Tag Archives: District Attorney

Harris County criminal case backlog cleared

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. After months of declining criminal caseloads in Harris County courts, prosecutors on Tuesday declared victory in clearing out a crippling backlog of felony cases caused by Hurricane Harvey and exacerbated by the pandemic. “The backlog is not numbers,” District … Continue reading →

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A few followup items from Tuesday

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is officially my favorite story from the primaries. Texas congressional candidate Vince Shlomi, known as the “ShamWow guy,” is suing the Republican Party of Texas, accusing it of “rigging” the primary after he says the party removed his nickname from the … Continue reading →

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January 2026 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on January 18, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

New year, new finance reports. You know the drill. This is the busiest report of the cycle, the one that shows who’s who in the primaries. I’ll be doing the usual with the other offices as well. The July 2025 … Continue reading →

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Appeals court upholds restraining order on prosecutor reporting requirements

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The newly created 15th Court of Appeals has upheld a temporary injunction blocking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to force local district attorneys to give him sweeping access to their prosecutorial data, marking the second time … Continue reading →

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Ogg contempt hearing delayed again

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll get there eventually. A contempt of court hearing is still in the works for former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg to determine if she violated a gag order in the criminal case for two Venezuelan nationals accused of raping and killing … Continue reading →

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Ogg gets sued for “political targeting”

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Two conservative Houston firebrands have joined together in a lawsuit accusing former District Attorney Kim Ogg of using her former office to target political opponents. Blogger Aubrey Taylor, the man once charged with injuring late U.S. Rep. … Continue reading →

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July 2025 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s mid-to-late July, and you know what that means: It’s campaign finance report season! We’ve got a lot to cover, as there’s more angles and intrigue than usual, certainly a lot more than there was three months ago. I’ll start … Continue reading →

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Ogg’s contempt hearing delayed by special session

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You can run, but you can’t hide. A hearing to determine whether former district attorney Kim Ogg should be held in contempt of a court order is likely to be on hold until after Gov. Greg Abbott’s special legislative session … Continue reading →

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Ogg will face contempt hearing

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, she was warned. A hearing next month could determine whether former district attorney Kim Ogg will be held in contempt over her communications surrounding the prosecution of two men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, according to court … Continue reading →

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Ogg may face contempt hearing

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday said it was not opposed to a holding a criminal contempt hearing against former District Attorney Kim Ogg. The announcement increased the likelihood that Ogg could be called to court, and potentially punished, … Continue reading →

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Judge tells Ogg to zip it

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, come on. A judge on Monday ordered former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg to stop talking to the media about the men accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. District Judge Josh Hill tightened a gag order issued … Continue reading →

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Harris County DA drops criminal charges against Hotze

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office dropped four felony charges filed against Republican activist Steven Hotze, bringing an abrupt end to the case accusing him of plotting a election conspiracy-fueled assault on an AC repairman in 2020. The DA’s … Continue reading →

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An early progress report on the new DA

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds good so far. Harris County’s jail population declined 6% since February, and District Attorney Sean Teare secured more than $7 million in funding from the county Thursday to keep the trend going. The $7.6 million in funding, approved by … Continue reading →

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Remaining former Hidalgo staffer gets pre-trial intervention plea

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is basically a deferred dismissal of the charges. The former chief of staff for County Judge Lina Hidalgo accepted a pre-trial intervention deal Thursday on one charge linked to a controversial COVID-19 contract, ending a years-long political saga that … Continue reading →

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Charges dismissed against two of Hidalgo’s former aides

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Well, well, well. Criminal cases against at least two of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former employees have been dismissed by the Office of the Attorney General, nearly two weeks since District Attorney Sean Teare recused himself of the prosecutions. Prosecutors under Attorney … Continue reading →

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January 2025 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill here. Start of the year, we review all of the relevant campaign finance reports. Harris County races are the main event for 2026, at least at this time. I won’t mind if there are some other … Continue reading →

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DA’s office recused from Hidalgo aides’ case

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Done and done. A judge signed off on Harris County prosecutors handing their case against three former employees for County Judge Lina Hidalgo to the Texas attorney general, effectively ridding District Attorney Sean Teare’s office of the politically fraught charges … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: County races 2024 part 1

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: President Senate Railroad Commissioner I’m going to break up the countywide race analyses into two posts, to make my life a little easier. I’m also going to reduce the overall amount of information I’m putting in them, to make … Continue reading →

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Possibly the last time I will write about Kim Ogg

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Congrats on the new gig. Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has been hired in a new position within the county. On Sunday, it was confirmed that Ogg had been hired as a senior policy advisor for Harris County … Continue reading →

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Teare recuses his office from the Hidalgo aides’ cases

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As he said he would. Recently-elected Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare filed a motion on Thursday to recuse the Harris County Attorney’s Office from three cases related to the prosecution of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers. In April 2024, former … Continue reading →

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The plea deals no one wants

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Things are going great in the waning days of Kim Ogg’s time as Harris County DA. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has ordered prosecutors to make a plea recommendation of life without the possibility of parole in every pending … Continue reading →

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Judicial undervotes 2024

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

One brief comment on this Houston Landing story about undervoting, and then I will have some numbers for you. Tens of thousands of Harris County residents stopped voting well short of the end of their Nov. 5 ballots, skipping dozens … Continue reading →

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The road ahead for Sean Teare

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

He definitely faces challenges. I believe he’s up to them. Sean Teare, Harris County’s district attorney-elect, is a longtime prosecutor who has tried armed robberies, visited the scenes of countless homicides and convicted a man of mass murder. But those … Continue reading →

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Republicans performed more or less at 2020 levels in Harris County

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Obviously, the Republicans did well in Harris County this year, better than I expected for sure. They won some judicial races – they’re probably kicking themselves for not contesting more of them – and in general came a lot closer … Continue reading →

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Once more, with feeling: There was no fraud in the 2022 election

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron provides a coda to that accursed election and all of the bullshit that followed. When Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in August that she had found no evidence of election rigging during the 2022 midterm elections, … Continue reading →

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Teacher certification cheating ring busted

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. Three Houston ISD employees are among the five people charged in connection with a scheme to help hundreds of people cheat on state teacher certification tests, Harris County prosecutors said Monday. Prosecutors said longtime Booker T. Washington High School … Continue reading →

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UH-Hobby Center polls Harris County

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty good. Could be better, but more or less in line with 2020 and current expectations. With the start of early voting just days away, a new poll shows Harris County Democrats leading their Republican opponents in countywide races. In … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Once again for Teare

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

For the second time this year, the Chron endorses Sean Teare for District Attorney. What impressed us most about Teare is his ability to see the bigger picture of the justice system and how all the pieces fit together. His … Continue reading →

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Party Like A Rock Star 2024

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a guest post from my friend Bill Kelly, who knows a thing or two about Planned Parenthood and having fun. Folks, this is Joe Biden (kinda). I need you to prep your costume and join us Saturday, September … Continue reading →

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The great timesheet caper has been foiled

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We can all sleep better at night knowing this guy is off the street. The Texas Rangers concluded an investigation into Harris County’s highly scrutinized November 2022 election, finding no evidence that there was an attempt to sway the results, … Continue reading →

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July 2024 campaign finance reports – Harris County offices

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Senate and Congress State offices Lina Hidalgo Rodney Ellis Adrian Garcia Tom Ramsey Leslie Briones Sean Teare Dan Simons Ed Gonzalez Mike Knox Christian Menefee Jacqueline Lucci Smith Annette Ramirez Steve Radack Teneshia Hudspeth Carla Wyatt Marilyn Burgess Candidate … Continue reading →

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Tarrant County DA still wants to prosecute Crystal Mason

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What an asshole. Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated, his office announced Thursday. Mason, a Tarrant County resident, was acquitted of an illegal voting charge last month. Sorrells’ office is now asking the … Continue reading →

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Ogg brings in Paxton on Hidalgo aides case

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Really? I mean, really? Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Thursday she is handing the pending criminal cases against three of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. Ogg stopped short of calling … Continue reading →

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Some of those dropped HPD cases were connected to other cases

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know. Of the suspended sex crime incident reports submitted by the Houston Police Department to the Houston Forensic Science Center, nearly 100 came back with links to other cases, Chief Troy Finner said Monday evening. […] In HPD’s … Continue reading →

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