Tag Archives: Alabama

Abortion and IVF roundup

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Texas IVF patients are dealing with a lot of uncertainty right now. Heather Burzlaff has four embryos in a freezer in Dallas and she doesn’t know what to do with them. After seven years of medications, egg retrievals and waiting, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You’re not going to fall for Greg Abbott’s BS about IVF, are you?

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s count the ways in which he dodged and weaved. Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that he supports Texas families having access to in vitro fertilization treatments and has “no doubt” the state will address issues raised by a recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Galveston redistricting ruling paused

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Fifth Circuit strikes again. Less than a week after a federal judge ruled Galveston County’s precinct maps violated the Voting Rights Act, the U.S Fifth Circuit Court issued a stay on the order. U.S. Circuit Court Judge Jeffery V. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Galveston County redistricting ruled illegal

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Galveston County Commissioners Court violated the Voting Rights Act when it approved a 2021 map that greatly limited voting power for Black and Latino voters in the county, a judge ruled Friday. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Galveston County redistricting ruled illegal

Law banning gender-affirming care for minors temporarily blocked

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

And then unblocked, which is how these things go. A Texas law banning transgender youth from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy will go into effect next week after the state attorney general’s office filed to block a judge’s temporary … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Law banning gender-affirming care for minors temporarily blocked

Galveston redistricting lawsuit gets underway

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This could be a big one. n the home of Juneteenth, the culmination of Galveston County’s decade-long effort to undermine the political power of Black and Latino voters is on trial. In the only county-level redistricting case which the federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Louisiana’s turn to (maybe) fix its racial gerrymander

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They’re on the clock. The Supreme Court on Monday denied Louisiana’s attempt to block a lower court’s order that it redraw its congressional maps. That court found that the state had likely diluted the power of Black voters in violation … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Louisiana’s turn to (maybe) fix its racial gerrymander

Another look at Texas redistricting litigation after the Alabama SCOTUS ruling

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

An explainer from the Trib. The state faces an assortment of legal challenges to its congressional and statehouse maps, including allegations of intentional discrimination, vote dilution and racial gerrymandering. For example: In the Rio Grande Valley, the plaintiffs allege map-drawers … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Arkansas law banning gender affirming care ruled unconstitutional

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big deal. A federal judge struck down Arkansas’ first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for children as unconstitutional Tuesday, the first ruling to overturn such a prohibition as a growing number of Republican-led states adopt similar restrictions. U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will the SCOTUS ruling on Alabama redistricting affect Texas?

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start here. In a surprise win for voting rights activists, the U.S. Supreme Court breathed new life into the Civil Rights Act and may have paved the way to end Texas’s gerrymandered district. The case, Allen v. Milligan, came … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will the SCOTUS ruling on Alabama redistricting affect Texas?

City settles dumping complaint with Justice Department

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston will not face punishment after settling a Justice Department probe into whether the city’s system of responding to illegal dumping calls violated the Civil Rights Act by disregarding Black and Latino neighborhoods. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s administration reached a three-year voluntary resolution with … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City settles dumping complaint with Justice Department

House passes bill to ban gender affirming care for minors

Posted on May 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Friday was a bad day. Texas has taken a major step toward banning transgender minors from getting puberty blockers and hormone therapy — care that medical groups say is vital to their mental health — after the state House gave Senate Bill 14 initial approval Friday. Trans Texans and LGBTQ advocates consider … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

There’s nothing like ERIC

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Be careful what you seek to destroy, Republicans. With some Texas Republicans pushing the state to abandon one its best tools for preventing voter fraud — a coalition of states that share voting roll data to weed out duplicate and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s nothing like ERIC

Oklahoma Supreme Court upholds abortion rights

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest, for obvious reasons. A divided Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a portion of the state’s near-total ban on abortion, ruling women have a right to abortion when pregnancy risks their health, not just in a medical emergency. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Oklahoma Supreme Court upholds abortion rights

More on the seafaring abortion clinic

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There were a couple of stories on that proposed abortion clinic on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, which will operate in federal waters and thus be outside state jurisdiction. The clinic is intended to serve women in the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the seafaring abortion clinic

A seafaring abortion clinic?

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. A California doctor has a plan to launch a floating reproductive health clinic in the Gulf of Mexico, where care will be regulated by federal — not state — law. The plan — currently in the fundraising … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The coming fight over medical abortion

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is a good thing SCOTUS will leave this up to the states, isn’t it? Republican-led states are moving swiftly to restrict access to medication abortion. The efforts so far have focused on regulations around the pills, such as banning … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The coming fight over medical abortion

Where the outbreaks are the worst

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We talk a lot about the vaccination rate in Texas, but that number by itself is misleading. Some parts of the state are very well vaccinated. Others, very much not so. That matters, because the Delta variant is just ripping … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

On prosecuting the insurrectionists

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good start. While federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital will likely tackle the bulk of criminal charges for the perpetrators of Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Ryan K. Patrick is among a growing number of U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Two more polls of Texas

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Trump is up two in this one. Florida and Texas remain tight battlegrounds in the presidential election, according to CBS News Battleground Tracker polls released Sunday. The current margin in both states is 2 percentage points, with Democratic nominee Joe … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Two more polls of Texas

How to lose a Congressional seat

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As things stand right now, Texas will gain three Congressional seats in the 2021 reapportionment, as Texas continues to be the fastest-growing state in the country. There is one thing that can stop that, however: Donald Trump. President Donald Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Buc-ee’s is going national

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The WaPo has a look at our famous highway rest stop’s growing ambitions. Its fans say few things are more Texas than the chain of massive convenience stores with the disposition of an amusement park. Among its 38 stores, customers … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Buc-ee’s comes to Alabama

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow, the world. Texas road stop institution Buc-ee’s has opened a store in Alabama, its first location outside the Lone Star State. Despite chilly weather, more than 100 people were lined up outside the Baldwin County store when it opened … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

From Alabama to Texas

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are two numbers from Sen.-elect Doug Jones’ victory over garbage human Roy Moore: 92.0% and 49.3%. Jones received 92.0% of the total vote that Hillary Clinton received in Alabama in 2016. Moore received 49.3% of Donald Trump’s vote total. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What about Roy?

Posted on November 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants to stand with this particular predator? Texas’ two U.S. senators found themselves under intense pressure Thursday after explosive allegations surfaced that a candidate both men have endorsed pursued underage teenage girls decades ago. The Washington Post is reporting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Paxton goes after DACA

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have no words. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and officials from nine other states on Thursday urged the Trump administration to end an Obama-era program that’s allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to live and work in the … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Federal lawsuit filed in Alabama over statewide judicial elections

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There are now at least two lawsuits like this in the federal courts. Tuscaloosa reverend Curtis Travis has been voting his whole life in Alabama. While nearly one-fourth of the voting population, like him, is black, the three highest courts … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Federal lawsuit filed in Alabama over statewide judicial elections

Servergy sued by more people

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Servergy is the company Ken Paxton was paid to shill for without being up front about the fact that he was being paid to shill for them. That’s the context of this. The company tied to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Servergy sued by more people

SCOTUS upholds same-sex adoption rights

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. The U.S. Supreme Court in a victory for gay rights ruled Monday that states must honor adoptions by same-sex parents who move across state lines. Citing the Constitution’s “full faith and credit” clause, the justices in a unanimous opinion … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTUS upholds same-sex adoption rights

Another redistricting update

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Once again from Russ Tidwell, writing at Letters from Texas. The three judge federal panel in San Antonio is nearing a final decision on redistricting litigation for the Texas House and congressional delegation. As previously discussed here, multiple weeks of … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SCOTUS rejects North Carolina redistricting

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. On Monday, the Supreme Court vacated a ruling from North Carolina’s highest court that had upheld Republican-drawn maps of the state’s congressional and legislative districts. While we don’t yet know what the final outcome will be, the court’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Same sex marriage plaintiffs ask Fifth Circuit to lift the stay

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve got a strong case, based on recent SCOTUS action. Attorneys for two gay couples are asking a federal appeals court to allow same-sex marriages to begin in Texas immediately. In a motion filed Thursday, attorneys for the couples asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Same sex marriage plaintiffs ask Fifth Circuit to lift the stay

On redistricting and race

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Phase Two of the redistricting trial is underway, and if it sounds an awful lot like Phase One to you, you would be right. Texas’ Republican-controlled Legislature didn’t discriminate against minorities by drawing election maps in 2011 that voting-rights activists … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Is Section 5 doomed?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

While there’s been a lot of reporting and analysis suggesting a grim future for the Voting Rights Act, SCOTUSBlog’s Lyle Denniston suggests that maybe, just maybe, Section 5 ain’t dead yet. Sometimes, in Supreme Court argument, a single phrase can … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments