Tag Archives: Supreme Court

Smokable hemp is off and then on the shelves again

Posted on May 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Pending the current appeal. Smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, are allowed back on shelves until the state’s appeal of a statewide ban on the sale of the drug is heard in court next Thursday. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Smokable hemp ban remains blocked

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The reprieve has been extended. Texas hemp businesses can keep selling cannabis flower and concentrates for now after a Travis County judge blocked key parts of the state’s new hemp regulations while a lawsuit plays out. Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Smokable hemp ban remains blocked

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 →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas Medical Board sanctions doctors in Ngumezi and Crane cases

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 →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Thankfully, a lot of those recent forced birth lawsuits are crappy

SCOTx allows intrusive data requests against PFLAG

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Texas Attorney General’s Office can require LGBTQ advocacy group PFLAG to turn over documents related to an investigation into medical care for transgender minors. The court overturned a previous … Continue reading →

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

Dallas Dems withdraw lawsuit over uncounted primary ballots

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s deal with the headline and then get into what it means. Primary ballots cast by Democratic voters in Dallas who got in line to vote after 7 p.m. won’t be tallied, after the county Democratic party Thursday withdrew a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dallas Dems withdraw lawsuit over uncounted primary ballots

2026 primary results: Statewide

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

We have to start with this: The Texas Supreme Court suspended a district court’s decision Tuesday to extend voting by two hours in Dallas County and ordered that any votes cast by people who got in line after 7 p.m. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2026 primary results: Statewide

Hearing held on Maria Rojas’ injunction appeal

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Keeping a close eye on this. Attorneys for Maria Rojas, the Texas midwife accused of providing illegal abortions, asked an appeals court to reverse a temporary injunction that prevents her from practicing medicine while her landmark case moves through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Hearing held on Maria Rojas’ injunction appeal

All of my primary interviews and judicial Q&As for the 2026 primary

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

All in one convenient location, sorted by what kind of race it is, including today’s bonus interview. Give a listen to the candidates of interest and pay attention to those judicial races. Also, too, as an added bonus, my pal … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on All of my primary interviews and judicial Q&As for the 2026 primary

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 →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas Medical Board provides useless training on how not to get arrested for performing an abortion

Judicial Q&A: Judge Kristen Hawkins

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Judge Kristen Hawkins

Endorsement watch: A whole lot of judicial races

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has been busy with endorsements in contested Democratic judicial primaries. (The Republicans have basically none of these in Harris County; maybe in the statewide races, I haven’t checked. But the action for March is almost entirely on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: A whole lot of judicial races

Judicial Q&A: Gordon Goodman

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Judicial Q&A: Gordon Goodman

SCOTx to hear cable franchise fees appeal

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big deal, with direct impacts on the finances of multiple cities. Texas Supreme Court justices will decide whether two state laws are giving unlawful discounts to cable and telecommunication service providers, resulting in millions in lost revenue … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTx to hear cable franchise fees appeal

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 →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Three abortion stories

Deadline Day roundup, part 2

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Part 1 is here. So far I haven’t found much that wasn’t known at deadline time. It’s an odd year for there to be so few true last-minute surprises, but here we are. A few items to note: – There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Deadline Day roundup, part 2

We may never know what’s in those intimate Abbott-Elon emails

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This was from just before Thanksgiving week, I’m just getting to it now. Months after fighting to keep secret the emails exchanged between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s companies, state officials released nearly 1,400 pages … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We may never know what’s in those intimate Abbott-Elon emails

The Loving County Election 2022 rerun

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Loving County wraps up one of its ongoing story lines. It might have been the longest election campaign for the shortest office term in recent Texas history. Loving County Justice of the Peace Angela Medlin, County/District Clerk Mozelle Carr and Commissioner … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Election 2025, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Loving County Election 2022 rerun

Judges can discriminate against same-sex couples

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. Texas judges who decline to perform a wedding ceremony based on a “sincerely held religious belief” do not violate the state’s rules on judicial impartiality, according to a comment the Texas Supreme Court added to the state’s judicial … Continue reading →

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

Dems have a statewide judicial slate

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: DEMOCRATS LAUNCH CAMPAIGNS FOR TEXAS STATEWIDE JUDICIAL OFFICES Seven Democrats launch campaigns this week for the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Democrats are planning to campaign for every statewide judicial office on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More indictments in the Maria Rojas case

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Paxton pushing paper. Eight people have been indicted on charges of practicing medicine without a license as part of the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s investigation into a Houston-area midwife accused of providing illegal abortions, the attorney general’s office announced Wednesday. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More indictments in the Maria Rojas case

Three ridiculous voting and election stories

Posted on October 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Silly season” doesn’t begin to cover this stuff. Item 1: Paxton sides with Texas GOP, against secretary of state in lawsuit seeking to close primaries Last month, the Republican Party of Texas sued over a state law that allows anyone … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2026, Legal matters, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Powered by People gets another win in court

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is all still temporary and preliminary, but it’s also still good. Every time it looks like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is getting the best of Beto O’Rourke in court, the former El Paso congressman pulls off another victory. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Powered by People gets another win in court

More indictments against Maria Rojas

Posted on September 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Remember to wait until her lawyers get a chance to respond before making any inferences about this. The Texas midwife who earlier this year became the first person charged under the state law banning people from performing abortions is now charged with 15 … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More indictments against Maria Rojas

Paxton throws a fit over being slowed down by Republican judges

Posted on August 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There sadly isn’t a good straight news (non-paywalled) story about this, but Raw Story has a decent summary. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took to X on Wednesday to rage against state appeals court judges after they paused discovery in … Continue reading →

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

Hotze again asks for pause in his civil trial

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

“Screw this guy” will always be my response. Conservative activist Steven Hotze asked the Texas Supreme Court to pause a lawsuit against him until after the criminal trial of his former private eye, who in 2020 allegedly assaulted an air-conditioning repairman … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Special Session 2: [Insert dumb sequel name here]

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As promised/threatened. With the Texas House still frozen by Democrats’ absence from the state, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to begin less than two hours after the Legislature gaveled out the first overtime round. The … Continue reading →

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

The end (of the quorum break) is near

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And getting nearer. The House Democrats who fled Texas to block GOP redistricting appear likely to return in the coming days, according to a press release they issued Thursday. The caucus said its members will return if Republicans follow through … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The end (of the quorum break) is near

So when might the quorum busters return?

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Before I address that question, here’s an important bit of business to resolve. Illinois courts will not force Texas Democrats back to the state, a judge ruled Wednesday, dealing a blow to Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Everything happens on Tuesday

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when I said yesterday that there was still no quorum and not much had happened? That was then, this is now. The Supreme Court will take its sweet time in deciding on those quo warranto filings to expel … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Still no quorum

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sitting here waiting for the Supreme Court to take up those ridiculous quo warranto actions by Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton and have been hesitant to start writing something for fear that I’ll have to trash it and start … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quorum break Day 5 roundup: Help an ideological enemy out?

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody knows. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced that the FBI has granted his request to investigate and locate the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state in an attempt to stop the passage of new GOP-favored congressional maps. A spokesperson … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Quorum break Day 3 roundup: Of course there’s a bomb threat

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose something like this was inevitable. Texas House Democrats in Illinois to block GOP redistricting were evacuated from their hotel Wednesday morning due to a bomb threat, lawmakers and local police said. A press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments