Tag Archives: Senate

City runoff election will be December 9

Slightly reducing the overall intrigue factor of the season. The runoffs for Houston’s City Hall elections will be held Dec. 9, the secretary of state’s office confirmed on Tuesday. Houston voters will head to the polls Nov. 7 to elect … Continue reading

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Stay petty, Dan

We like the divisiveness. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick requested a full financial audit of the impeachment proceedings of Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday, making good on a vow he delivered after Paxton was acquitted of all impeachment charges in … Continue reading

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Paxton acquitted on all counts

Welp. The Texas Senate on Saturday acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment alleging corruption and bribery, his most artful escape in a career spent courting controversy and skirting consequences of scandal. No article received more than … Continue reading

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Impeachment trial update: The Senate’s long weekend

Closing arguments have been made. The prosecution and defense made their closing arguments Friday morning in the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, telling wildly contrasting tales of the eight days of witness testimony. The House impeachment managers insisted … Continue reading

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Impeachment trial update: The prosecution rests

Apparently, Wednesday was a bit chaotic. The House impeachment managers rested their case against Ken Paxton on Wednesday amid a dramatic day that centered around questions of whether the attorney general’s paramour would take the stand and an abandoned effort … Continue reading

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Impeachment trial, Week 2: This could actually be the end

They’re on the clock. The clock is quite literally running down on the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday morning told the Texas Senate — which is serving as the jury — … Continue reading

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Rep. Carl Sherman enters Senate primary

Crowded in here all of a sudden. State Rep. Carl Sherman, D-DeSoto, announced Saturday he is running for U.S. Senate, becoming the latest Democrat to launch a campaign to challenge Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Sherman, a pastor, jumped in the … Continue reading

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First week of impeachment ends

I will state upfront that I followed the impeachment trial from a bit of remove. There’s still a lot going on elsewhere, and thanks to the massive amounts of data dropped during discovery, there really hasn’t been anything new or … Continue reading

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Nueces County DA announces Senate candidacy

Okay. The embattled district attorney for Nueces County, Mark Gonzalez, announced Tuesday that he will enter the Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. By announcing his campaign, Gonzalez resigned his current position — a significant development given … Continue reading

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Paxton’s motions to dismiss rejected

We’re off to a good start. The Texas Senate on Tuesday rejected all of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to dismiss the articles of impeachment against him, moving forward with the first removal proceeding against a statewide elected official in … Continue reading

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Weekend Paxton roundup

There’s still time to decorate your house for Impeachment Trial Day on Tuesday. I’m just saying. Here’s a Who’s Who of the impeachment trial for those of you who would like a scorecard, and here’s Dan Patrick asking his patrons … Continue reading

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Drag ban blocked

Good. U.S. District Judge David Hittner temporarily blocked a new state law Thursday from going into effect that would have criminalized sexually-oriented performances in front of children or effectively banned some public drag shows. LGBTQ+ groups sued the Texas attorney … Continue reading

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Paxton roundup: What about Dan?

The Trib ponders how Dan Patrick is holding up under the strain of having to preside over the Ken Paxton impeachment trial. In the Texas Senate, what Dan Patrick wants — Dan Patrick typically gets. Widely regarded as one of … Continue reading

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Another State Bar complaint filed against Paxton

This has to be some kind of modern record. At least, I hope it is. A group of fourteen attorneys filed a complaint with the State Bar of Texas Monday, asking the legal regulatory body to investigate the criminal allegations … Continue reading

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Judge blocks “Death Star” law

I assume this has been appealed and thus the ruling is stayed for now, but in the meantime this is nice. via Gfycat A Travis County state district judge on Wednesday struck down Texas’ “death star” law preempting local regulations … Continue reading

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Paxton roundup: The Christian right does not care at all about his alleged infidelity

I appreciate the thought that went into this story, but come on. Have we not been paying attention to the last seven years? Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rose to power as a champion of religious liberty, building a passionate … Continue reading

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Ken Paxton will not go away voluntarily

We didn’t really think that would happen, did we? Attorney General Ken Paxton dismissed rumors over the weekend that he will resign prior to his impeachment trial next week. On Saturday, Scott Braddock, editor of the legislative website Quorum Report, … Continue reading

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Yet another Paxton roundup

The Senate trial starts in 11 days, and there continues to be so much Paxton news. Political pressure is intensifying around Republican state senators who will serve as the jurors in the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. … Continue reading

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Who might testify at the Paxton impeachment trial?

