Tag Archives: Supreme Court

Coronavirus and the State Supreme Court

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, nearly half of the State Supreme Court is up for election this November. You know, in case you had opinions about their recent opinions. Typically not top of mind for voters, the nine Republican justices of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged absentee ballots, Amy Clark Meachum, bail, Brett Busby, coronavirus, Debra Lehrmann, Election 2020, Gisela Triana, Greg Abbott, Jane Bland, Jeff Boyd, judicial races, Kathy Cheng, Nathan Hecht, quarantine, Shelley Luther, Staci Williams, Supreme Court, Texas | 6 Comments

Fifth Circuit flips the switch

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what they do. A federal appeals court has temporarily put on hold a lower court’s sweeping ruling that would have allowed all Texas voters to qualify to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. Siding with Texas Attorney General … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Bexar County, Cameron County, coronavirus, El Paso, Election 2020, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Harris County, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, LULAC, primaries, runoff, Secretary of State, Supreme Court, TDP, Texas, Travis County | 21 Comments

Federal court issues order to allow voting by mail

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. A federal judge opened a path for a massive expansion in absentee voting in Texas by ordering Tuesday that all state voters, regardless of age, qualify for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. Days after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Bexar County, coronavirus, Election 2020, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, LULAC, primaries, runoff, SCOTUS, Secretary of State, Supreme Court, TDP, Texas, voter ID | 6 Comments

Primary precinct analysis: Where a man can still win

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As previously discussed, female candidates in Democratic judicial primaries kicked a whole lot of ass this year. The four statewide races that featured one female candidates against one male candidate were shockingly not close – Amy Clark Meachum and Tina … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Court of Criminal Appeals, Democratic primary, Election 2020, Fisher County, Gisela Triana, Gregg County, Harrison County, judicial races, Peter Kelly, precinct analysis, Rusk County, Supreme Court, Texas | 11 Comments

First federal vote by mail lawsuit hearing

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

One down, two to go. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery heard arguments Friday in a federal lawsuit seeking to give all voters the option to vote by mail due to fears of catching or spreading the coronavirus. […] During Friday’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, Census, coronavirus, demography, Election 2020, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, LULAC, primaries, runoff, SCOTUS, Secretary of State, Supreme Court, TDP, Texas, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off

Supreme Court sticks its nose in

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was to be expected. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday temporarily put on hold an expansion of voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. Siding with Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Supreme Court blocked a state appeals … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, absentee ballots, Attorney General, Cameron County, coronavirus, early voting, El Paso, Election 2020, Harris County, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, Supreme Court, TDP, Texas, Third Court of Appeals, Travis County | 12 Comments

Appeals court upholds vote by mail order

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Second round goes to the plaintiffs. A state appeals court upheld a temporary order Thursday from a state district judge that could greatly expand the number of voters who qualify for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic, rebuffing Attorney General … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, absentee ballots, Attorney General, Cameron County, coronavirus, El Paso, Election 2020, Harris County, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, primaries, runoff, Supreme Court, TDP, Texas, Third Court of Appeals, Travis County | 2 Comments

Paxton tries a Supreme shortcut

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They sure are keeping busy. In a bit of judicial leapfrog, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on his interpretation of how voters can qualify for absentee ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. … Continue reading →

Appeals court rules that Texas Central is in fact a railroad

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems obvious, but these things are more complicated than you’d think. Planners of a Houston-to-Dallas bullet train scored a victory in Corpus Christi Thursday when a state appeals court said the company — despite not operating yet — is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged 13th Court of Appeals, Congress, eminent domain, Freestone County, high speed rail, Kevin Brady, lawsuit, Leon County, Limestone County, Supreme Court, Texans Against High Speed Rail, Texas, Texas Central High-Speed Railway, The Lege | 4 Comments

