ air. The latest round in the state’s fight with the Environmental Protection Agency will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

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So long, Santorum

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is Texas Republicans crying in their beer. Rick Santorum’s withdrawal today from the 2012 presidential contest makes Texas Republicans, once again, all but irrelevant in their party’s nomination process. The drawn-out nature of the race had … Continue reading →

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Who testifies about voter ID?

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That was the question before the federal court on Tuesday. U.S. Justice Department lawyers told a federal three-judge panel Tuesday that Texas legislators should not be shielded from testifying in a voter ID case. But lawyers for state Attorney General … Continue reading →

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Why gay marriage is inevitable

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Professor Stephen Klineberg – you know, the fancy movie star – looks at 30 years worth of Houston Area Survey data and sees the future. The findings from the 31st year of the Kinder Houston Area Survey (1982-2012) will be … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit rules against Farmers Branch

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I almost missed this. A federal appeals court has upheld the ruling that struck down a Farmers Branch renters ordinance aimed at banning illegal immigrants from rental housing in the city. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of … Continue reading →

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Texas goes long on voter ID

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From Michael Li: The State of Texas is seeking permission from the three-judge panel in the voter ID case to file an amended complaint that would directly challenge the constitutionality of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The amended … Continue reading →

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May 29 election date and re-filing period officially set

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the court order, and here’s the revised election calendar. The main things you need to know are that candidates who had filed for office in the prior period are automatically in unless they withdraw. The new filing period runs … Continue reading →

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The other elephant in the room

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Patti Kilday Hart writes about the Supreme Court taking up the issue once again of UT’s admissions policies. The Supreme Court’s willingness to consider the case signals that it may once again weigh in on how university admissions officers do … Continue reading →

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The numbers in the “deal”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As I start to type this I have no idea if the “deal” that was announced earlier today will be in effect or on the trash heap. I think it’s instructive to look at the numbers in the proposed maps … Continue reading →

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DC court will take its time

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

At least a month. A panel of federal judges told parties in a Texas redistricting case Wednesday not to expect a ruling within 30 days, throwing the date of the state’s political primaries further in doubt. A ruling by the … Continue reading →

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Meet the voter ID three judge panel

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, the state of Texas has filed a lawsuit in the DC District Federal Court – the same court that is hearing the preclearance lawsuit – to get the odious voter ID law precleared. Michael Li introduces us … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to hear strip club tax case

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The end of the road for this particular bit of litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court will not take up the adult entertainment industry’s lawsuit against the state’s $5-per-patron strip club tax, justices decided Monday. “Texas is now one step closer … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS issues ruling on redistricting

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, the Supreme Court has officially thrown out the interim maps that were drawn by the San Antonio court, in a unanimous decision handed down this morning. What does this mean? I’m going to start … Continue reading →

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DC preclearance trial, Day One

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait for the Supreme Court to give us some indication of what happens next with our elections – they did not issue an opinion this week – the preclearance trial at the DC federal court got underway. State … Continue reading →

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Another day in the sun for Wentworth

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The longer that the redistricting litigation drags on, the more opportunities there will be for stories to be written about State Sen. Jeff Wentworth and his bipartisan redistricting commission proposal. State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, has been a longtime … Continue reading →

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Redistricting litigation threatens party conventions

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

With the April 3 primary date now almost certainly no longer in play, the two parties’ biennial conventions are also at risk as the redistricting litigation drags on. The state’s Democratic and Republican parties made substantial down payments months ago … Continue reading →

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SOS sends voter registration info to DOJ

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Took them long enough, not that I’m complaining. Two weeks after Texas’ voter ID law was scheduled to go into effect, the measure is back in the U.S. Department of Justice’s hands. The Texas secretary of state’s office on Thursday … Continue reading →

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Sylvia Garcia’s impressions of the SCOTUS oral arguments on redistricting

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Former County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia was in Washington, DC to attend the Supreme Court hearing on the Texas redistricting case. I asked her before she left if she would be interested in writing about her impressions of the case for … Continue reading →

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2012 Democratic primary overview – Elsewhere in Texas

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As I noted in my previous post about contested Democratic primaries in Harris County, I have also created a page for contested primaries elsewhere in Texas. Many of the same notes and caveats exist for this page as well: – … Continue reading →

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