Tag Archives: SCOTUS

Reports from SCOTUS redistricting arguments

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s almost too much information to parse on the legal arguments made before the Supreme Court over the Texas redistricting maps. Let’s start with The Hill: The Supreme Court justices grappled to find a way to resolve a messy Texas … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS hears redistricting arguments today

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Today is a big effin’ deal at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will attempt on Monday to untangle the political mess in Texas created by a voting rights controversy. The case could have important political consequences, and highlights a … Continue reading →

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Your voter registration card is not in the mail just yet

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another side effect of the Supreme Court stay. Even if you’ve registered to vote in Texas, you won’t be getting a new voter registration certificate until February. Although the latest blue cards expired at the end of the year, counties … Continue reading →

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Sonogram lawsuit appeal

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s appeal of the injunction granted against the awful sonogram law was heard in court, but there’s no indication yet when the court will issue a ruling. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t … Continue reading →

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DOJ files amicus brief in favor of interim maps

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li: The Justice Department is not a party to the San Antonio case and, until now, it hasn’t been involved in the interim map appeal before the Supreme Court. However, given the possible impact that a Supreme Court ruling … Continue reading →

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D.C. panel issues decision defining preclearance standards

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Michael Li: Late Thursday evening, the D.C. panel issued its long-awaited opinion defining the standards for preclearance under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and further explaining why the court had earlier rejected the State of Texas’ request … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS redistricting briefs

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Opening briefs for the SCOTUS hearing on Texas redistricting were filed yesterday – you can see them here. The State of Texas is going long – Michael Li explains. The State of Texas asks the Supreme Court to let the … Continue reading →

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When is a filing deadline not a filing deadline?

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Answer: When there will be another filing period after the filing deadline, as will be the case in Texas, according to the Secretary of State. “Based on the federal court’s order handed down December 16, candidates will be permitted to … Continue reading →

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DC court sets date for preclearance trial, primary dates still up in the air

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the Lone Star Project: [Monday], a three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Federal District Court set January 17, 2012 through January 26, 2012 as the trial dates to formally review the Congressional, State House and State … Continue reading →

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That’s logistics

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li, on why many an elections administrator likely spent the weekend pulling out their hair: The March 6 primary also remains in place for now, but adjustments are virtually certain- even if the Supreme Court rules quickly after the … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS issues a stay

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The Supreme Court, working late on a Friday, agreed to rule on the constitutionality of three redistricting plans for the two houses of the Texas legislature and its 36-member U.S. House of Representatives delegation, and put on hold temporarily … Continue reading →

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African-American State Reps state their map objections

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Black-lawmakers-blast-revised-Texas-voting-maps-2346838.php Contending that African Americans have been an afterthought during the contentious yearlong redistricting process, four Houston lawmakers on Monday voiced their objections to the interim House map a three-judge panel drew recently. “A lot of emphasis over the past … Continue reading →

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Sizing up the opportunities

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story about the new Congressional map and who’s looking at what (which ran in the Express News last week) has a lot of things we’ve been discussing, and a couple of things to point out. First, a theme … Continue reading →

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Still waiting on SCOTUS

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Responses to the State of Texas’ stay request for State House and State Senate elections were due Thursday. Responses to the stay request for Congressional elections, which was filed Wednesday, are due this morning. It’s not clear when SCOTUS will … Continue reading →

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Two more points about redistricting

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

First, go read what Greg has to say about the San Antonio federal court’s logic in drawing the districts that it did. I tried to get at some of this in this post, but he digs in and says it … Continue reading →

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A little perspective about redistricting

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So now we wait for the full Supreme Court’s ruling on AG Abbott’s requests to stay the 2012 elections, which by the way would only apply to the elections affected by the disputed redistricting maps. Other primary elections for things … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS asks for briefs in stay request

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We still have a few more days at least before we get some kind of resolution over the maps we will be using for this election. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop … Continue reading →

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Filing season opens today

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s supposed to open today, anyway. It may get pushed back a day or two until the remaining legal actions get sorted out. As we know, after being turned down by the San Antonio federal Court, AG Greg Abbott is … Continue reading →

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Going for the stay

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Late Wednesday, AG Greg Abbott requested that the San Antonio court stay its order implementing new maps for Congress, the State House, and the State Senate, exhibiting his usual grace and class in doing so. Not unexpectedly, the San Antonio … Continue reading →

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Modified House and Senate maps are out

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The federal court in San Antonio has now issued orders that slightly tweaked the State House and State Senate maps; the new plans are H302 and S164, respectively. The modifications are minor and mostly affect a few districts in Harris … Continue reading →

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State objects to court-drawn maps

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office on Friday slammed an interim redistricting map proposed by a three-judge panel in San Antonio, saying the federal jurists overstepped their bounds in redrawing House and Senate district lines that could cost … Continue reading →

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Sonogram law still blocked

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas sonogram law, that was ruled unconstitutional before it could go into effect, will stay in legal limbo for the time being. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ordered the main provisions of the law were improper because they … Continue reading →

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News flash: The Amazon sales tax problem requires a federal solution

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How many times do we have to say it? State governments across the country are laying off teachers, closing public libraries and parks, and reducing health care services, but there is one place they could get $23 billion if they … Continue reading →

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Skilling conviction upheld

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some Enron news for you: A U.S. Supreme Court decision does not undo any of the convictions against former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, but his case should still be sent back to a Houston judge for resentencing, an appeals court … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds UT’s admissions policy

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. In 1996, a federal appeals court effectively banned affirmative action in admissions at the University of Texas in a case known as Hopwood. On Tuesday, the same court reversed course, ruling that the university’s consideration of race and ethnicity … Continue reading →

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Will the Lege change the rules about corporate campaign contributions?

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I think the answer to that question is probably “No”, but given the Citizens United ruling and the effect it had in the 2010 election, one cannot rule it out. Immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, the Texas Ethics … Continue reading →

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How about filling all of the court vacancies?

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t really have an opinion about the newest Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan. There are people I respect who think she’s a good choice, and people I respect who wanted someone else, generally Diane Wood, to be the nominee … Continue reading →

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Disclose, please

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough by itself. The U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for corporations to pour money into influencing Texas elections, but the state ethics commission today is taking up a … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS officially endorses hot judge on prosecutor action

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I wish I could say I was surprised by this, but I’m not. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Charles Dean Hood, a Texas death row inmate who complained that he was denied a fair trial because … Continue reading →

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Skinner gets reprieve from SCOTUS

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Supreme Court today stayed the execution of capital killer Henry Skinner one hour before he was to be put to death for the 1993 murders of his Pampa girlfriend and her two adult sons. The court halted … 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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Skilling’s appeal goes to SCOTUS

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Jeff Skilling, the former CEO of Enron now serving jail time after being convicted on multiple charges stemming from that debacle, gets his day in the Supreme Court. Skilling now asks the court to grapple with two issues about the … Continue reading →

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CCA reverses itself, overturns death penalty in Hood case

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A bitterly divided Court of Criminal Appeals granted a new sentencing trial for [Charles Dean] Hood based on frequently shifting U.S. Supreme Court rulings on flawed jury instructions used prior to 1991. The 5-4 decision did not affect Hood’s … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court petitioned to hear the Charles Hood case

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via Grits, one of the more embarrassing rulings from the Court of Criminal Appeals – and you know how much that is saying – has been appealed to the US Supreme Court. A former governor, a former district attorney, a … Continue reading →

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