Tag Archives: Supreme Court

Harris County drops its lawsuit over the law banning its Elections Administrator

The right move at this time, though the whole thing still rankles. Harris County dropped its lawsuit against the state on Wednesday, ending its challenge to a law that went into effect weeks ago eliminating the county’s elections office. The … Continue reading

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

Paxton whistleblowers demand depositions

As always, I am rooting for them. Lawyers for the Ken Paxton whistleblowers are moving forward with their lawsuit in Travis County after another judge cleared the way, asking the Austin-based court to force the attorney general and his top … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton whistleblowers demand depositions

The business brief against the state abortion ban

Would like to see a lot more co-signers on this. Forty Texas companies and business leaders are entering the fight against Texas’ abortion ban, filing a brief with the Texas Supreme Court that argues the “ambiguity” in the law’s medical … Continue reading

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

Harris County elections update

No news is good news. By all accounts, Harris County pulled off a smooth local election last week under its newly reconfigured election administration. But officials didn’t have time to revel in it before a judge took them to task … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2023, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More plaintiffs in the lawsuit to allow exemptions to Texas’ super strict anti-abortion law

SCOTx will take up that appeal soon. When Kimberly Manzano’s doctor first noticed some irregularities with her pregnancy, she turned to God, praying constantly for good news. When the diagnosis worsened, she and her husband sought comfort in the Bible’s … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More plaintiffs in the lawsuit to allow exemptions to Texas’ super strict anti-abortion law

Paxton whistleblower lawsuit unpaused again

Good. A Burnet County district judge ruled Tuesday that the Ken Paxton whistleblowers’ case can proceed in Travis County, while Paxton’s recently launched legal challenge to the revived lawsuit remains pending. The ruling by Judge Evan Stubbs could allow the … Continue reading

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

Paxton whistleblower lawsuit paused again

WTF??? The whistleblower lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton has once again been put on pause, this time by a judge who had not been previously involved in the case. The Texas Supreme Court agreed to jumpstart the case in … Continue reading

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

Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit heard by SCOTx

Now we wait. Texas Supreme Court justices Wednesday questioned whether a Waco justice of the peace should remain under threat of a judicial oversight body’s sanctions if she continues refusing to marry gay couples. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit heard by SCOTx

SCOTx rules whistleblowers’ lawsuit can proceed

Good. The Texas Supreme Court has sided with former top deputies of Attorney General Ken Paxton and cleared the way for their whistleblower lawsuit to move forward. The all-Republican Supreme Court on Friday rejected Paxton’s request to dismiss the lawsuit … Continue reading

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

The whistleblowers say they aren’t going away

Glad to hear it. In a Monday filing to the Texas Supreme Court, the whistleblowers [Blake Brickman, David Maxwell, Mark Penley and Ryan Vassar] argued that Paxton has failed to uphold key parts of the settlement agreement, including the $3.3 … Continue reading

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

Law banning gender affirming care goes into effect pending litigation

Very unfortunate, to say the least. A Texas law that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth will go into effect as scheduled Friday. The law will kick in September 1st despite a state district judge’s ruling last week that the … Continue reading

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

Amtrak seeks partnership with Texas Central

Hey look, a sign of life! The largely stalled initiative to construct a high-speed railway between Houston and Dallas is up and running again. Amtrak and Texas Central, the Dallas-based company behind the long-planned project, announced Wednesday they are exploring … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Amtrak seeks partnership with Texas Central

A brief Nate Paul update

For those of you who like this sort of thing. You know who you are. The Texas Supreme Court denied an appeal on Friday by indicted real estate developer Nate Paul to reverse a judgment against him worth millions of … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A brief Nate Paul update

Anti-gay Waco JP’s lawsuit to be considered by SCOTx

The end of the line one way or the other. The Texas Supreme Court will review a case involving a Waco justice of the peace’s refusal to perform same-sex weddings. McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley sued the … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

City to sue over mandatory arbitration law

Add it to what is likely to be a substantive list. Houston city attorneys said Monday they plan to challenge the constitutionality of a new Texas law that gives Houston firefighters mandatory arbitration in their long-running contract stalemate. Lowell Denton, … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

SCOTx rules ERCOT can’t be sued over the 2021 freeze

A split ruling, which in my kind could have gone either way. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that ERCOT, the operator of Texas’ power grid, is a government entity, granting the organization immunity to lawsuits stemming from 2021′s deadly … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTx rules ERCOT can’t be sued over the 2021 freeze

Oligarch nuisance lawsuit against Beto finally tossed

Sure took long enough. A state appeals court dismissed Republican megadonor Kelcy Warren’s defamation lawsuit against Beto O’Rourke, ruling Friday that statements by the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor were protected by the First Amendment. The Austin-based 3rd Court of … Continue reading

