Tag Archives: Voting Rights Act

Same maps, different day

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The coda to the SCOTUS redistricting ruling. The 2018 elections will move forward without any tweaks to Texas’ political maps. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold all but one of the state’s political districts, a three-judge federal panel … Continue reading →

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The fruit of the poisoned tree

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

If the discriminatory intent of the Texas redistricting was no biggie, then surely the discriminatory intent of the voter ID law is no biggie too. Right? In a motion filed Wednesday, the Texas attorney general’s office asked U.S. District Judge … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Texas redistricting

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Screw this. Extinguishing the possibility that Texas could be placed back under federal electoral supervision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday pushed aside claims that lawmakers intentionally discriminated against voters of color when they enacted the state’s congressional and state … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds voter ID changes

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Amid efforts to prove Texas’ embattled voter ID law is discriminatory, a federal appeals panel on Friday OK’d state lawmakers’ efforts to rewrite the law last year to address faults previously identified by the courts. On a 2-1 vote, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS hears the redistricting arguments

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s in their hands now. Much of the argument concerned the issue of whether the case was properly before the justices at all. Last year, a three-judge panel of the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas, in … Continue reading →

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Today is Texas redistricting day at SCOTUS

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron sets the table. The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will take their seats Tuesday morning to hear a case that could remake the political map of Texas. Hidden in the legalese of “interlocutory injunctions” and “statutory … Continue reading →

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Testimony ends in Dallas County “oppressed white voters” trial

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’ll be awhile before we have a verdict. Testimony ended Thursday in the landmark redistricting case over whether Dallas County discriminates against white voters. The four-day trial — Ann Harding vs. Dallas County — featured analysis by local and national … Continue reading →

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White voters sue Dallas County over claims of voter discrimination

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Are white voters in Dallas County being discriminated against? That question, which might cause some to chuckle, will be answered after a trial starting April 16 that could change the face of … Continue reading →

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It’s going to be redistricting time for Texas at SCOTUS soon

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update. In their latest brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, the voting and minority rights groups challenging Texas’ political maps painted Republican state lawmakers as “opportunistically inconsistent in their treatment of appearance versus reality.” Pointing to the lawmakers’ … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will hear oral arguments in the Texas redistricting case in April

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

On April 24, to be specific, according to Michael Li on Twitter. Both the Congressional and state legislative cases will be consolidated into one for the arguments. That means we should have a ruling by the end of June. See … Continue reading →

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Electoral College lawsuit filed

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure about this. Saying Texas’ current practice is discriminatory, a group of Hispanic activists and lawyers has sued the state in hopes of blocking it from awarding all of its Electoral College votes to one candidate during presidential … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit over how judges are elected statewide goes to trial

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember that lawsuit that argued that statewide elections of judges was discriminatory against Latinos? The case is being heard in court this week. El Paso lawyer Carmen Rodriguez and Juanita Valdez-Cox, a community organizer in the Rio Grande Valley, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will take up Texas redistricting appeal

Posted on January 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As the man once said, hold onto your butts. Further extending a drawn-out legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case over whether Texas’ congressional and House district boundaries discriminate against voters of color. The … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS to consider Texas redistricting case in January

Posted on December 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Batten down the hatches. The U.S. Supreme Court will meet Jan. 5 to consider whether to take up a case on how Texas draws its congressional and statehouse maps. In a 5-4 decision split along ideological lines in September, the … Continue reading →

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Voter ID back before the Fifth Circuit

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And the worst judge on the Fifth Circuit does her thing. In Texas’ bid to keep its voter identification law intact, it was its legal foes — lawyers representing voting and civil rights groups and individual voters of color — … Continue reading →

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State has not appealed the voting rights case on language interpreters

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas has spent years defending its voting laws in court, regularly appealing rulings that found state lawmakers violated the rights of their voters. So when a federal appellate court in August ruled against the state’s restrictions on language interpreters at the ballot … Continue reading →

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Paxton officially appeals redistricting ruling to SCOTUS, part 2

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The state House version. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court ruling that ordered nine of Texas’ statehouse districts redrawn after being found discriminatory. In August, a three-judge panel in a … Continue reading →

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Paxton wants voter ID lawsuit to be over

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I can think of one way he can make that happen. That’s not what he’s asking for, alas. The fight over the state’s embattled voter ID laws should be over, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued in a new court … Continue reading →

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No expedited appeal of voter ID

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no speeding this up. A federal appeals court Tuesday declined to have all 14 judges participate in the appeal over the Texas voter ID law — a decision that will keep the issue unresolved heading into the 2018 elections, … Continue reading →

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Pasadena City Council approves settlement in redistricting case

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s over. The Pasadena City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $1.1 million settlement agreement of a lawsuit challenging a city voting plan that a federal judge found diluted Latino voting influence. Councilman Cody Ray Wheeler said that after … Continue reading →

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Pasadena will settle voting rights case

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner on Friday asked the City Council to settle a voting rights lawsuit that led to national portrayals of the Houston suburb as an example of efforts to suppress Latino voting rights. The proposed settlement … Continue reading →

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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