Tag Archives: District Attorney

Should Travis County DA Lehmberg resign?

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Perspectives on that are colored by politics right now. While Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg sought to put her weekend drunken driving arrest behind her, debate over her political future reached the State Capitol on Monday, where lawmakers weighed … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Travis DA Rosemary Lehmberg arrested for DUI

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, arrested and charged with drunken driving overnight, plans to remain in office and will not resign, according to a spokeswoman. According to county records, Lehmberg, 63, was arrested by Travis County deputies in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Going after human traffickers

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a great story about Ann Johnson, the Democratic candidate in HD134 last year, who is now back with the District Attorney’s office fighting against pimps and traffickers who prey on kids. Johnson, a 39-year-old juvenile law attorney, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Going after human traffickers

Rep. Reynolds indicted for barratry again

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sheesh. Dozens of law enforcement officers simultaneously raided multiple law offices and two chiropractic clinics Monday morning for their alleged involvement in a kickback scheme to sign up clients, according to an I-Team review of court records. In all, arrest … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lykos era officially ends

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all she wrote. A grand jury scrutinizing former District Attorney Pat Lykos and her administration declined Thursday to indict Lykos regarding allegations of misuse of public resources. The Harris County grand jury’s decision to end its term without action … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Lykos era officially ends

No increase in jail population as yet

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good to hear. When Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson toppled incumbent Pat Lykos in last year’s Republican primary, some county budget hawks got fidgety. The campaign’s central issue, after all, was Anderson’s opposition to a Lykos policy that treated … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trace cases to be prosecuted as felonies again

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So says our new DA. Newly elected Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said Thursday he will prosecute as felonies drug cases that involve trace amounts of crack cocaine, reversing his predecessor’s stand on the so-called “trace cases.” “If there … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mental health court coup

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Citing problems with the administration of Harris County’s mental health court, a board of judges has ousted the court’s founder and presiding judge, Jan Krocker, officials confirmed Friday. “There were a lot of valid complaints about Judge Krocker’s administration … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Anderson’s DWI proposal

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that former Harris County DA Pat Lykos’ DIVERT program for DWI offenders was a major point of contention in the GOP primary fight that was eventually won by new DA Mike Anderson. (If you don’t recall, see … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dewhurst campaign aide accused of stealing contributions

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s campaign manager is under criminal scrutiny, suspected of stealing at least $600,000 — and possibly more than $1 million — from the Republican’s political accounts over the past several years. Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield, a longtime … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time for the biennial attempt to de-fang the Travis County DA

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, next chapter. The Texas Ethics Commission, long criticized for its lax enforcement of public officials, is considering a plan to take over all ethics enforcement from the Travis County district attorney’s office, which has a long history of … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Time for the biennial attempt to de-fang the Travis County DA

What I’ll be looking for tonight

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder that I’ll be on KPFT tonight starting at 7 PM to talk about the elections. Here’s a preview of the things I’ll be looking for: 1. SD10 – Sen. Wendy Davis vs Mark Shelton: Easily the most … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What I’ll be looking for tonight

Obama leads in poll of Harris County

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More polling goodness for you. The poll conducted for KHOU 11 News and KUHF Houston Public Radio indicates Obama leads Romney in Harris County, but not by much. That gives some indication how election night might go for politicians running … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

30 Day finance reports, Harris County candidates

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a look at the 30 day campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates. All reports can be found by going to the Harris County Clerk campaign finance reports page. Candidate Office Raised Spent Loans Cash ========================================================== Garcia Sheriff 192,670 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What if Oliver wins?

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good, that’s for sure. “If he wins, I’m moving to Fredericksburg” said his GOP opponent, Mike Anderson. “I don’t have anything against him personally, but I can’t imagine what that office would be like.” His criminal history, unusual sense … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: The easy calls

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes an easy call. One of the clearest choices Harris County voters have in the 2012 election season comes in the race to succeed Pat Lykos as district attorney. Mike Anderson, a 30-year veteran of the DA’s office … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: The easy calls

Oliver to remain on the ballot

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. Attorneys representing Harris County Democratic Chairman Lane Lewis and the state Democratic Party argued that perennial candidate [Lloyd] Oliver should be kept off the ballot because he violated a party rule prohibiting a complimentary remark he … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Who gets to rule on Oliver’s eligibility for the ballot?

