Tag Archives: NAACP

Yet another effort to kill the Voting Rights Act

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that the Fifth Circuit isn’the only home for terrible appellate judges. A divided federal appellate panel took a pipe to the knees of the Voting Rights Act Monday, handing down an eyebrow-raising decision that would severely curtail … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Arkansas, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department, lawsuit, NAACP, redistricting, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Miles picks a team

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He keeps moving, I’m trying to keep up. Newly appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles‘ first cabinet selections include a mix of HISD staff members, former employees of his charter school network, administrators from across Texas and educational analysts. Miles’ … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Black Voters Matter, Board of Managers, Cassandra Bandy, Community Voices for Public Education, FIEL Houston, HFT, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, Houston Education Association, Janette Lindner, Kerri Briggs, LULAC, Mike Miles, Mike Morath, NAACP, schools, Texas Education Agency, Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation | 19 Comments

Second federal complaint filed over TEA takeover of HISD

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, the Houston NAACP, LULAC #19, and the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday regarding the Texas Education Agency’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, School days | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Board of Managers, Civil Rights Act, Congress, Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, LULAC, Mike Morath, NAACP, Texas, Texas Education Agency, US Department of Education, Voting Rights Act | 3 Comments

Katy ISD challenged over at large districts

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This was from before Christmas but I didn’t have a chance to write about it until now. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund sent a letter Tuesday to Katy ISD accusing the district of disenfranchising Black and Latino voters … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged Cam Campbell, Greg Schulte, Houston, Houston City Council, Katy, Katy ISD, lawsuit, NAACP, single member districts, Spring Branch, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

A trifecta of crap from the Fifth Circuit

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what they do. A federal appeals court has ruled for Texas in three lawsuits challenging the state’s voting laws, including mail-in ballot provisions and the elimination of straight-ticket voting. In a series of 2-1 rulings Wednesday evening, a panel … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Americans with Disabilities Act, Attorney General, Austin Justice Coalition, Brazos County, Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, coronavirus, DCCC, DSCC, early voting, Election 2020, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, McAllen, MOVE Texas Civic Fund, NAACP, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, straight ticket voting, TDP, Texas, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, Texas Association for Retired Americans, US Postal Service, Vota Latino, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Redistricting litigation update

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Reform Austin shows that the state’s legal defense strategy against the various redistricting lawsuits is “You can’t sue us!” Because of the clear racial gerrymandering, multiple groups are launching legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act. The state has now … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Pacific Islander Americans Public Affairs Association, Cameron County, Census, Clean Elections Texas, Common Cause, Congress, Damon Wilson, Emgage, Fair Maps Texas Action Committee, HD35, HD37, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters, MALC, NAACP, National Council of Jewish Women-Greater Dallas Section, OCA Houston, Our Vote Texas, redistricting, Roland Gutierrez, Sarah Eckhardt, SBOE, SCOTUS, Senate, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Texans Against Gerrymandering, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 2 Comments

Get ready for redistricting

Posted on September 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The next special session starts Monday, and we should expect to see proposed redistricting maps. It’s going to be a rough few weeks, in part because the guardrails are gone, which will allow Republicans to run amuck. The 2020 census … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Census, Congress, Election 2022, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, MALC, NAACP, redistricting, Roland Gutierrez, Sarah Eckhardt, Senate, special session, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

Three more lawsuits filed against the voter suppression law

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a law now, and the legal machines are humming to do something about it. Though delayed by Democratic quorum breaks, Texas has officially joined the slate of Republican states that have enacted new voting restrictions following the 2020 election. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, absentee ballots, Americans with Disabilities Act, Common Cause, curbside voting, Danyahel Norris, drop off boxes, Election 2020, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Houston Area Urban League, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, LULAC, NAACP, poll watchers, SCOTUS, Texas, Texas AFT, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, The Arc of Texas, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Voto Latino | 6 Comments

The tab for voter ID

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Impressive. Texas remains responsible for nearly $6.8 million in legal fees and costs owed to the collection of parties who sued over its voter ID law. Though the state ultimately won the long-winding fight to keep the voter ID law … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, lawsuit, MALC, Marc Veasey, NAACP, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, voter ID, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Still no quorum, and no Dem legislators rounded up yet

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And I’m still not sure what exactly will happen when and if a law enforcement officer stumbles across one of the wayward legislators. The hunt for missing Democratic Texas House members escalated late Thursday and Friday, as the sergeant-at-arms and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Chris Turner, Dade Phelan, Gina Hinojosa, Jasmine Crockett, Joe Deshotel, Jon Rosenthal, Justice Department, NAACP, quorum, Ron Reynolds, special session, Texas, The Lege, Vikki Goodwin | Comments Off

The House is working on the omnibus voter suppression bill.

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They started last night, and who knows when they may finish. If it comes to a vote, I expect this Trib story will be updated to reflect it. One of the justifications given by Republicans for banning all-night voting hours … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU of Texas, curbside voting, drop off boxes, early voting, Election 2020, election contest, Harris County, lawsuit, NAACP, point of order, Royce West, Senate, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression | 5 Comments

House committee passes its voter suppression bill

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I remain pessimistic about this, but we have no choice but to fight. A Texas House committee on Thursday advanced an elections bill that would make it a state jail felony for local election officials to distribute an application to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, Briscoe Cain, Common Cause, curbside voting, Dade Phelan, Dan Patrick, drop off boxes, Election 2020, Harris County, NAACP, poll watchers, Senate, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege, voter registration, voter suppression | 2 Comments

More local pushback against SB7 and HB6

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Sylvester Turner invited a diverse group of elected officials, community leaders, and business executives to stand in solidarity against voter suppression bills in the Texas Legislature. More than 50 individuals and organizations have vowed to fight … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU of Texas, basketball, Beto O'Rourke, Black Voters Matter, Bryan Hughes, Dan Patrick, drop off boxes, early voting, Election 2020, FIEL Houston, Georgia, Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce, Julian Castro, KP George, League of Women Voters, Lina Hidalgo, Mi Familia Vota, NAACP, National Federation of the Blind, National Urban League, NCAA, North Carolina, Progress Texas, Rodney Ellis, Senate, Sylvester Turner, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege, voter suppression | 3 Comments

First major vote suppression bill passes

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing’s going to stop them. Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access. In an overnight vote after more than seven … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged absentee ballots, American Airlines, Borris Miles, Bryan Hughes, Business Roundtable, Carol Alvarado, curbside voting, Dan Patrick, Dell, drop off boxes, early voting, Election 2022, Judith Zaffirini, lawsuit, LULAC, NAACP, poll watchers, SCOTUS, Senate, Texas, The Lege, voter registration, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act | 5 Comments

A bit of business pushback against voter suppression

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, but much more is needed. A group of 72 Black business leaders are calling on companies to publicly oppose a series of bills being advanced by Republicans in at least 43 states that could dramatically curb access … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU, CenterPoint, Chris Hollins, Coca Cola, curbside voting, Delta Airlines, drop off boxes, early voting, Election 2020, Georgia, Harris County, Harris County Clerk, HEB, Home Depot, Kenneth Chenault, NAACP, Senate, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression | 5 Comments

One lawsuit about voting locations thrown out

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was filed just a couple of months ago. Continuing to fend off attempts to alter its voting processes, Texas has convinced a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that sought sweeping changes to the state’s rules for in-person voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, coronavirus, curbside voting, early voting, Election 2020, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Mi Familia Vota, NAACP, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, Texas, voter suppression, voting centers | Comments Off

Where are we with the lawsuit to stop Harris County from sending out vote by mail applications?

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks for asking, we had the hearing in district court yesterday. Voting in person will be safe across Texas in this fall’s general election despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the state’s elections director asserted in a Harris County courtroom Wednesday … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU of Texas, Anti-Defamation League, Attorney General, Brennan Center, Charles Butt, Chris Hollins, coronavirus, Election 2020, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Harris County Clerk, HEB, Ken Paxton, NAACP, Secretary of State, Steven Hotze, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, voter suppression | 25 Comments

Weekend voting litigation news

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have two news items about voting-related lawsuits. Both of these come via the Daily Kos Voting Rights Roundup, which has been increasingly valuable to me lately, given the sheer number of such lawsuits and the fact that some news … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Bryan Slaton, Cathie Adams, CD21, Chris Hollins, Chrysta Castaneda, Congress, coronavirus, David Collins, DCCC, DSCC, early voting, Election 2020, emergency powers, Emily Gilby, filing fee, Green Party, Greg Abbott, Harris County Clerk, Katija Gruene, lawsuit, Mi Familia Vota, MJ Hegar, NAACP, petitions, Railroad Commission, Rick Green, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, Senate, Steven Hotze, Terrell Blodgett, Texas, Texas College Democrats, Texas Young Democrats, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, Tom Wakely, Travis County, voter suppression, Wendy Davis | 1 Comment

Introducing the George Floyd Act

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Coming this spring to the Legislature. Black lawmakers at the Texas Legislature unveiled on Thursday the George Floyd Act, a sweeping police reform proposal that would ban chokeholds across the state and require law enforcement officers to intervene or render … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Black Lives Matter, choke holds, Combined Law Enforcement Agencies of Texas, Garnet Coleman, George Floyd, Greg Abbott, Harold Dutton, James White, Mothers Against Police Brutality, NAACP, police, qualified immunity, Royce West, Sandra Bland, Senfronia Thompson, Shawn Thierry, Texas, Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, Texas Legislative Black Caucus, Texas Organizing Project, The Lege | 2 Comments

Update on that other vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Daily Kos: A federal judge has rejected Republican Secretary of State Ruth Hughs’ motion to dismiss a case brought by several Texas voters and civil rights organizations seeking to expand access to absentee voting for the November general election. Plaintiffs are asking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, Election 2020, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, lawsuit, NAACP, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, TDP, Texas, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, US Postal Service, Vota Latino | Comments Off

Another lawsuit filed over mobile voting locations

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t know that there’s enough time for this to be heard, but it’s a good idea. Mi Familia Vota, the Texas NAACP and two Texas voters this week filed a suit against the state over its election policies, alleging they … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged DCCC, DSCC, early voting, Election 2020, Greg Abbott, lawsuit, Mi Familia Vota, NAACP, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, TDP, Texas, Texas College Democrats, Texas Young Democrats, The Lege | Comments Off

Yet another lawsuit over voting by mail

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out there are a lot of obstacles to voting by mail in Texas, and so there are a lot of lawsuits being filed by various plaintiffs to rectify that. A coalition of voters and civil rights groups opened a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, Election 2020, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, NAACP, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, primaries, runoff, Ruth Hughs, Secretary of State, TDP, Texas, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, US Postal Service, Vota Latino | 3 Comments

Abbott’s stay-in-jail order blocked and then unblocked

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was Friday. A state district judge in Travis County has temporarily blocked enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to limit jail releases during the new coronavirus pandemic. She cited unconstitutional provisions and overreach of executive power in the gubernatorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, bail, Capital Area Private Defender Service, coronavirus, Greg Abbott, Harris County, jail overcrowding, jails, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP, Supreme Court, TCDLA, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Fair Defense Project | 1 Comment

Another lawsuit filed over Abbott’s stay-in-jail order

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no slowdown in the litigation business, that’s for sure. Gov. Greg Abbott’s order restricting the release of some jail inmates during the new coronavirus pandemic is facing a second court challenge arguing his order violates the constitutional separation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, bail, Capital Area Private Defender Service, coronavirus, Harris County, jail overcrowding, jails, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP, TCDLA, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Fair Defense Project | 1 Comment

Abbott delays primary runoffs

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So this was originally going to be a post about what various groups have been advocating for the primary runoffs. And then Greg Abbott went and pushed the runoffs back to July without addressing any of the other concerns that … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU of Texas, coronavirus, Democratic primary, Election 2020, Gilberto Hinojosa, Greg Abbott, NAACP, primaries, Republican Party, Secretary of State, TDP, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, turnout | 1 Comment

The main concern about voting centers

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story, which is about the implementation of voting centers in multiple counties across Texas for the 2020 election, delves into one of the main concern about them: Voting centers can change from one election to the next, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged Bexar County, Dallas County, Diane Trautman, Election 2020, Harris County, Harris County Clerk, Hays County, Henderson County, Lubbock, NAACP, Tarrant County, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Organizing Project, voting centers | 1 Comment

Civil rights groups want Whitley to not be confirmed

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No kidding. More than 30 civil rights and community groups are calling on Senate Democrats to block the confirmation of embattled interim Secretary of State David Whitley, who oversaw the botched rollout of an investigation into the citizenship of tens … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged David Whitley, DPS, drivers licenses, immigration, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, LULAC, NAACP, Secretary of State, Senate, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, voter registration | 2 Comments

First day in court for SOS advisory lawsuits

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

First day for the first lawsuit, one of three filed against that bogus SOS advisory. A federal judge in San Antonio will hear arguments Tuesday in one of three legal challenges to the state’s initiative to purge tens of thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, Blanco County, David Whitley, DPS, drivers licenses, immigration, Jolt Initiative, Kerr County, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, LULAC, MALDEF, MOVE Texas Civic Fund, NAACP, Secretary of State, Texas, voter registration | 1 Comment

Three times a lawsuit

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hat trick! A group of civil and voting rights organizations is suing the state’s chief election officers and local election officials in five counties, claiming Texas’ voter citizenship review efforts are unconstitutional because they intentionally target naturalized citizens and voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Ann Harris Bennett, Blanco County, Caldwell County, David Whitley, DPS, drivers licenses, Fayette County, Galveston, immigration, Jolt Initiative, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters, MOVE Texas Civic Fund, NAACP, Secretary of State, Sylvester Turner, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, voter registration, Washington County | 1 Comment

Civil rights groups push back on bogus SOS letter

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Lawyers with 13 organizations — including the Texas Civil Rights Project, the ACLU of Texas, the League of Women Voters of Texas and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund — are demanding that the state rescind an advisory sent to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged AALDEF, ACLU of Texas, Common Cause, David Whitley, DPS, drivers licenses, immigration, Ken Paxton, League of Women Voters, Mi Familia Vota, NAACP, Secretary of State, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Organizing Project, voter registration | 8 Comments

Trump administration opposes Section 3 oversight

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, duh. In the latest about-face on voting rights under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice no longer supports efforts to force Texas back under federal oversight of its electoral map drawing. In legal filings this week, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Justice Department, lawsuit, LULAC, NAACP, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Moving forward on Section 3

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still redistricting litigation action happening. Late Friday afternoon, the coalition of voting rights groups that have fought the state for fairer legislative districts since the last round of redistricting in 2010 filed a pair of new briefs with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged lawsuit, LULAC, NAACP, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, Voting Rights Act | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged CD23, CD27, CD35, Congress, HD90, lawsuit, MALC, Marc Veasey, NAACP, Ramon Romero, redistricting, SCOTUS, Texas, The Lege, Voting Rights Act | 5 Comments

So where do we stand with handing over voter info to the Trump commission?

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN asks the question. Have state officials turned over Texas voter information to the federal government? In short, not yet. A lawsuit by the Texas NAACP and the Texas League of Women Voters has halted the state’s release of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Donald Trump, Kris Kobach, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, NAACP, Secretary of State, Texas, voter registration | 4 Comments

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