Tag Archives: Jared Woodfill

Win one, lose one at SCOTX

The win: Early voting in Texas can begin Oct. 13, following the timeline the governor laid out months ago, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, rejecting a request from several top Texas Republicans to limit the timeframe for voters to … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Paxton opposes Hotze mandamus to curb early voting

From Reform Austin: In a brief filed with the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues that the GOP group suing Gov. Greg Abbott to prevent him from extending early voting for the November election has no standing … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Hotze’s latest Supreme Court gambit

He has nothing else to do, clearly. A litigious conservative activist in Houston, the Harris County Republican party, and a number of Republican officials and candidates are asking the Texas Supreme Court to limit in-person and absentee voting options for … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hotze and crew appeal to SCOTX to stop the extra week of early voting

Here we go again. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a lawsuit over his extension of early voting for the November election from prominent members of his own party — including state party Chairman Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Supreme Court issues possibly pointless stay in mail ballots case

This story doesn’t quite say what it seems to say, as we will see. The Texas Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Harris County from sending mail-in ballot applications to all its voters for the November election. The decision Wednesday came … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hotze and the Harris County GOP try to stop the Clerk from sending out mail ballot applications

It’s mandamus time! Again. The Harris County Republican Party on Monday joined a lawsuit asking the Texas Supreme Court to halt the county clerk’s plan to send mail ballot applications to all 2.4 million registered voters. The lawsuit accuses County … Continue reading

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

SCOTX rejects multiple Hotze petitions

Some good news. The Texas Supreme Court has refused to hear several challenges by a Houston conservative power broker to emergency orders on coronavirus issued by Gov. Greg Abbott and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Without comment, the nine Republican … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The school situation remains a big ol’ mess

You can blame Greg Abbott for all this confusion. After weeks of confusion and conflicting signals, Texas has settled into policies that effectively compel schools to reopen their classrooms this fall no later than eight weeks after the academic year … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

There’s a lot of COVID litigation out there

Texas Lawyer surveys the landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a growing subset of new business litigation in Texas: companies suing the government over shutdown orders or definitions of essential versus nonessential businesses. One of the latest examples to make … Continue reading

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

Federal judge rules GOP can have its in person convention

Unbelievable. A federal judge on Friday ruled that Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston First Corp. must allow the Texas Republican Party to proceed with an in-person convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center, though the party now only intends … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dems ask some Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from convention appeal

Stay with me here, this will all make sense. The Texas Democratic Party on Friday called for four of the state’s nine Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from a case involving the Texas Republican Party’s in-person convention, claiming each … Continue reading

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GOP sues over cancelled convention

As the night follows the day. The Texas Republican Party on Thursday sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston First Corp. for canceling the party’s in-person convention that was scheduled for next week in downtown Houston. The lawsuit, filed in Harris … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Of course there’s a lawsuit against Abbott’s mask order

And of course it involves the usual suspects. The day Gov. Greg Abbott’s mandate that face masks be worn in most public places across Texas went into effect, a GOP activist and group of conservatives filed a lawsuit in an … Continue reading

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Abbott finally issues a mask order

Better late than never, but it’s pretty damn late. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a nearly statewide mask mandate Thursday as Texas scrambles to get its coronavirus surge under control. The order requires Texans living in counties with 20 or more … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

More on that bar owners’ lawsuit

It’s something, that’s for sure. They’re here. They serve beer. And they are hopping mad at Greg Abbott. As the Washington Post’s Teo Amus reported Tuesday, a group of Texas bar owners from around the state has banded together to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Hey, how about trying that local control thing again?