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’re waiting for a ruling in the Lloyd Oliver lawsuit, but before we get a ruling in the case we must first get a ruling on who gets to rule in the lawsuit. Tuesday’s federal court hearing centered largely on … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Oliver sues to stay on ballot

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll find out who’s right soon enough. On Friday, Houston attorney Lloyd Oliver filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Harris County Democratic Party’s attempts to oust him from the ticket. “They’re not going to put any candidate on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dems boot Oliver

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. The Harris County Democratic Party worked Wednesday to take district attorney nominee Lloyd Oliver’s name off the ballot, deciding to go forward without a candidate in November’s general election. Whether they can actually take the outspoken and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Birnberg files complaint to force Oliver off the ballot

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m far from thrilled to have Lloyd Oliver as the Democratic nominee for District Attorney, but this seems a bit much to me. Gerry Birnberg, the former party chair, filed a complaint earlier this month to have Oliver removed from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

July campaign finance reports for Harris County candidates

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill by now. Office Candidate Raised Spent Cash Loans ============================================================ Sheriff A Garcia 47,025 41,900 357,818 0 Sheriff L Guthrie 70,176 75,646 33,075 157,000 Sheriff C Pittman 11,309 11,566 5,217 24,000 DA M Anderson 73,888 60,980 33,371 … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

CM Brown alleged to have altered time cards

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, my. Houston City Councilwoman Helena Brown subtracted hours from employees’ timecards in apparent violation of federal law, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. The first-term councilwoman shorted an employee by more than three hours in a day … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Precinct analysis: That mysterious Democratic DA primary

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We return to Democratic primary results and to the Harris County canvass as we take a look at the race everyone is trying to understand, the Democratic DA primary. Here’s what the numbers look like: Dist Oliver Fertitta Oliver % … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Oliver problem

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

sigh Lloyd Oliver had run for office at least five times – likely more, he said; he’s lost count – and been beaten each time, falling short of judgeships and congressional seats, getting trounced as both a Republican and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Beating Bradley

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman writes about the aftermath of the GOP primary for District Attorney in Williamseon County where voters resoundingly threw out John Bradley. Michael Morton wasn’t on the ballot, didn’t campaign and didn’t back a candidate, but the recently exonerated … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Beating Bradley

Democratic results, Harris County

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The good: – Lane Lewis won a full term as HCDP Chair by a 55-45 margin. If you heard a whizzing noise this evening, it was the bullet we all dodged in this race. – Sheriff Adrian Garcia easily won … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

GOP results, Harris County

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bullet points for all these result posts, I was up way too late last night. See the numbers here and the chat transcript from last night here. – You could have sold me on any result in the GOP DA … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on GOP results, Harris County

Races I’ll be watching for tonight

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

As noted this morning, I will be participating in a live chat tonight beginning at 7 PM at the Chron election blog. I hope you’ll come by and ask some questions about what happened today. There are many races to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Final early vote totals

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The pattern remained consistent till the end. Nearly 116,000 Harris County residents have made their selections in next week’s primaries through early voting and returns from a record batch of mail-in ballots. In all, 90,489 people voted in person at … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Final early vote totals

Recap of all my interviews so far this cycle

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

To say the least, there was a lot of uncertainty at the beginning of the year when I was planning out my interview schedule for the primary election. There were no maps for the State House, State Senate, and Congress. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Recap of all my interviews so far this cycle

Endorsement watch: Fertitta and Lykos

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its endorsements in the two primary races for District Attorney. On the Democratic side, they make the easy and obvious call for Zack Fertitta. Zack Fertitta represents a new generation at the Harris County courthouse, and deserves … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Fertitta and Lykos

30 day financial reports, Harris County offices

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Candidates for county offices who are in contested primaries are also required to submit 30 day campaign finance reports. I’ve been going through the County Clerk’s campaign finance reports page to collect what’s there; ones for Democratic races are on … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Democrats have a DA race, too

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For which the Chron has an overview. A political newcomer with a famous family name, Houston attorney Zack Fertitta, 36, hopes to succeed Lykos – if, that is, he gets past a perennial candidate in the Democratic primary and if … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment