Tag Archives: The Lege

Several Dem legislators want to investigate HISD

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if this goes anywhere. Several Houston-area Democratic legislators are calling for a formal hearing to address “potential violations of state law” in Houston ISD in the aftermath of the Texas Education Agency stripping elected leaders from the school … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, That's our Lege | Tagged Ann Johnson, Board of Managers, Christina Morales, Gene Wu, HISD, Houston, Hubert Vo, Jarvis Johnson, Jon Rosenthal, Mary Ann Perez, Mike Miles, Mike Morath, New Education System, Penny Shaw, schools, Shawn Thierry, Texas, Texas Education Agency, The Lege | Comments Off

“Reverse redlining”

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. A novel legal argument is at the heart of a federal lawsuit against the sprawling Colony Ridge housing development in Liberty County that could prove a test case for similar claims around the country, experts say. The lawsuit … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Attorney General, Colony Ridge, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, John Harris, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Liberty County, Texas, Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending, The Lege, Trey Harris | 1 Comment

The Fifth Circuit has its merits hearing on SB4

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is the big one. A federal appeals court heard arguments Wednesday from Texas and the federal government about whether it should continue blocking a new Texas law that would let state police arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Bastrop County, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Hidalgo County, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, MALDEF, McLennan County, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege | Comments Off

Influencer disclosures

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. Texas’ top campaign finance watchdog gave initial approval last week to a proposal that would require social media users to disclose if they are being paid to share or create political advertisements. The Texas Ethics Commission’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged campaign finance reform, Empower Texans, ethics, Farris Wilks, impeachment, Influenceable LLC, Jonathan Stickland, Ken Paxton, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Texas, Texas Ethics Commission, The Lege, Tim Dunn, Tom Oliverson | 1 Comment

Crystal Mason’s conviction for illegal voting overturned

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Justice at last. A Texas appeals court on Thursday overturned the illegal voting conviction of Crystal Mason, who was given a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while on supervised release for federal tax … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged 2nd Court of Appeals, ACLU of Texas, Court of Criminal Appeals, Crystal Mason, Election 2016, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege, voter suppression | 2 Comments

Appeals court upholds injunction that halted DFPS investigations of trans kids’ families

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today, the Texas Court of Appeals, Third District, upheld injunctions in two related cases against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and Commissioner Masters, barring them from implementing the agency’s rule expanding the definition … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Amber Briggle, Amy Clark Meachum, Department of Family and Protective Services, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, lawsuit, PFLAG, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Third Court of Appeals, transgender rights, Travis County | Comments Off

Fifth Circuit leaves SB4 block in place

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal appeals panel late Tuesday night declined to put Texas’s migrant deportation law back in effect, saying the state law seizes powers that are “likely reserved to the United States.” The 2-1 opinion from the 5th Circuit Court … Continue reading →

PFLAG wins injunction against Paxton’s intrusive data requests

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, as I have not seen any news stories about this yet: The Travis County District Court today granted a temporary injunction blocking the Texas Attorney General’s Office’s latest effort targeting transgender Texans — its demand that PFLAG … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Family and Protective Services, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, lawsuit, PFLAG, Plume Health, QueerMed, Supreme Court, telemedicine, Texas, Texas Children's Hospital, The Lege, transgender rights | 1 Comment

Hope we have enough water this summer

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking great for some parts of the state right now. Two consecutive summers of brutal heat and drought have left some parts of Texas with notably low water supplies going into 2024. A wet year or a well-placed hurricane … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Austin, climate change, Corpus Christi, drought, NOAA, Rio Grande, Rio Grande Regional Water Authority, San Antonio, SWIFT, Texas, Texas Water Development Board, The Lege, videos, water | Comments Off

Mexico asks Fifth Circuit to keep blocking SB4

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

They definitely have an interest in this. The Mexican government is urging a federal court to block Texas’ migrant deportation law, arguing it will trample the country’s right to regulate its own borders, terrorize the 2.4 million Mexican nationals living … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Bastrop County, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Hidalgo County, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, MALDEF, McLennan County, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Sheriff’s Association of Texas, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Municipal Police Association, Texas Police Chiefs Association, The Lege | Comments Off

Paxton sues two more adult websites

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure he’s got a list. Two more adult websites are facing lawsuits from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office over accusations they’re not following the state’s age verification law, the latest effort to legally go after internet porn providers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Age Verification Providers Association, Angela Paxton, Attorney General, Aylo, censorship, Chaturbate, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Free Speech Coalition, Hammy Media, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Multi Media, Pornhub, pornography, Texas, The Lege, VPN, xHamster | 2 Comments

Texas Medical Board issues some guidance on abortion exceptions

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. The Texas Medical Board proposed a broad definition for what constitutes an emergency medical exception under the state’s otherwise strict abortion ban at its meeting Friday, disappointing some abortion rights advocates who were seeking a specific list of … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, Amanda Zurawski, Amy Bresnen, Attorney General, Center for Reproductive Rights, Election 2024, Election 2026, hospitals, Kate Cox, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Steve Bresnen, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Medical Board, The Lege | Comments Off

Rep. Oliverson files for Speaker

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this was inevitable. State Rep. Tom Oliverson on Thursday announced a surprise challenge to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, condemning his fellow Republican’s “dysfunctional” leadership as he fights for political survival in a May runoff. Oliverson, an anesthesiologist … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024, That's our Lege | Tagged Dade Phelan, Election 2024, HD130, HD21, primaries, runoff, Speaker's race, Texas, The Lege, Tom Oliverson, vouchers | 1 Comment

Fifth Circuit has its SB4 hearing

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

More whiplashing. The chief judge on an appeals panel weighing whether to block Texas’ new migrant deportation law appeared skeptical that it does not run afoul of longstanding precedent leaving immigration enforcement solely to the federal government. Questioning the state’s … Continue reading →

And just like that, SCOTUS flipflops on SB4

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

UPDATE: It’s blocked again! A federal appeals court late Tuesday night stopped a state law allowing Texas police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border — hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed it to go … Continue reading →

SCOTUS pauses SB4 again

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This time indefinitely. The Supreme Court on Monday extended a temporary block on a new Texas immigration law that is being challenged by the Biden administration. In an order issued by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the court again imposed a … Continue reading →

Sure, Pornhub could verify identities and ages if they wanted to

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

But that’s not the point. House Bill 1181, which was passed in June and went into effect in September, says that any entity publishing pornographic material must require a visitor to provide digital identification or use a commercial age verification … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Technology, science, and math | Tagged Age Verification Providers Association, Angela Paxton, Attorney General, Aylo, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Free Speech Coalition, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Pornhub, pornography, Texas, The Lege | 5 Comments

Another Republican done dirty by Abbott speaks

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the table, Rep. Clardy. When state representative Travis Clardy, of Nacogdoches, first heard rumblings of a potential Republican primary challenger early last summer, he was surprised. The woman who was considering challenging him, Joanne Shofner, was someone who … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Election 2024, Greg Abbott, HD11, Joanne Shofner, Ken Paxton, primaries, Texas, The Lege, Travis Clardy, vouchers | Comments Off

Now the state sues the Colony Ridge developers

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Following in the footsteps of the feds. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Houston-area developers of Colony Ridge on Thursday, accusing them of deceptive sales, marketing and lending practices that allowed their sprawling housing development to flourish. Residents of … Continue reading →

Pornhub blocks access from Texas

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you’ve already noticed, but just in case… One of the most-visited pornography websites, Pornhub, disabled its site in Texas on Thursday over objections to a state law that requires age verification to prevent access to minors. People who … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Angela Paxton, Attorney General, Aylo, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Free Speech Coalition, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Pornhub, pornography, Texas, The Lege | 5 Comments

Texas Medical Board may issue guidance on abortion exceptions

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I trust you will forgive my skepticism about this. The Texas Medical Board will consider language to clarify what qualifies as a medical exception to the state’s abortion laws at an upcoming March 22 board meeting. The meeting agenda was … Continue reading →

SB4 remains on hold

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. No rush. The Supreme Court on Tuesday further delayed a new Texas law empowering state authorities to arrest and deport migrants that would transform immigration enforcement long left to the federal government. Justice Samuel Alito extended an … Continue reading →

A closer look at Colony Ridge

Posted on March 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There have been problems for awhile. Not the kind of problems that got the wingnuts all frothed up, but problems nonetheless. When the fast-growing Colony Ridge development outside Houston became a fixation of right-wing media last year, Texas’ Republican leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, The great state of Texas | Tagged Attorney General, Colony Ridge, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ernest Bailes, Greg Abbott, Jay Knight, John Harris, Justice Department, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Liberty County, Robert Nichols, TCEQ, Texas, Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending, The Lege, Trey Harris | 1 Comment

There’s only one way forward after this primary

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The worst people you know had a very good week last week. It’s likely to get better for them after the runoffs. These headlines capture the essence of it: ‘Disastrous’: A shaken Texas House prepares for rightward shift after record … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Angela Paxton, Angie Chen Button, Averie Bishop, Ben Bumgarner, Brad Buckley, Caroline Harris Davila, Collin County, Craig Goldman, Dallas County, Daniel Lee, David Carstens, Dawn Richardson, Democratic primary, Denise Wilkerson, Denton County, Detrick DeBurr, Donald Trump, Election 2018, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election 2024, Elizabeth Wilkerson, Fort Bend County, Fred Medina, Frederick Frazier, HD108, HD112, HD118, HD121, HD14, HD26, HD37, HD52, HD54, HD55, HD61, HD63, HD65, HD66, HD67, HD94, HD97, Hugh Shine, impeachment, Jacey Jetton, Janie Lopez, Jeff Leach, Jennie Birkholz, Jennifer Lee, Joe Biden, John Lujan, John Raney, Ken Paxton, Kristian Carranza, Kronda Thimesch, Laurel Jordan Swift, Makala Washington, Matt Shaheen, Michelle Beckley, Morgan Meyer, precinct analysis, primaries, Rachel Mello, redistricting, runoff, SD08, Senate, Steve Allison, Tarrant County, Texas, The Lege, Tony Adams, Tony Tinderholt, vouchers | 4 Comments

Ousted Rep. Rogers has some thoughts about why he lost

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

He’s on the right track. It’s just a question of whether he takes it to the correct destination. The corruption that exists at the highest level of Texas state government would have made Governor “Pa” Ferguson blush. Governor Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Election 2024, Glenn Rogers, Greg Abbott, impeachment, Ken Paxton, primaries, Texas, The Lege, vouchers | 4 Comments

Evaluating the polls

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This year we got a set of polls for various Democratic primary races from the UH Hobby Center. Because of the nature of some of the races and the fact that we don’t usually get this kind of polling data, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Amanda Edwards, Angeanette Thibodeaux, Annette Ramirez, Ashton Woods, Beto Cardenas, CD07, CD18, Charlene Ward Johnson, Christian Menefee, Clint Horn, Colin Allred, Congress, Danyahel Norris, Democratic primary, District Attorney, Ed Gonzalez, Election 2024, Harold Dutton, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Harris County Sheriff, Harris County Tax Assessor, HD139, HD142, HD146, Jarvis Johnson, Jerry Ford, Karthik Soora, Kim Ogg, Lauren Ashley Simmons, Lizzie FLetcher, Michelle Bonton, Mo Jenkins, Molly Cook, Pervez Agwan, polls, Roland Gutierrez, Rosalind Caesar, SD15, Sean Teare, Senate, Shawn Thierry, Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas, The Lege, Todd Litton, Umeka Lewis-Piccolo | Comments Off

Initial thoughts on the 2024 primary

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Some opening considerations as we peruse the final unofficial voting data. Before you read my words, go check out Stace, Campos, Reform Austin, and the Texas Signal. Here we go: – Final turnout in Harris County was 176,396 for Dems … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, Annette Ramirez, Armando Perez-Serrato, Barack Obama, Cameron County, CD12, CD23, CD32, Colin Allred, Congress, Constable, Democratic primary, Desiree Broadnax, early voting, Election 2012, Election 2018, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election 2024, Gillespie County, hand counting, Harris County, Harris County Tax Assessor, HD139, HD146, Hidalgo County, Jarvis Johnson, Joe Biden, judicial races, Julie Johnson, Michelle Bonton, Molly Cook, President, primaries, runoff, SD15, Senate, special election, Texas, The Lege, Todd Litton, turnout, Webb County | 2 Comments

Three Ken Paxton updates

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I missed these in the recent news rush, but spotted them all more or less at once via the Google News app on my phone. Doomscrolling for the win, I guess. Whistleblowers: Texas Supreme Court must reject Ken Paxton’s ‘scheme’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, Attorney General, Bastrop County, Baylor College of Medicine, Blake Brickman, Brent Webster, bribery, crisis pregnancy centers, David Maxwell, Department of Family and Protective Services, FBI, impeachment, Ken Paxton, Lambda Legal, lawsuit, Lesley Henneke, Mark Penley, Michelle SMith, Nate Paul, PFLAG, Plume Health, QueerMed, Ryan Vassar, Supreme Court, telemedicine, Texas, Texas Children's Hospital, Texas Whistleblower Act, The Lege, transgender rights, Travis County, Yelp | Comments Off