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

A Paxton threefer

Law professor Quinn Yeargain points out something I’ve not seen discussed elsewhere. But for both ambitious Texas politicians waiting in the wings and eagle-eyed election observers, one of the most important questions is likely who will succeed Paxton if he’s … Continue reading

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

Impeach-a-palooza

The impeachment debate in the House will happen today. The Texas House intends to take up a resolution to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton at 1 p.m. Saturday, according to a memo from the House General Investigating Committee. Citing Paxton’s “long-standing pattern of abuse of … Continue reading

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

An example of how a pro-abortion rights campaign could go

This was from last week, and I’ve been thinking about it since. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, one of the five women suing Texas for abortion access blamed the state’s Republican senators for her near-death experience … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2024, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An example of how a pro-abortion rights campaign could go

Countersuit in the “wrongful death” abortion saga

Wild. A man who is suing his ex-wife’s friends for allegedly helping her get an abortion may have known about her plans and done nothing to stop her, according to a new legal filing. Marcus Silva brought a wrongful-death lawsuit … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Countersuit in the “wrongful death” abortion saga

How was there still an active lawsuit over the 2004 revenue cap referendum?

I am gobsmacked. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday struck down part of Houston’s revenue cap, creating the possibility that the city may have to comply with an even more stringent cap in the future. Elected officials in Houston long have blamed … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How was there still an active lawsuit over the 2004 revenue cap referendum?

Senate re-passes its redistricting map

Mostly political theater, as there’s little reason to believe they actually need to cover their butts at this point. A year and half after it was first approved, the Texas Senate on Monday voted to rubber-stamp a map setting the … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate re-passes its redistricting map

SCOTx rules for city on pay parity, for firefighters on collective bargaining

I’m going to approach this one at first via dueling press releases. First, from the HPFFA: The Supreme Court of Texas has ruled that the City of Houston violated the state constitution in refusing to honor voter-approved fair pay and … Continue reading

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

SCOTx denies pre-election challenge to San Antonio marijuana reform referendum

First the voters will vote, then as needed the lawsuits will happen. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that any legal challenges to a proposed charter amendment on policing reforms must wait until after voters weigh in on the measure … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2023, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

So now we start processing what happened and what will happen with the TEA takeover

The Chron editorial board points to three key items. Still, if this takeover must happen — and Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday that it is indeed happening — we want it to work. Houston’s schoolchildren don’t have time for another … Continue reading

Posted in School days, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Appealing the injunction that halted DFPS investigations of trans kids’ families

Just keeping you informed. Attorney General Ken Paxton, in an appeal, is asking the courts to lift an injunction that stopped the state from conducting child abuse investigations over transition-related medical care for transgender youth. Paxton argued that the families … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Appealing the injunction that halted DFPS investigations of trans kids’ families

The TEA takeover has begun

At least the suspense is over. That’s the extent of my optimism about this. State education leaders notified the Houston Independent School District on Wednesday that they are resuming the process of stripping all power from the district’s elected school … Continue reading

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

The Lege still doesn’t want to pay for Paxton’s whistleblower sins

Who can blame them? Now midway through the legislative session, Paxton and state lawmakers are at a standstill, and taxpayers are caught in the middle. Lawmakers have so far declined to include the settlement money in any budget bills, while … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Lege still doesn’t want to pay for Paxton’s whistleblower sins

The next frontier in forced birth litigation

This is truly wild, and potentially very scary. A Texas man is suing three women under the wrongful death statute, alleging that they assisted his ex-wife in terminating her pregnancy, the first such case brought since the state’s near-total ban … Continue reading

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

Chron story on the anti-Open Beaches bill

Glad to see it. A bill that would reshape future legal battles over Texas’ public beach boundaries is stirring backlash from advocates and former state leaders, who claim the proposal would give beachfront property owners the green light to vacuum up … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chron story on the anti-Open Beaches bill

HISD ends lawsuit against TEA

A formality at this point. The Houston Independent School District board voted on Thursday night to end its lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency, effectively ending the district’s legal fight against an attempted state takeover.  The motion passed with support of eight of the … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HISD ends lawsuit against TEA

The whistleblowers’ un-settlement

Plot twist! The whistleblowers who sued Attorney General Ken Paxton say they’re headed back to court unless he agrees that the Legislature must approve their proposed $3.3 million settlement before the current legislative session ends in May. They are the … Continue reading

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

Wheatley’s fate

We may learn today of the TEA’s intentions with HISD. Whatever does happen, let’s remember that in the end this will affect a lot of people, and some of them are not happy with the position they’ve been put in. … Continue reading

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