Maybe these people. The names of witnesses for Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial must be submitted to the Texas Senate by Tuesday, but the public won’t know who they are until they’re called to testify. Such witness lists are not public, … Continue reading

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Who will advise Dan Patrick on impeachment?

He’s looking for help after the guy he picked initially backed out. A former state appeals court judge on Saturday turned down an appointment to serve as an adviser to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the upcoming impeachment trial of … Continue reading

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Yet even more Paxton revelations

It’s been awhile since I last said Wow, but here I am again saying it. Drew Wicker did not like what he was hearing. The personal assistant to Attorney General Ken Paxton stood in his boss’s kitchen in summer 2020 … Continue reading

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Still more Paxton revelations

I have three things to say about this. In new allegations revealed Wednesday, Texas House investigators accused suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton of engaging in a complex cover-up to hide his relationship with real estate investor Nate Paul as senior … Continue reading

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Allred and Gutierrez talk issues

They mostly agree on things. They have some different priorities and some differences in approach, and in some cases one would go farther than the other, but in the end they’re quite similar. U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas and … Continue reading

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More motions to dismiss the impeachment charges

Ken Paxton’s billionaire sugar daddies sure are getting their money’s worth from his attorneys. Attorneys for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a flurry of motions over the weekend that seek to dismiss additional articles of impeachment, arguing that the … Continue reading

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Lawsuit filed against anti-drag bill

The lawsuit count increases again. LGBTQ+ Texans and advocates filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block a new state law that criminalizes some drag shows — and other performances — if they occur in front of children. Senate Bill 12, … Continue reading

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Gag order? What gag order?

It doesn’t count if I’m fundraising, right? Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton is fundraising off his upcoming impeachment trial and characterizing the rare political event in a way that appears to be a direct violation of the gag order established … Continue reading

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July 2023 campaign finance reports: City of Houston, part 5

Previously: Congress SD15 City of Houston, part 1 Harris County City of Houston, part 2 City of Houston, part 3 City of Houston, part 4 January finance reports for city of Houston candidates are here. This is at long last … Continue reading

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Is impeachment criminal or civil?

It makes a difference. As we move close to the historic impeachment trial of the state’s top prosecutor, a major question for those involved is whether the proceedings Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces are criminal or civil. A criminal … Continue reading

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Paxton’s lawyers seek to dismiss most impeachment charges

They’re defense lawyers, it’s what they do. Lawyers for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton requested Monday that all but one of 20 articles of impeachment be dismissed, arguing his removal would “override the will of the people” who elected him … Continue reading

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The Trib on the “political dominoes” of the Mayor’s race

A lot of what’s in here is stuff we already know. I want to focus on this bit from later on: “I think both Whitmire and Jackson Lee are kind of institutions in town, so the fact that there could … Continue reading

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The stunning arrogance of Team Paxton

Even for a cynic like me, this is breathtaking. Rep. Jeff Leach was “pissed off.” He had just found out that Ken Paxton wanted $3.3 million to settle a lawsuit with a group of whistleblowers who’d accused him of corruption … Continue reading

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San Antonio joins Houston’s “Death Star” lawsuit

Welcome aboard, there’s plenty of room for more. After weeks of complaints from council members who say the law’s vagueness is preventing them from doing their jobs, San Antonio leaders said Monday that the city has joined a lawsuit filed by the … Continue reading

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Steven Hotze enters the impeachment chat

Wait, what? Houston conservative activist Steve Hotze filed a lawsuit Friday challenging the gag order issued by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial, arguing the policy violates free speech protections under the Texas Constitution. In … Continue reading

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The Brandon Cammack files

The impeachment trial of Ken Paxton may help answer some questions about one of the more brazen (alleged) attempts by Paxton to help his buddy Nate Paul. More than a year before Ken Paxton would be impeached by the Texas … Continue reading

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