Primary 2024 results: Democratic headlines

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be a late night and I have a couple of long days ahead of me, so I’m going to do some quick summaries based on what I now know, and will come back later to fill the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, Allison Jackson Mathis, Amanda Edwards, Amber Boyd-Cora, Angeanette Thibodeaux, Annette Ramirez, Ashley Mayes Guice, Brendetta Scott, Brian Williams, Brittanye Morris, CD07, CD18, CD22, CD32, CD38, Charlene Ward Johnson, Christian Menefee, Colin Allred, Danielle Bess, Democratic primary, Denise Brown, Desiree Broadnax, District Attorney, Ed Gonzalez, Election 2024, Erica Hughes, First Court of Appeals, Fran Watson, Gemayel Haynes, Gordon Goodman, Harold Dutton, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Harris County Sheriff, Harris County Tax Assessor, HD139, HD142, HD146, Jarvis Johnson, Jerry Davis, Jerry Zimmerer, Joe Biden, judicial races, Julia Maldonado, Julie Johnson, Kim Ogg, Lauren Ashley Simmons, Lillian Alexander, Lizzie FLetcher, Marquette Greene-Scott, Melissa McDonough, Mike Engelhart, Molly Cook, Nathan Johnson, Nicole Perdue, Pervez Agwan, Peter Kelly, President, Ramona Franklin, RK Sandill, Robert Schaffer, runoff, SD15, SD16, Sean Teare, Senate, Shawn Thierry, Sheila Jackson Lee, TaKasha Francis, Texas, The Lege, Todd Litton, Tracy Good, turnout, Velda Faulkner, Victoria Neave, Vivian King | 17 Comments

Primary 2024 results: Republican headlines

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Barbara Hervey, Brandon Gill, Brandon Herrera, CD12, CD23, CD26, Christi Craddick, Congress, Court of Criminal Appeals, Craig Goldman, Dade Phelan, Election 2024, Gillespie County, Greg Abbott, hand counting, Harris County, HD121, HD138, HD21, HD26, impeachment, Jacey Jetton, Jared Woodfill, judicial races, Ken Paxton, Lacey Hull, Michelle Slaughter, primaries, runoff, Sharon Keller, Steve Allison, Texas, The Lege, Tony Gonzales, vouchers | 2 Comments

The Fifth Circuit remains extremely on brand

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of all the Fifth Circuits in the world, they’re the Fifth Circuitest. A new law empowering state authorities to arrest and deport migrants seeking asylum in the United States may soon take effect after an appeals court stepped in to … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, American Gateways, Congress, Donald Trump, DPS, El Paso, Election 2024, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, immigration, Joe Biden, Justice Department, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, lawsuit, Mexico, SCOTUS, Senate, Steve McCraw, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, The Lege | 1 Comment

Abortion and IVF roundup

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Texas IVF patients are dealing with a lot of uncertainty right now. Heather Burzlaff has four embryos in a freezer in Dallas and she doesn’t know what to do with them. After seven years of medications, egg retrievals and waiting, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged abortion, adoption, Alabama, California, Congress, Election 2024, gay rights, Greg Abbott, IVF, Ken Paxton, Louisiana, mifepristone, Mihaela Plesa, SCOTUS, Senate, Supreme Court, telemedicine, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Getting revenge is the best revenge

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have one thing to say to these Republicans. State Rep. Glenn Rogers is mad as hell, and he’s not being shy about it. “Kiss my ass!” he recently told a statewide Republican official who had endorsed his primary opponent. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Dade Phelan, Election 2024, Election 2026, Ernest Bailes, Glenn Rogers, Greg Abbott, impeachment, Ken Paxton, Mike Olcott, primaries, Sid Miller, Stan Lambert, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege, Travis Clardy, vouchers | 3 Comments

HISD kids still not getting the Internet access they lost

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just another thing by the wayside. Houston ISD has not provided at-home internet service to the vast majority of students who relied on a free Verizon program that the district canceled three months ago, leaving some of Houston’s most vulnerable … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged Board of Managers, Digital Promise, HISD, Houston, Internet, Mike Miles, New Education System, schools, T-Mobile, The Lege, Verizon | Comments Off

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