Tag Archives: Voting Rights Act

Justice Department to push for Section 3 in Texas

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced on Thursday that the Justice Department would ask a court to require Texas to get permission from the federal government before making voting changes in that state for the next decade. … Continue reading →

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

From the “Wooing Latino Voters: You’re Doing It Wrong” department

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Greg Abbott visits McAllen and gives the locals his best reason why they should vote for him. Gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott called for unity between Republican candidates and Hispanics in McAllen on Monday, with the promise of being in South … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Redistricting plaintiffs go for Section 3

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

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

PPP polling miscellany

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Public Policy Polling has some additional results from its latest venture into Texas. -By a 54/21 margin Texas voters say that they support the Voting Rights Act, including 45/23 even with Republicans. Only 29% of voters say that they favor … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Redistricting tango continues in San Antonio

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

More to the point, the redistricting litigation continues, at least for the time being. A panel of federal judges denied the state’s request to dismiss the case, though they left open the possibility that they could do that later. And … Continue reading →

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

Clock strikes midnight for North Forest

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This was a tough blow for NFISD. North Forest school officials lost one of their final court battles Wednesday, making the district’s state-ordered merger into HISD five days from now increasingly likely. U.S. District Judge David Hittner rejected the last-ditch … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Clock strikes midnight for North Forest

The 2011 maps are officially dead

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry has signed the redistricting bills, thus making the 2012 interim maps the official state-sanctioned maps and thus dropping any further pursuit of the maps drawn by the 2011 Lege. On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry signed all three redistricting … Continue reading →

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

Not so fast on voter ID enforcement

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Top Texas leaders acted without legal authority when they claimed to be moving forward with implementing the state’s controversial voter ID law, a veteran Supreme Court watcher said today. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Secretary of State John … Continue reading →

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

RIP, Section 5

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

By now you are well aware that SCOTUS has dealt a blow to the Voting Rights Act. They actually left Section 5, which is what requires certain parts of the country (including Texas) to get preclearance on voting-related changes, intact, … Continue reading →

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

The special session won’t be so short

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The original idea behind the special session on redistricting was that it would be a quickie – gavel in, vote to adopt the interim maps as permanent, maybe vote on a few wingnut wish list items, and gavel out again. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Justice Department engaged in North Forest closure

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A possible ray of hope for supporters of North Forest ISD, which is still hoping to survive past July 1 when the TEA’s order for it to be subsumed into HISD takes effect. The chief of the Justice Department’s voting … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Many questions at the redistricting hearing

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: The Legislature is currently considering whether to ratify maps drawn by the three federal judges and used in the 2012 elections. It became clear during Wednesday’s hearing that the judges and the lawyers in the case agree … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Many questions at the redistricting hearing

Why a special session on redistricting won’t resolve anything

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: Intentional Fragmentation  In the other parts of the map, redistricting plaintiffs contend that the Texas Legislature intentionally diluted African-American and Hispanic voting strength by fragmenting cohesive communities. This fragmentation, they argue, is especially pronounced in the DFW … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why a special session on redistricting won’t resolve anything

Redistricting hearing set in San Antonio

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The San Antonio court entered an order this afternoon setting a hearing for May 29 at 9 a.m. to decide what to do with the Texas maps – or, more exactly, to decide how to decide what to … Continue reading →

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

Abbott predicts special session for redistricting

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

For the first time, someone says out loud the rumor of a special session on redistricting. Attorney General Greg Abbott let House members know in the Republican caucus meeting on Tuesday that he expects and is hoping for a special … Continue reading →

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

Ana Reyes makes history in Farmers Branch

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t pay much attention to Saturday’s elections, since there was nothing on the ballot for me and there were few races of interest around the state. One place where there were races worth watching was in Farmers Branch, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

So where does redistricting stand?

