Tag Archives: LULAC

Fifth Circuit extends block on vote by mail expansion

Not unexpected, unfortunately. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals extended its order Thursday blocking a lower court’s sweeping ruling that would have allowed all Texas voters to qualify to vote by mail during the coronavirus … Continue reading

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

Fifth Circuit flips the switch

It’s what they do. A federal appeals court has temporarily put on hold a lower court’s sweeping ruling that would have allowed all Texas voters to qualify to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. Siding with Texas Attorney General … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Federal court issues order to allow voting by mail

Here we go again. A federal judge opened a path for a massive expansion in absentee voting in Texas by ordering Tuesday that all state voters, regardless of age, qualify for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Days after a … Continue reading

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

First federal vote by mail lawsuit hearing

One down, two to go. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery heard arguments Friday in a federal lawsuit seeking to give all voters the option to vote by mail due to fears of catching or spreading the coronavirus. […] During Friday’s … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on First federal vote by mail lawsuit hearing

LULAC joins TDP’s federal mail ballot lawsuit

More plaintiffs, more fun. A prominent Latino civil rights group is jumping into the fight to expand Texas’ voting-by-mail eligibility, alleging the restriction that limits age eligibility for voting by mail to those 65 and older disproportionately harms Texas Latinos … Continue reading

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

It was Abbott all along

Who was behind that botched voter purge that caused now-former Secretary of State David Whitley to not get confirmed by the Senate? Greg Abbott, that’s who. Two top officials at the Department of Public Safety named Gov. Greg Abbott’s office … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The SOS voter purge may be over, but Ken Paxton is unaccounted for

Keep an eye on this. After the judge approved the settlement, the original list of voters was scrapped. Under the agreement, Texas officials now will only flag names of people who have said they’re not citizens after they have registered … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The SOS voter purge may be over, but Ken Paxton is unaccounted for

Settlement officially reached in lawsuits over bogus SOS advisory

Great news. Three months after first questioning the citizenship status of almost 100,000 registered voters, the Texas secretary of state has agreed to end a review of the voter rolls for supposed noncitizens that was flawed from the start. The … Continue reading

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

LULAC settles its SOS lawsuit

Good news. The state of Texas is ending a program to purge voters it claimed were noncitizens in order to settle lawsuits brought by civil rights groups over the plan. The deal was reached following a meeting Monday in San … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on LULAC settles its SOS lawsuit

Judge blocks any voter purges from the SOS advisory

Good. Let’s hope this lasts. In a major victory for voting rights groups, a federal judge has ordered that no Texas county should purge suspected noncitizen voters from the rolls or issue letters demanding that they prove their citizenship “without … Continue reading

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

Testimony ends in SOS advisory lawsuit

Now we wait for a ruling. We’ve already sort of gotten one, but it’s not all official yet. As part of an ongoing flurry of litigation in federal court here over the state’s bungled citizenship review of its voter rolls, … Continue reading

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

Civil rights groups want Whitley to not be confirmed

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SOS advisory lawsuit continues

From Day Two of testimony: Despite a glaring error in the original data that questioned the citizenship status of tens of thousands of registered voters, a state elections official defended the investigation in federal court Wednesday, saying some potential illegal … Continue reading

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

First day in court for SOS advisory lawsuits

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SOS advisory lawsuit update

Add another plaintiff, litigate till done. A naturalized citizen — who immigrated to Texas from the United Kingdom and is a registered voter — is joining a Latino civil rights group in suing top Texas officials after her voter registration … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

As the SOS advisory numbers get revised down

This really can’t be emphasized enough. State officials on Tuesday acknowledged widespread errors in their list of 95,000 Texas voters flagged as potential non-citizens, reinforcing the concerns of advocates who say the state’s effort amounts to illegal voter suppression. In … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A trio of updates about that bogus SOS letter

Most counties reacted skeptically, as well they should. The Texas Tribune reached out to 13 of the 15 counties with the most registered voters on Monday; Galveston was the only one that indicated it would immediately send out letters, even … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Trump administration opposes Section 3 oversight

