Tag Archives: Justice Department

Mexico to pursue legal action over ICE deaths

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this means. Mexico plans to pursue criminal and civil action in the United States over the deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE custody and enforcement operations, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday. The announcement comes after an ICE … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit rejects DREAM Act intervention effort

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected an effort to defend the Texas Dream Act, leaving in place a ruling that ended a longstanding state law that allowed some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and … Continue reading →

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Paxton “wins” another rigged lawsuit

Posted on June 27, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Other words that could be used to describe this include “corrupt”, “travesty”, and “impeachable”. A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule on Monday that allowed immigration judges to indefinitely close a deportation case against immigrants on the … Continue reading →

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Waiting for the next SOS

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping they’re not terrible. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s unexpected departure only a few months before the November midterm election, which includes one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races the state has seen in years, has some local election officials and voting … Continue reading →

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Texas DREAM Act appeal heard

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them all the best. A group of college students asked a Fifth Circuit panel Thursday to overturn an agreement that blocked a state law allowing students without permanent immigration status to receive in-state tuition at Texas public colleges … Continue reading →

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Jane Nelson stepping down as Secretary of State

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

She was pretty mid at the job, and yet she was almost certainly the best we could have hoped for as long as Greg Abbott gets to pick. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced Tuesday she will resign effective … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit keeps on doing its thing

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Item one: Texas’ app age verification law allowed to go into effect for now. Texas’ law requiring app marketplace operators like Google and Apple to verify all users’ ages and seek parental permission before minors can download apps or make … Continue reading →

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Texas’ 2023 anti-immigrant law blocked again

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hope this injunction lasts longer. A Texas law that would allow state and local police to arrest people suspected of having crossed the southern border illegally is once again halted, a day before it was supposed to take effect. … Continue reading →

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ACLU files another lawsuit against 2023 Texas anti-immigrant law

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, ACLU, and the Texas Civil Rights Project have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to block several provisions of Senate Bill 4 (88-4) from going into effect May … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS approves Texas redistricting map

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, obviously. Texas’ newly redrawn congressional map is officially cleared for use, after the U.S. Supreme Court formally overturned a lower court’s ruling Monday. In November, the high court allowed the map to be used temporarily. Monday’s ruling maintains … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds ruling overturning federal home distilling ban

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good for the home distillers. A U.S. appeals court on Friday declared unconstitutional a nearly 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling, calling it an unnecessary and improper means for ​Congress to exercise its power to tax. The 5th U.S. Circuit … Continue reading →

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Feds aim to screw Colony Ridge residents in their settlement

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Totally on brand. In December 2023, the U.S. Justice Department sued a Texas land developer it accused of duping tens of thousands of Hispanic residents into predatory mortgages, a landmark case for the Biden administration. Colony Ridge, which sold plots … Continue reading →

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Colorado takes up the mid-decade redistricting challenge

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This one’s a little different, but the concept is the same. A new Democratic-backed group unexpectedly announced on Wednesday that it would seek to place a measure on the November ballot asking voters to temporarily adopt a new congressional map in response to … Continue reading →

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Colony Ridge developers settle with the state

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This more or less wraps up the story. The owners of Colony Ridge, a Houston-area developer accused of running a predatory lending scheme that deceived Latinos, agreed to a sweeping legal settlement that will require them to invest in law … Continue reading →

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What are the threats to a free and fair 2026 election?

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have an answer to that question, but I do have three recent articles that attempted to address it. So, for your perusal and contemplation, here they are. Trump Goes Public With Plan to “Take Over” Elections. Days after … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS green-lights California redistricting map

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Checkmate. The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to keep control of the House of Representatives, marking a defeat for Republicans who claimed one of the new districts was redesigned … Continue reading →

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Full Fifth Circuit hears SB4 appeal

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As always, brace yourselves. Three years ago, Texas lawmakers passed a landmark law that would let state police arrest people suspected of having entered the country illegally by crossing the border. Such authority has long been the sole responsibility of the federal … Continue reading →

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California redistricting map upheld

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for Democrats. A federal court Wednesday ruled against a Republican challenge to California’s redistricting plan, rejecting the GOP claim that the state had engaged in illegal racial gerrymandering when drawing up its new congressional map. The three-judge panel denied the GOP’s motion to … Continue reading →

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DNC threatens to sue over surrendered voter files

Posted on January 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see. Democrats warned 10 states Friday that they may have violated federal election law after entering into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to share sensitive voter data. In response, Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s … Continue reading →

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SOS hands over voter roll to Trump DOJ

Posted on January 12, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Surrender time. Texas officials have turned over the state’s voter roll to the U.S. Justice Department, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, complying with the Trump administration’s demands for access to data on millions of … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit upholds award for Harvey reservoir flooding

Posted on December 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A bog deal. Homeowners whose properties were damaged in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey floodwaters upstream of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs in west Houston can expect compensation after an appeals court panel affirmed this week that the government was liable. The … Continue reading →

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Feds settle lawsuit with Colony Ridge developers

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Federal authorities and the Houston-area developer Colony Ridge have agreed to settle a lawsuit in which the government accused the company of duping Latino homebuyers into seller-financed mortgages that many defaulted on in a scheme that … Continue reading →

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California redistricting trial is underway

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Worth keeping an eye on. The fight over California’s new congressional map designed to help Democrats flip a string of U.S. House seats kicked off in court Monday, where a panel of federal judges is considering whether the rejiggered districts approved by … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds the new Congressional map

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Shocked, shocked I am. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Texas Republicans’ new GOP-heavy congressional map, handing the party a key victory as it heads into what is predicted to be a bruising midterm cycle. In a 6-3 ruling, … Continue reading →

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Redistricting plaintiffs ask SCOTUS to put the old map back in

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The original civil rights groups who challenged Texas’ new gerrymandered maps back in August of this year have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a lower court ruling that would temporarily block the use of the redistricted … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts temporary pause on redistricting ruling

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is just until they can make a ruling. Texas is back to using its 2025 congressional map, at least temporarily, after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted the state’s request to pause a court ruling that would have required … Continue reading →

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Redistricting ruling roundup

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s that time again… We’ll start with the big one. A decision on Texas’ congressional map now before the U.S. Supreme Court could ultimately decide which party will hold control of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm … Continue reading →

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Federal court blocks Texas mid-decade gerrymander

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday. The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and … Continue reading →

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Trump Justice Department joins lawsuit against California redistricting

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026. The complaint … Continue reading →

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A brief wrapup of the redistricting trial

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Meant to do this awhile ago but never quite got my act together. The future of Texas congressional elections and minority voting rights are in the hands of three federal judges after hearing nearly two weeks of testimony in a … Continue reading →

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A brief news roundup from the current redistricting trial

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What the label says, three news stories I could find that had coverage of the redistricting trial. From the Trib. When Texas first proposed redrawing its congressional map earlier this summer, critics decried it as a political power-grab to appease … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial 2.0 begins

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. This week, a trio of federal judges will consider whether Texas can use its new congressional map in the 2026 election, marking the first legal test for the districts produced by a summer of intense partisan clashing. … Continue reading →

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State files its response to the redistricting lawsuit

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re playing the oldies, not the new tune that the Trump Justice Department tried to woo them with. Texas officials acknowledged in a new court filing that the Justice Department’s rationale this summer for pushing them to redraw the state’s … Continue reading →

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Motion for expedited review of proposed Congressional map filed

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, on Monday night. Today, the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF) filed a motion in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to ask the court to quickly set a hearing for a preliminary injunction that will … Continue reading →

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