Tag Archives: lawsuit

Will TxDOT pull funding from the I-45 project?

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. Supporters of state plans to rebuild Interstate 45 from downtown Houston northward trekked to Austin on Thursday to keep the imperiled project on pace, fearing the region could be stuck with an aging freeway and no sign … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues over Abbott’s anti-migrant executive order

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Biden administration sued Texas on Friday, asking a federal judge to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that state troopers pull over drivers transporting migrants who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19 as a way to prevent the spread … Continue reading →

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Appeals court overturns verdict in firefighter pay parity lawsuit

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. An appeals court on Thursday reversed a ruling that declared Houston firefighters’ pay-parity measure unconstitutional, a major win for the fire union and one that could have far-reaching effects on city finances. The fire union won approval of a … Continue reading →

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The I-45 survey

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who thought this was a good idea? The fate of the massive $9 billion project may depend on how many people who agree with Smith or agree with Davies fill out an online poll — after 15 years of planning, … Continue reading →

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Day 9 quorum busting post: See you in August

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your endgame, more or less. Texas House Democrats will not return to the state until after the special session of the Legislature is over, one of the leaders of their walkout confirmed Tuesday. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San … Continue reading →

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Federal judge halts Arkansas law against gender affirming care for trans kids

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. In an in-person hearing in Little Rock on Wednesday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to block an Arkansas law that criminalizes gender-affirming care for transgender kids. U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr.’s bench ruling was … Continue reading →

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The DACA ruling

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that allows certain immigrants to temporarily avoid deportation and receive renewable work permits, is illegal and ordered the Biden administration to stop granting new … Continue reading →

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P Bush files a Paxton-style lawsuit

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a wannabe. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, claiming the president is illegally preventing the construction of a wall on the Texas-Mexico border. Bush announced the lawsuit Wednesday, saying his office … Continue reading →

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More briefs in the lawsuit over the line item veto

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope this means a ruling is on the horizon. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has asked the Texas Supreme Court to toss a lawsuit brought by House Democrats over Gov. Greg Abbott’s move to veto funding for the … Continue reading →

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Astros again seek to dismiss Bolsinger lawsuit

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They will probably succeed. The Astros have submitted their proposal for a Harris County judge to dismiss former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mike Bolsinger’s lawsuit against the team. Bolsinger has alleged trade misappropriation and sought more than $1 million in … Continue reading →

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Day 3 not as long omnibus quorum busting post

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s jump right in… Who’s paying for Texas Democrats’ trip to DC? Beto O’Rourke has already raised $400K. Beto O’Rourke’s political action committee has raised nearly half a million dollars to support Texas Democrats’ escape to Washington, D.C., he said … Continue reading →

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Former HCC instructor sues over sexual harassment allegations

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hoo boy. A former Houston Community College instructor is suing the community college system, its chancellor and a board member for $15 million, alleging that the college system retaliated against her for reporting that she was being sexually harassed by … Continue reading →

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Paxton agrees to unblock Twitter critics

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Our long national nightmare is over. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will no longer block ​users from his personal account for expressing “First Amendment-protected viewpoints” as part of an agreement to end a lawsuit where plaintiffs say they were unconstitutionally … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against “heartbeat” abortion law

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, I’d say this has an excellent chance of success, given that all previous litigation over such bans have been wins for the plaintiffs. But we are in uncharted territory here. Two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law … Continue reading →

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Bad bail bill 2.0

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This was also happening over the weekend. Days into a short legislative session, Texas lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a GOP priority bill that would make it harder for some people who have been arrested but not convicted to … Continue reading →

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FBI looking into Constable “bachelor party sting” mess

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Never a good sign. Federal investigators are probing the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office after several current and former female employees accused superiors of sexually exploiting them during undercover anti-human trafficking operations, a lawyer for the women confirmed Thursday. … Continue reading →

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State House takes a step toward reinstating legislative funding