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 , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Trump administration opposes Section 3 oversight

Moving forward on Section 3

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 , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From the “Answering my own rhetorical question” department

Nobody could have seen this coming! Ever since Texas’s “sanctuary cities” ban was first proposed in late 2016, the measure’s Republican backers have painted it as a public safety measure targeting criminals — without racist or anti-immigrant intent. But records … Continue reading

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on From the “Answering my own rhetorical question” department

Electoral College lawsuit filed

I’m not sure about this. Saying Texas’ current practice is discriminatory, a group of Hispanic activists and lawyers has sued the state in hopes of blocking it from awarding all of its Electoral College votes to one candidate during presidential … Continue reading

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

Redistricting trial week begins

This will be the main event of the week. Eight months ahead of the 2018 primaries, Texas and its legal foes on Monday will kick off a week-long trial that could shake up races across the state. The state and … Continue reading

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

ACLU files for injunction against SB4

From the inbox: The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas filed the first motion today to block the anti-immigrant and anti-law enforcement Texas Senate Bill (SB4) before it takes effect. This is the next step in the … Continue reading

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

State files motion to combine all the “sanctuary cities” lawsuits

This isn’t a surprise, but there is a bit of a twist. In a filing late Thursday, Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a federal district court in Austin to absorb two other legal challenges that have been filed against the … Continue reading

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

ACLU joins first “sanctuary cities” lawsuit

From the inbox: The ACLU of Texas and the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project have joined the lawsuit challenging Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4), which demands that local governments and their employees engage in federal immigration enforcement practices. The case, City … Continue reading

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

First anti-“sanctuary cities” lawsuit filed

That was quick. Senate Bill 4 has drawn its first lawsuit. The League of United Latin American Citizens, Maverick County and the city of El Cenizo sued the state of Texas on Monday, claiming that SB 4 has failed to … Continue reading

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on First anti-“sanctuary cities” lawsuit filed

Court rules several Congressional districts were illegally drawn

Bam! Some of Texas’ 36 congressional districts violate either the U.S. Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act, a panel of federal judges ruled Friday. In a long-delayed ruling, the judges ruled 2-1 that the Texas Legislature must redraw the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2018, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Motion filed to compel redistricting ruling

From the Lone Star Project: The major plaintiffs challenging the Texas congressional and State House boundaries filed a joint motion earlier today to compel the three-judge federal district court in San Antonio to finally issue a decision on their claims … Continue reading

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

Can we PLEASE get some action on redistricting?

From the Lone Star Project: Earlier today, plaintiffs in the pending Texas congressional and state house redistricting case filed a motion with the presiding three-judge federal panel in San Antonio requesting a conference to discuss further action on the case. … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can we PLEASE get some action on redistricting?

Can SCOTUS please intervene in the voter ID case?

The plaintiffs would like to know. Civil rights groups challenging Texas’ voter identification law are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block the measure from being used during the 2016 general election. […] The civil rights groups filed a motion … Continue reading

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

Voter ID plaintiffs want Fith Circuit to get on with it

Some more unfinished business for the courts. Some plaintiffs challenging Texas’ voter ID law want a federal appeals court to speed up its consideration of the case, looking to sort it out before the next wave of elections in the … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Voter ID plaintiffs want Fith Circuit to get on with it

Voter ID trial testimony ends

The state of Texas put on its case in the voter ID trial. Lawyers from the Texas attorney general’s office presented witnesses Wednesday in federal court defending the state voter ID law as necessary and attempting to rebuff claims that … Continue reading

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

Davis beats Abbott in court again

That’s probably the simplest way to understand this story. A San Antonio federal court has ordered Texas to pay more than $260,000 in attorney fees to the legal team that helped state Sen. Wendy Davis beat back Republican attempts to … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Davis beats Abbott in court again

Redistricting plaintiffs go for Section 3

It’s a brand new world out there. Minority-rights groups are charting “new territory” in the fight against Texas’ redistricting plan, using a provision of the Voting Rights Act that cites discriminatory intent as part of an effort to maintain federal … Continue reading

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