Tag Archives: The Lege

Cracking Asian-American communities

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib explores what the new Congressional maps did to Asian-American communities, mostly but not exclusively in the Houston area. When Texas lawmakers redrew congressional maps following the 2020 census, they split up Asian American populations in both Harris and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged CD03, CD04, CD07, CD09, CD22, Census, Collin County, Congress, demography, Election 2020, Election 2022, Fair Maps Texas Action Committee, Fort Bend County, Harris County, Korean American Voters League, lawsuit, redistricting, South Asian American Voter Empowerment of Texas, Texas, Texas AAPI Redistricting Coalition, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

Redistricting litigation update

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Reform Austin shows that the state’s legal defense strategy against the various redistricting lawsuits is “You can’t sue us!” Because of the clear racial gerrymandering, multiple groups are launching legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. The state has now … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Pacific Islander Americans Public Affairs Association, Cameron County, Census, Clean Elections Texas, Common Cause, Congress, Damon Wilson, Emgage, Fair Maps Texas Action Committee, HD35, HD37, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters, MALC, NAACP, National Council of Jewish Women-Greater Dallas Section, OCA Houston, Our Vote Texas, redistricting, Roland Gutierrez, Sarah Eckhardt, SBOE, SCOTUS, Senate, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Texans Against Gerrymandering, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

Still waiting on SCOTUS

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They’re in no rush. More than two weeks have passed since the Supreme Court’s extraordinarily rushed arguments over Texas’ unique abortion law without any word from the justices. They raised expectations of quick action by putting the case on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, Amy Hagstrom Miller, Center for Reproductive Rights, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department, lawsuit, Mississippi, Planned Parenthood, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance | 2 Comments

Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged Collin County, Dade Phelan, Dallas County, Dan Patrick, Donald Trump, Election 2020, fraudit, Greg Abbott, Greg Bonnen, Harris County, Jane Nelson, John Scott, President, Secretary of State, Senate, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Gina Calanni joins the Commissioners Court Precinct 4 race

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re up to three Democratic candidates for Harris County Commissioners Court in Precinct 4 as former State Rep. Gina Calanni throws her hat in. The announcement can be seen here, but it’s an embedded image so I’m not going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Ben Chou, Commissioners Court, Democratic primary, Election 2018, Election 2020, Election 2022, Gina Calanni, Harris County, HD132, Jack Cagle, Lesley Briones, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

ACLU and others sue over new redistricting maps

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The count is now seven. Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging new Texas state legislative and congressional district plans as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders violating both the Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. The suit details an … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Pacific Islander Americans Public Affairs Association, Bell County, Census, Clean Elections Texas, Collin County, Common Cause, Congress, Emgage, Fair Maps Texas Action Committee, Fort Bend County, HD54, HD55, Killeen, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, National Council of Jewish Women-Greater Dallas Section, OCA Houston, Our Vote Texas, redistricting, Senate, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Texans Against Gerrymandering, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 4 Comments

Rep. Garnet Coleman to retire

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very sad to see him go, he was one of the best. State Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Houston Democrat who has served 30 years in the Texas House, said Thursday he will not seek another term to the lower chamber. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Democratic primary, Election 2022, Garnet Coleman, HD147, HD22, Joe Deshotel, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Republicans sue over new Commissioners Court map

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Republican Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey have filed a voting rights lawsuit in state court in hopes of halting a Harris County redistricting plan they claim strips more than 1.1 million people of their right to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Adrian Garcia, Andy Taylor, Commissioners Court, Election 2022, Election 2024, Harris County, Jack Cagle, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, redistricting, Rodney Ellis, Texas, The Lege, Tom Ramsey, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Michelle Beckley files for Lt. Governor

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And now there are three. Democratic state Rep. Michelle Beckley of Carrollton, who gained national attention for joining lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C., to block a Republican election bill this summer, is running for lieutenant governor, expanding her party’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged abortion, CD24, Congress, Dan Patrick, Democratic primary, Election 2022, fundraising, HD65, Lite Gov, marijuana, Matthew Dowd, Medicaid, Michelle Beckley, Mike Collier, quorum, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

Ten years after the Bastrop fire

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this story asks whether Texas is ready for the next big fire. I think we know the answer to that. Ten years ago, Texas experienced it’s worst wildfire disaster in the state’s history. Over 31 thousand fires … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Bastrop State Park, budget, climate change, drought, Election 2013, fire, flooding, Freeze 2021, John Nielsen-Gammon, Rick Perry, Texas, Texas State Climatologist, The Lege | 2 Comments

Filing season is officially open

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We wait all year for this. This Saturday marks the start of the battle for control in Texas politics, a key landmark for the upcoming 2022 elections. Democratic and Republican candidates will start filing for their candidacies for the March … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Congress, Democratic primary, Election 2022, filing deadline, Harris County, primaries, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