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but it’s just a first step. Texas lawmakers are moving swiftly to reinstate funding for the Texas Legislature, vetoed last month by Gov. Greg Abbott, that affects the salaries of more than 2,100 employees across several state agencies The … Continue reading →

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Here’s your special session agenda

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They call this “red meat”, but it’s really just bullshit. Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the agenda for the special legislative session that begins Thursday, asking lawmakers to prioritize 11 issues that largely appeal to conservatives who wanted more out … Continue reading →

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Back to the public input phase for I-45

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They hear, but will they listen? Hemmed between a request for a pause by federal highway officials and an outcry from opponents, planners of a massive rebuild of Interstate 45 in Houston are taking their plans back to the public … Continue reading →

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The response to the lawsuit over the line item veto

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know, scintillating headline, but there’s plenty of action here. The state is defending Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent veto of legislative funding as a bipartisan group of former state leaders — as well as more Democrats — weigh in against … Continue reading →

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Let a thousand Justice Department probes of Texas voter suppression bloom

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just don’t expect too much to happen. With Texas lawmakers poised to push for new voting restrictions in a special session next week, the state’s congressional Democrats are urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Texas’ existing voting laws. … Continue reading →

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How will the Dems handle the special session?

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They have some options, but honestly, there’s not that much they can do. Outnumbered and virtually powerless to block conservative priorities they oppose, Democrats in the Texas Legislature say they are keeping their options open as they prepare for a … Continue reading →

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City victory in water rights lawsuit upheld

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. A split Texas appeals court ruled Wednesday that a state law that would have stripped Houston of its interest in an unbuilt water reservoir was unconstitutionally retroactive, siding with a lower court that protected the city’s interests. … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS takes another knife to the Voting Rights Act

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The red carpet for voter suppression has been rolled out. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against voters of color. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion in … Continue reading →

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Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit tossed

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a bit of good news. A Travis County judge has thrown out McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley’s lawsuit against the state panel that sanctioned her in 2019 for refusing to perform same-sex weddings. Judge Jan Soifer … Continue reading →

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SCOTX and Facebook

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. The Texas Supreme Court will allow three human trafficking victims to move forward in litigation against Facebook that alleges the platform enabled their abusers to groom them into a life of prostitution. In a 6-0 ruling, with two justices … Continue reading →

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First post-legislative session voting rights lawsuit filed

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not the last. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, a Latino civil rights group and a voting rights group say a bill signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week that prevents Texans from using a commerical … Continue reading →

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ACLU warns counties to stay away from the Abbott wall

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sent letters today to 34 counties informing top officials that implementing Gov. Greg Abbott’s unlawful plan to engage in immigration enforcement would violate the U.S. Constitution. The letters, sent to … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues Georgia over its voter suppression law

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. In its first major action to combat GOP voter suppression laws, the Biden Justice Department announced on Friday that it is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting restrictions. The lawsuit was first reported by … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against suspension of federal unemployment benefits

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how likely this is to succeed, but it’s worth a try. Thousands of Texans have banded together and hired an attorney to file suit to block Gov. Greg Abbott from ending emergency federal unemployment benefits before the programs … Continue reading →

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Suing the “Trump Train”

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A group of people traveling on a President Joe Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway last fall when it was surrounded and followed by former President Donald Trump’s supporters have filed a lawsuit against at least seven people … Continue reading →

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We do agree that “Greg Abbott” and “disaster” go together well

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this. Over the past year, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations across the state for a number of tragedies: the coronavirus pandemic that killed more than 50,000 Texans, a winter storm that left … Continue reading →

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Feds tell TxDOT to slow down on I-45

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

On pause for however long. In two letters released Wednesday — one to the Texas Department of Transportation and another to Harris County leaders — the Federal Highway Administration said it expected Texas officials to halt work [on I-45], including … Continue reading →

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Methodist anti-vaxxers officially fired

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than 150 Houston Methodist Hospital employees resigned or have been fired as of Tuesday over a recent policy that required hospital employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday. All told, … Continue reading →

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