Tag Archives: lawsuit

SCOTUS puts new maps on hold

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt a serious setback to those hoping Texas would see new congressional and House district maps ahead of the 2018 elections. In separate orders issued Tuesday, the high court blocked two lower court rulings … Continue reading →

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Harvey and the elections

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Labor Day weekend of odd-numbered years is considered to be the opening weekend of Houston election season. The filing deadline has passed, so the fields are set and people (supposedly, at least) begin to pay attention. Candidate forums are held, … Continue reading →

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Lawsuits filed over dam releases

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. A group of flooded-out Harris County homeowners and businesses sued the federal government on Tuesday, accusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of knowingly condemning their properties by releasing water from the Barker and Addicks … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs ask SCOTUS to back down in redistricting fight

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This week’s update: The challengers told the justices that the Supreme Court lacks the power to review the state’s request because there is nothing to put on hold: The lower court has neither blocked the state’s current redistricting plan nor … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Crosby plant explosion

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be fun to watch. Seven first responders who were exposed to fumes from a chemical fire last week at a Crosby, Texas, manufacturing plant have filed suit against the plant’s owner, alleging that the company’s negligence caused … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit stays voter ID ruling

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The state of Texas can use its revised voter ID measure for the upcoming November elections, a divided federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The 2-1 decision, first reported by Politico Tuesday night, came from a panel of three … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Justice Department goes all in on voter ID

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Despicable, but what did you expect? Continuing a dramatic reversal on voting rights under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice is asking a federal appeals court to allow Texas to enforce a photo voter identification law that a … Continue reading →

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More on the SB4 ruling

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Circling back to one of the big court decisions from last week, Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern talks to ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt about what was blocked by federal Judge Orlando Garcia in the “sanctuary cities” lawsuit. Mark Joseph Stern: SB … Continue reading →

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Collin County wants its pay back

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Of course they do. Collin County is about to start another fight over the prosecution of indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Since 2015, the county has been billed more than half a million dollars to prosecute Paxton, who faces … Continue reading →

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State House map paused as well

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, given the previous order. A lower court ruling that invalidated parts of the Texas House state map has been temporarily blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. Responding swiftly to an appeal by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, … Continue reading →

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Second trimester abortion procedure ban halted

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. A federal judge has temporarily stopped Texas officials from enforcing a ban on the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, just one day before the ban was set to go into effect. Judge Lee Yeakel of the … Continue reading →

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Enforcement of SB4 halted

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent! U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia granted a preliminary injunction of Senate Bill 4, one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s key legislative priorities that seeks to outlaw “sanctuary” entities, the common term for governments that don’t enforce federal immigration laws. The … Continue reading →

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Latest abortion lawsuit heard in court

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again, and again and again and again. For the fifth time since 2013, lawyers for Texas will defend an abortion-related law or regulation Tuesday in the Austin federal courthouse, where they hope to reverse a string of legal defeats … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts a pause on the Congressional redistricting ruling

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, just a temporary one. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a lower court ruling that invalidated two of Texas’ 36 congressional districts. In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito, the high court indicated it wanted … Continue reading →

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San Marcos files amicus brief against SB4

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The city of San Marcos filed a legal brief Thursday supporting Austin, San Antonio and other cities that have filed suit against the state for its new law on immigration enforcement. In the 16-page brief, city attorney … Continue reading →

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Will we have maps in time for March primaries?

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. It’s up to the courts. State officials insisted Friday they expect to stop the court challenges on appeal, and reverse Texas’ losing streak on the voting-rights lawsuits, legal experts predicted Texas could end up back under federal supervisions of … Continue reading →

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Paxton prosecutors to petition CCA

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Last chance to get paid. The state’s highest criminal court will get a chance to decide whether the special prosecutors appointed in the criminal cases against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be paid the $300-an-hour rate they were promised. … Continue reading →

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Texas appeals voter ID ruling

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

On to the next phase. As promised, Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed what he called an “outrageous” federal court decision tossing out the state’s new voter ID law. In a 25-page filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the … Continue reading →

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Court throws out State House map

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Once more, with feeling. Parts of the Texas House map must be redrawn ahead of the 2018 elections because lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minorities in crafting several legislative districts, federal judges ruled on Thursday. A three-judge panel in San Antonio … Continue reading →

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The ReBuild Houston footnote to the November ballot

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The following paragraph is buried deep in the full story about what will and will not be on the November ballot in Houston. Voters also will not face a reconsideration of the 2010 vote that established ReBuild Houston, the program … Continue reading →

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Voter ID law thrown out

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Fantastic. A federal judge has tossed out a new law softening Texas’ strict voter identification requirements. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos on Wednesday ruled that Senate Bill 5, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, doesn’t absolve Texas lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Federal court bars enforcement if city’s ban on homeless encampments

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for the law’s opponents. A federal court on Tuesday temporarily blocked Houston from enforcing its fledgling ban on public encampments, dealing a blow to city efforts to manage escalating tensions between homeless people and the neighborhoods their camps … Continue reading →

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We could get a special session on redistricting

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

At least, that’s what State Sen. Dawn Buckingham thinks. State Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, expects the Legislature to be called back for another special session — this time to tackle the state’s congressional map. Monday evening at the Central Texas … Continue reading →

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5th Court of Appeals screws Paxton prosecutors

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The prosecutors pursuing charges against Attorney General Ken Paxton haven’t been paid in more than a year and a half — and they will continue to wait on a payday. On Monday, the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit rules against Texas’ voter interpreter law

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas ran afoul of the Voting Rights Act by restricting the interpretation assistance English-limited voters may receive at the ballot box, a federal appeals court found. In an opinion issued Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit … Continue reading →

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What’s next for the now-canceled white nationalist rally at A&M

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The legal experts are weighing in. Saunie Schuster, an attorney for The NCHERM Group, which provides consulting for schools on First Amendment issues, said that was the organizer’s big mistake. “You can be here and you can speak even if … Continue reading →

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Texas to appeal redistricting ruling

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. If Gov. Greg Abbott calls a second special legislative session this summer, it won’t be for redistricting. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed Friday that Abbott won’t ask lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map — found … Continue reading →

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Court invalidates CDs 27 and 35

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We are one step closer to having a new Congressional map. Federal judges have invalidated two Texas congressional districts, ruling that they must be fixed by either the Legislature or a federal court. In a unanimous decision Tuesday, a three-judge … Continue reading →

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Houston city employees file their own lawsuit (again) on spousal benefits

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A shame it’s had to come to this, but this is where we are. On Thursday, three married couples from Houston filed a lawsuit in federal court aimed at forcing the city to preserve health coverage and other benefits for … Continue reading →

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Paxton joins defense of Wisconsin partisan gerrymandering

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Of course he does. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is backing Wisconsin in a high-profile case asking the U.S. Supreme Court whether lawmakers can go too far when drawing political maps to advantage one party. Paxton, a Republican, filed an … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s preemptive “sanctuary cities” lawsuit dismissed

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks on Wednesday dismissed the state of Texas’ lawsuit against Travis County and other defendants over the state’s new immigration enforcement law. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a pre-emptive lawsuit shortly after the bill was … Continue reading →

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EcoHub sues over OneBin failure

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All right. Continuing the saga that has unfolded at City Hall — in which City Council members have said a deal with one company “smelled,” and in which another company, EcoHub, claims Mayor Sylvester Turner snubbed him out of the … Continue reading →

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Still no word on what Pasadena will do with the redistricting appeal

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’re waiting. Because the ruling went against the city, Pasadena is required to pay legal costs to attorneys for that group, the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund. In addition, the city’s fees to its legal representatives at Bickerstaff, Heath, … Continue reading →

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How the redistricting case could play out

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li games out how the Texas redistricting litigation may go from the anticipated court ruling to final resolution. So, in short, Texans could end up with a new set of maps (drawn by the Texas Legislature or drawn by … Continue reading →

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