Tag Archives: SCOTUS

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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SCOTUS halts Fifth Circuit’s bogus ban on mailing mifepristone

Posted on May 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

For now. As always, we must say “for now”. The Supreme Court will keep mifepristone available as usual, it ruled in a Thursday order, blocking a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that would reimpose in-person dispensing requirements and prevent … Continue reading →

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I assume that Spring Branch ISD redistricting ruling is toast

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This article doesn’t explicitly say it, but I can’t see any other ending at this point. A federal court ruled last year that Spring Branch ISD violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the Hispanic vote — but that decision could be … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts administrative stay on unhinged Fifth Circuit mifepristone ruling

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

On hold for now. The Supreme Court on Monday restored nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication in a temporary order that will, for now, allow women to once again obtain the pill mifepristone by mail. In a brief … 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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What to expect with redistricting in Texas in 2027

Posted on May 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s too soon to say. “When the U.S. Supreme Court rules in the Louisiana v. Callais case that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional, Texas will take up redistricting again (Congressional, Texas Senate and Texas House),” Rep. … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit invents new law to block mifepristone

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is bullshit. A federal appeals court packed with conservatives has handed abortion opponents a major victory against the US Food and Drug Administration, reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion medication mifepristone and shutting down telemedicine providers—at least temporarily—from prescribing the … Continue reading →

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RIP, Voting Rights Act

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

JFC. Wednesday’s 6–3 party-line decision in Louisiana v. Callais will go down in history as one of the most pernicious and damaging Supreme Court decisions of the last century. All six Republican-appointed justices on the court signed onto Justice Samuel … Continue reading →

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Texas Medical Board sanctions doctors in Ngumezi and Crane cases

Posted on April 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not enough, and it’s also not anywhere close to addressing the real problem. The Texas Medical Board has disciplined three doctors ProPublica previously investigated whose patients died after receiving delayed or inappropriate pregnancy care under the state’s strict abortion … 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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A brief history of shield laws

Posted on April 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a long and detailed story about abortion shield laws and the significant effect they’ve had on abortion access post-Dobbs. You should read the whole thing but I wanted to focus on this bit from Texas that I had not … Continue reading →

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Thankfully, a lot of those recent forced birth lawsuits are crappy

Posted on April 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

They have a key thing in common, beyond the misogynist zealot lawyer who runs them. Jerry Rodriguez appeared to be a deeply aggrieved man—the victim of a scheme orchestrated by his girlfriend’s domineering ex-partner to “murder” not one, but two, of … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit allows Ten Commandments law to be enforced

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

They do what they always do. Texas can enforce a state law requiring public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. A 9-8 majority of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder that Trump’s tariffs suck

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. As the business manager and part owner of Houghton Horns, a specialty brass instrument store in north Texas, Kacie Wright deals with President Donald Trump’s tariffs every day. “I wake up every … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit allows Lousiana’s Ten Commandments law to go into effect

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not great, but not the end of the line. A U.S. appeals court has cleared the way for a Louisiana law requiring poster-sized displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms to take effect. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court … 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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Texas Medical Board provides useless training on how not to get arrested for performing an abortion

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

They keep missing the point. For the first time since Texas criminalized abortion, the state’s medical regulator is instructing doctors on when they can legally terminate a pregnancy to protect the life of the patient — guidance physicians have long … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed challenging “Kavanaugh stops”

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A group of Hispanic Texans are asking a federal judge to rule that ICE agents can’t detain U.S. citizens or require those people to prove their citizenship in order to be freed from custody. In a complaint filed in … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit against out of state mifepristone provider amended to include latest bounty hunter law

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. A Galveston County man has filed a lawsuit against a California doctor he accuses of providing abortion-inducing pills to his partner, leveraging for the first time a new Texas law that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers for up … 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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Paxton sues another mifepristone provider

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused a Delaware nurse practitioner of prescribing abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents in what is now the second lawsuit the state has filed against an out-of-state provider over such medications. “The day of … 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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Fifth Circuit hears Ten Commandments appeal

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves…From the inbox: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, heard oral arguments in two cases challenging state laws in Texas and Louisiana that require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. … Continue reading →

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Three abortion stories

Posted on January 18, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Two of them at least have the potential to be positive. That’s good, right? Texas court clears path for Planned Parenthood lawsuit challenging state abortion law A Texas appeals court has allowed three Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates to move forward … 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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How alarmed should I be by these?

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

News item one: Texas launched a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week over the agency’s approval of mifepristone, marking the state’s latest effort to crack down on access to abortion pills. Joined by Florida, Texas Attorney … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS rejects Texas National Guard deployment to Chicago

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This was an early Christmas present. The Supreme Court upheld a block on the National Guard’s deployment to Chicago Tuesday, dealing the Trump administration a significant blow and embracing an interpretation of the laws that govern the Guard’s activation that … Continue reading →

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App store age verification law blocked

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Texas law adding restrictions on children’s use of app stores. Senate Bill 2420, which was supposed to activate on Jan. 1, establishes age verification requirements and mandates parental … Continue reading →

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App store age verification lawsuit heard

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Might get a quick ruling on this one. On Tuesday morning, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman heard arguments for and against blocking a new law requiring parental consent for children under 18 to use their mobile device’s app store. … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS lets Llano County ban books

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

No other way to put it. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge against a small Central Texas county’s removal of 17 books from its public libraries, including some that focus on race and gender. The Monday move by … Continue reading →

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Cuellar and Trump

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry, but this is hilarious. President Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar on Sunday, accusing the Laredo lawmaker of disloyalty for filing to run for reelection as a Democrat shortly after Trump pardoned him and his wife … Continue reading →

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Both Tarrant County redistricting lawsuits have been dismissed

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. Both lawsuits accusing Tarrant County of racial gerrymandering are now over. A group of Tarrant County residents who sued over the new commissioners court precinct map withdrew their lawsuit Monday without a clear explanation. A second lawsuit, brought 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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Class action lawsuit filed over the Ten Commandments law

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

About time. After receiving two favorable rulings from judges, a coalition of advocacy groups filed their third lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in Texas. The new … Continue reading →

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