Seems like it might be worth a shot to led Mayors and County Judges lead on coronavirus response again, since they’ve done so much better a job of leading than Greg Abbott has. As Texas grapples with soaring coronavirus cases … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hotze and pals still crying to the Supreme Court

It’s hard to keep track of it all. Houston GOP activist Steve Hotze and a coalition of business owners and conservatives have launched a legal challenge claiming Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency orders related to the coronavirus violate the Texas Constitution. … Continue reading

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Hotze goes crying to the Supreme Court

This effing guy, I swear. Houston conservative activist Steve Hotze on Monday filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court seeking an emergency ruling on Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s mask order, which took effect this morning. Hotze originally filed … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Hotze sues Harris County again

This is just what he does now, I suppose. Houston conservative power broker Steve Hotze filed a lawsuit against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Thursday, alleging that her order requiring people to cover their faces in public violates the Texas … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Hotze sues Abbott and Paxton

Just another day at the office for this guy. A group of conservative activists and pastors that’s challenging Harris County’s stay-at-home order is now also suing Gov. Greg Abbott, claiming his recent executive order to stem the spread of Covid-19 … Continue reading

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

Ridiculous Hotze lawsuit now in district court

We are all dumber by the mere existence of this. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Harris County’s stay-at-home order, though the legal fight is set to continue in state district court. The Wednesday … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

That was a statewide stay-at-home order

And we’re under it now, even if you don’t want to call it that. Gov. Greg Abbott released a new video Wednesday clarifying that his executive order issued on Tuesday “requires all Texans to stay at home” except for essential … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Steven Hotze’s death wish

I have three things to say about this. A hardline conservative power broker and three area pastors filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court Monday arguing that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s stay-at-home order violates the Constitution by ordering … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Hotze and Buzbee

But wait, there’s more. Anti-gay leader Steve Hotze withdrew his support for Tony Buzbee on Thursday, and called the mayoral candidate a “charlatan and liar” for denying he had sought the Republican power broker’s political support. In an emailed statement, … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Buzbee and Hotze

Buddies. One of the leaders of a controversial, anti-LGBTQ group on Tuesday said Tony Buzbee met numerous times with Steven Hotze before the Republican power broker endorsed his mayoral campaign, contradicting comments Buzbee made at a televised debate the night … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The clown show is coming for Drag Queen Story Time

The words, they fail me. The group that opposed and defeated Houston’s equal rights ordinance in 2015 announced Tuesday it is launching a petition drive aimed at prohibiting Drag Queen Storytime, the program shuttered earlier this year by city officials … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Wolfe censured by HCDE

A new episode of the Michael Wolfe reality show. Harris County Department of Education’s board voted to censure Trustee Michael Wolfe over sexual harassment allegations hours after a state district judge denied his request for a temporary restraining order. Trustees … Continue reading

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County Attorney investigating Wolfe

Good. The Harris County Attorney is investigating a report alleging that a Harris County Department of Education Trustee Michael Wolfe sexually harassed a job applicant and retaliated against her when she refused to date him. In a letter dated March … Continue reading

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Seriously, what is happening at HCDE?

I’m just flabbergasted. Six trustees of the Harris County Department of Education’s board have voted to accept an investigation alleging fellow Trustee Michael Wolfe sexually harassed a female job candidate and spread rumors about her sex life after she twice … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Same sex employee benefits lawsuit tossed again

This is great, but as always that’s not the end of it. The lawsuit dates back to 2013, when pastor Jack Pidgeon and accountant Larry Hicks sued the city to end the policy. In 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

More on the Woodfill raid

Yeah. Former Harris County Republican Party Chairman Jared Woodfill is being investigated on theft and money laundering allegations, accused of misappropriating funds of at least two of his law firm’s clients, according to an affidavit by the Harris County District … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Police raid Jared Woodfill’s office

Oh, my. Authorities on Monday raided the law office of former Harris County Republican Party chairman Jared Woodfill. Investigators with the Harris County District Attorney’s office wheeled carts of documents from Woodfill’s office at 3 Riverway at least an hour … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hotze and the judges

From family law attorney Greg Enos, who publishes a legal blog/newsletter called The Mongoose (I’ve referenced him here before): Real Journalists Should Investigate How Republican Judges Are Funneling Money to Hotze’s Hate Group I am a full-time lawyer and only … Continue reading

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Woodfill and Hotze take their next shot at same sex employee benefits

Here we go again. Anti-LGBTQ activists are again asking a Harris County judge to halt benefits for the same-sex spouses of Houston city employees, according to a recently filed motion. The motion for summary judgment in Pidgeon v. Turner, a … Continue reading

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