State lawsuits against SB8 finally get a hearing

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A long strange trip it has been. A state district judge on Wednesday morning heard arguments from abortion rights groups challenging Texas’ restrictive abortion law in what seems to be the first court hearing to specifically tackle the statute’s constitutionality. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, lawsuit, Planned Parenthood, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Multidistrict Litigation Panel, Texas Right to Life, The Lege | 1 Comment

Special election set for District G

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Our first election of 2022. The special election to fill west Houston’s District G seat on City Council will be Tuesday, Jan. 25. City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to call the election. Candidates interested in the position have until Dec. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged District G, Election 2022, Greg Travis, HD133, Houston, Houston City Council, special election, The Lege | 1 Comment

Now is the autumn of our discontent

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody likes anything right now. Texas voters have a net disapproval for how state leaders have handled the reliability of the electricity grid, abortion and property taxes, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. In an October poll … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged abortion, Election 2022, Freeze 2021, Greg Abbott, immigration, polls, property taxes, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression | Comments Off

SCOTx hears Chick-Fil-A case

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. The Supreme Court of Texas heard oral arguments Thursday in the now two-year-old case involving the exclusion of Chick-fil-A city contract in the San Antonio International Airport. […] San Antonio has always maintained that the law … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged 4th Court of Appeals, abortion, Bexar County, Chick-fil-A, Ken Paxton, Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio, Supreme Court, The Lege | Comments Off

Precinct analysis: The new State House map

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, we have new State House districts. We may as well acquaint ourselves with them. The coverage we’ve had so far has focused on the 2020 election numbers to say whether a district will be red or … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Alex Dominguez, Barack Obama, Bell County, Beto O'Rourke, Brazoria County, Brazos County, Collin County, Denton County, Donald Trump, Eddie Lucio, Election 2012, Election 2014, Election 2016, Election 2018, Election 2020, Election 2022, Fort Bend County, Hays County, HD106, HD108, HD112, HD118, HD121, HD122, HD126, HD127, HD129, HD132, HD133, HD134, HD138, HD14, HD144, HD148, HD150, HD20, HD25, HD26, HD28, HD29, HD33, HD34, HD35, HD36, HD37, HD39, HD41, HD45, HD47, HD52, HD54, HD55, HD57, HD61, HD63, HD65, HD66, HD70, HD74, HD76, HD80, HD84, HD89, HD93, HD94, HD96, HD97, HD99, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, Penny Shaw, precinct analysis, redistricting, Rockwall County, Texas, The Lege, Williamson County | 3 Comments

Justice Department sues Texas over the voter suppression law

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Specifically, they are challenging a couple of specific provisions of the law. The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday sued Texas over its new voting law, expanding its effort to challenge Republican-backed measures passed in state legislatures. The lawsuit, brought by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Georgia, Justice Department, lawsuit, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, voter suppression, voting assistants, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

An estimate of the Census undercount

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It could have been worse. According to new analysis of the 2020 Census, Texas had the highest undercount of any US state in raw numbers. It’s estimated some 377,000 in the state weren’t included in the count. Nationally, the 2020 … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Census, demography, Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, Texas, The Lege, Urban Institute | 2 Comments

Sen. Powell sues over SD10

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Number six and counting. Tarrant County state Sen. Beverly Powell filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the state Senate redistricting plan, marking the latest court challenge to Texas’ Republican-drawn political maps that secure the GOP’s grip on power for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Beverly Powell, lawsuit, redistricting, SD10, Senate, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

A redistricting lawsuit twofer from MALC

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One federal, one state. The Mexican American Legislative Caucus in the Texas House has opened a second front in the legal war over the state’s new political maps. The caucus on Wednesday turned to the state courts to challenge the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Cameron County, Congress, HD35, HD37, HD38, lawsuit, MALC, redistricting, SBOE, Senate, Texas, The Lege, Travis County, Voting Rights Act, Willacy County | 2 Comments

November 2021 election results

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At 9:45 PM last night, this is what we had: . People still voting at Weekly! We’ll release the EV results once all voters have been processed. Standby, watch the Astros, and we’ll catch you soon. — Isabel Longoria (@IsabelTX) … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged Austin, constitutional amendments, Frank Ramirez, Harris County, HCC, HD118, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, John Lujan, runoff, special election, Texas, The Lege, The Woodlands | 5 Comments

SB8’s day before SCOTUS

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The good guys appear to have the upper hand in this case. It seems unlikely that will last for very long, however. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grilled attorneys for abortion providers, the federal government and Texas over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, Amy Hagstrom Miller, Center for Reproductive Rights, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department, lawsuit, Planned Parenthood, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance | 1 Comment