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The Texas Legislature is in the final stretch of its regular session (sine die on May 27), and, at this point, in the calendar, if anything gets done, it looks like it will have to start on … Continue reading →

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

Redistricting remains a partisan issue

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We’re not surprised by this, right? Amarillo Sen. Kel Seliger offered a redistricting bill to the Senate State Affairs Committee that would formally adopt interim maps drawn by a federal court in San Antonio last year. The maps for Congressional, … Continue reading →

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

Senate committee to take up interim maps bill

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The Texas Senate’s state affairs committee has scheduled a hearing for Thursday, April 18, at 2 p.m. (or upon adjournment) to consider SB 1524 – State Sen. Kel Seliger’s bill to adopt the court-drawn interim maps as … Continue reading →

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

Still pondering Abbott’s redistricting motives

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib’s Ross Ramsey wonders what Greg Abbott is up to. Greg Abbott is selling a redistricting nostrum, telling Texas legislators they could cut their legal risks by adopting new political maps right away. It is a hard sell. Lawmakers … Continue reading →

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

Voter ID and the Driver Responsibility Program

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Grits returns to a question he has asked before. The Dallas News last week (March 24) published a feature behind the paywall by reporter Terrence Stutz titled “Texas lawmakers want brakes put on driver surcharges for road violations,” as well … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Voter ID and the Driver Responsibility Program

Advising the court on redistricting

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last Friday, all parties to the Texas redistricting lawsuit submitted their advisories to the San Antonio court, in which they told the court what they think it should do once the Supreme Court has rendered a decision on the Voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Advising the court on redistricting

Abbott asks for the interim maps

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. The recently dormant Texas redistricting issue woke up Thursday with a disagreement between the state’s attorney general and a Latino legislators’ group. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has called on the Legislature to make the current — and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Abbott asks for the interim maps

The redistrictor’s dilemma

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some fascinating news from Texas Redistricting. Friday’s bill filing deadline in the Texas Legislature brought bills by State Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) – chair of the House redistricting committee – and State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) to make permanent … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Is Section 5 doomed?

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

While there’s been a lot of reporting and analysis suggesting a grim future for the Voting Rights Act, SCOTUSBlog’s Lyle Denniston suggests that maybe, just maybe, Section 5 ain’t dead yet. Sometimes, in Supreme Court argument, a single phrase can … Continue reading →

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

We could do something to make voting easier if we wanted to

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

With all the negative news about voting rights in the news these days – voter ID, electoral college gerrymandering, challenges to the Voting Rights Act – it’s good to remember that positive change is still possible. On two major occasions—during … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We could do something to make voting easier if we wanted to

How should the San Antonio court proceed after SCOTUS rules on Section 5?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what the San Antonio judges in the redistricting case asked the parties to help it figure out. In its order, the court told parties what has been widely assumed – namely that the panel would “not issue any opinion, … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Single member districts for Farmers Branch

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Another long battle comes to an end. A Dallas federal judge has directed Farmers Branch to implement single-member City Council districts after the U.S. Justice Department signed off on the city’s proposed map. The move could set the stage for … Continue reading →

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

Looks like we’ll be waiting on SCOTUS for awhile

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The Texas redistricting appeal wasn’t on the list of cases reviewed by the Justices at their screening conference today. With the passage of time – and the case not even being listed for review – the calendar now … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Looks like we’ll be waiting on SCOTUS for awhile

SCOTUS has not taken up the Texas redistricting lawsuit yet

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: No decision announced [Friday at the Supreme Court about whether the court will hear the Texas redistricting case. The court, however, could issue additional orders on Monday. The Justices haven’t had these briefs for long, so it’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTUS has not taken up the Texas redistricting lawsuit yet

SCOTUS voter ID update

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The matter is officially with the Supreme Court now. A federal court deferred further proceedings in a lawsuit filed by Texas over the state’s voter identification law until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether part of the Voting Rights … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on SCOTUS voter ID update

Where redistricting stands with SCOTUS

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: What happens now in the Supreme Court? With the filing of motions to affirm or dismiss last week by the Justice Department and intervenors, Texas’ appeal of the preclearance ruling is now ready for review by the … Continue reading →

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

Plaintiffs want to proceed with new redistricting maps

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Plaintiff groups in the Texas redistricting litigation in San Antonio told the court that it should go ahead and start the process of drawing remedial state house and congressional maps for use in 2014, but disagreed slightly about … Continue reading →

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

Parties split on waiting for SCOTUS

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: Lawyers for the Justice Department and intervenors in the Texas voter ID case told the court yesterday that the court should put off consideration of Texas’ claim that section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional until … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Parties split on waiting for SCOTUS