NAACP tells athletes to steer clear of Texas

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At least someone is willing to take a stand. The NAACP is urging professional athletes who are free agents to boycott Texas over recent restrictive voting and abortion laws as well as policies stopping local governments from enacting coronavirus containment … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged abortion, coronavirus, face masks, Greg Abbott, local control, MLB, NBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL, schools, Texas, The Lege, transgender rights, vaccinations, voter suppression, WNBA | 1 Comment

The SCOTUS hearing on SB8 is today

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have no idea what to expect. The U.S. Supreme Court will take up on Monday the highest-profile legal challenges to Texas’ new abortion law. The Supreme Court previously declined to act on the near-total abortion ban, making next week’s … Continue reading →

A brief update on the Gutierrez/Eckhardt redistricting lawsuit

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First news we’ve had in awhile. Plaintiff: Democratic state Sens. Roland Gutierrez and Sarah Eckhardt What the lawsuit argues: Ahead of lawmakers’ third special session, two Democratic state senators sued to block the Legislature from redistricting in a special session … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged American GI Forum, Census, Congress, Constitution, demography, Election 2022, Eric Holder, FIEL Houston, Greg Abbott, HOPE, Jose Esparza, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, lawsuit, LULAC, MALDEF, Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, Mi Familia Vota, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, National Redistricting Action Fund, redistricting, Roland Gutierrez, Sarah Eckhardt, SBOE, Secretary of State, Senate, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, special session, Tejano Democrats, Texas, Texas Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, The Lege, Voting Rights Act, Voto Latino, William C. Velasquez Institute | 3 Comments

November 2021 final early voting totals

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A busy final day, and a significant uptick in early votes over 2017. Friday was the last day to vote early in the 2021 school board and state constitutional amendment elections with early numbers showing an uptick in turnout in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged absentee ballots, curbside voting, early voting, Election 2008, Election 2017, Election 2020, Election 2021, Harris County, HCC, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, The Lege, turnout, voter suppression | Comments Off

Exempt yourself

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Is it really a regulation if you can just say nope, sorry, no can do? The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved weatherization standards for electricity generators on Thursday, requiring them to be ready for winter cold by by Dec. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged blackouts, ERCOT, Freeze 2021, Public Utility Commission, Texas, The Lege | 10 Comments

Redistricting lawsuit #2 filed

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This one focuses on just the Congressional map. An organization affiliated with Eric Holder, who was attorney general in the Obama administration, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s GOP-drawn redistricting map for Congress on behalf of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged CD23, CD35, Census, Congress, demography, Eric Holder, Greg Abbott, Latino voting, lawsuit, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, National Redistricting Action Fund, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act, Voto Latino | 1 Comment

CM Travis resigns to run for HD133

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Did not see that coming. City Councilmember Greg Travis on Wednesday announced he is running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, effectively resigning his District G post at City Hall. Travis told supporters at a River Oaks … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged Bert Keller, District G, Donald Trump, Election 2012, Election 2020, Election 2022, Greg Travis, Harris County, HD132, HD133, HD134, HD135, HD138, Houston, Houston City Council, Jim Murphy, Mano DeAyala, Mitt Romney, redistricting, Shelley Barineau, special election, Texas, The Lege | 3 Comments

Here comes the library police

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hide your children, and your copies of forbidden books. A Republican state lawmaker has launched an investigation into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or “make students feel … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, Show Business for Ugly People, That's our Lege | Tagged Attorney General, critical race theory, Election 2022, Matt Krause, primaries, schools, Texas, Texas Education Agency, The Lege, Victoria Neave | 4 Comments

The new maps are now official

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Expect further lawsuits to follow. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday approved Texas’ new political maps for the state’s congressional, legislative and State Board of Education districts, according to Texas Legislature Online. The maps were drawn to keep Texas Republicans in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, That's our Lege | Tagged Census, Congress, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, redistricting, SBOE, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

I think we are going to have a regular March primary

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This happened in the second special session, after the Dems came back from Washington DC. Senate Bill 13, from Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston), has been sent to Governor Greg Abbott after being approved by the House and Senate this week. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, That's our Lege | Tagged Census, Congress, Election 2022, Greg Abbott, Joan Huffman, lawsuit, primaries, redistricting, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

The Hollywood (mostly non-) response to SB8

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. In May 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed into law SB8, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act. It’s the latest, and most contested, challenge to the 1973 Supreme Court decision made in Roe v. Wade, which legalized … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, TV and movies | Tagged abortion, boycott, Georgia, Greg Abbott, movies, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, TV, voter suppression | Comments Off

SCOTUS will hear SB8 appeals

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Both of them, on November 1. The law remains annoyingly in effect until then. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to fast-track two Texas cases involving the state’s near-total ban on abortion, but refused to halt the law from being … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, Amy Hagstrom Miller, Center for Reproductive Rights, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Planned Parenthood, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance | 6 Comments

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