State Supreme Court is skeptical of stay-at-home orders

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not ready to act yet, though. In turning down a case challenging Gov. Greg Abbott’s order allowing certain Texas businesses to reopen, the Texas Supreme Court hinted Tuesday that it is sympathetic to constitutionality concerns raised by coronavirus restrictions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged coronavirus, Dallas, Greg Abbott, Kaufman County, lawsuit, local control, quarantine, special session, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Hotze goes crying to the Supreme Court

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This effing guy, I swear. Houston conservative activist Steve Hotze on Monday filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court seeking an emergency ruling on Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s mask order, which took effect this morning. Hotze originally filed … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged coronavirus, face masks, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, local control, Steven Hotze, Supreme Court | 10 Comments

Hotze sues Harris County again

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is just what he does now, I suppose. Houston conservative power broker Steve Hotze filed a lawsuit against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Thursday, alleging that her order requiring people to cover their faces in public violates the Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged coronavirus, face masks, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, Steven Hotze, Supreme Court | 29 Comments

Here’s the official order in the TDP vote by mail lawsuit

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Round One went to the plaintiffs. From there, who knows. A Texas state district judge on Friday issued an order allowing voters to use the coronavirus as a reason to vote by mail for as long as the pandemic lasts … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, coronavirus, Election 2020, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, primaries, quarantine, runoff, Secretary of State, Supreme Court, TDP, Texas, turnout, voter ID, Wisconsin | 2 Comments

Abbott’s stay-in-jail order blocked and then unblocked

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This was Friday. A state district judge in Travis County has temporarily blocked enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to limit jail releases during the new coronavirus pandemic. She cited unconstitutional provisions and overreach of executive power in the gubernatorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ACLU of Texas, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, bail, Capital Area Private Defender Service, coronavirus, Greg Abbott, Harris County, jail overcrowding, jails, lawsuit, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP, Supreme Court, TCDLA, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Fair Defense Project | 1 Comment

Ridiculous Hotze lawsuit now in district court

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We are all dumber by the mere existence of this. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Harris County’s stay-at-home order, though the legal fight is set to continue in state district court. The Wednesday … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Centers for Disease Control, coronavirus, Greg Abbott, Harris County, Jared Woodfill, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, quarantine, Steven Hotze, Supreme Court, Texas, Tom DeLay | 4 Comments

Steven Hotze’s death wish

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. A hardline conservative power broker and three area pastors filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court Monday arguing that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s stay-at-home order violates the Constitution by ordering … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Legal matters | Tagged coronavirus, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Jared Woodfill, lawsuit, Lina Hidalgo, quarantine, Steven Hotze, Supreme Court | 13 Comments

2020 primary results: State races

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to direct you to the Texas Tribune results page, which combines both parties’ results and is a couple orders of magnitude less sucky than the revamped SOS election night results pages. Good Lord, whoever designed that “upgrade” from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Akilah Bacy, Ann Johnson, Anna Eastman, Borris Miles, Chrysta Castaneda, Court of Criminal Appeals, Dan Flynn, Democratic primary, Eddie Lucio, Harold Dutton, Harris County, HD02, HD126, HD134, HD138, HD142, HD148, HD26, HD59, JD Sheffield, Jenifer Pool, Jerry Davis, Jim Wright, Kimberly McLeod, Lani Popp, Marsha Burnett-Webster, Michelle Palmer, Natali Hurtado, Penny Shaw, primaries, Railroad Commission, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, Robert Alonzo, Robert Morrow, Roland Gutierrez, runoff, Ryan Sitton, Sara Stapleton-Barrera, SBOE, SD13, SD19, SD27, Senate, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege, Xochil Peña Rodriguez | 4 Comments

Endorsement watch: Four more

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Rodney Ellis for County Commissioner, Precinct 1, and then proceeds to spend the endorsement mostly talking about his opponent. Count us among those who were a little surprised when felony court Judge Maria T. Jackson resigned her … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Brandy Voss, Chrysta Castaneda, Commissioners Court, Democratic primary, Election 2020, endorsements, Harris County, Jerry Zimmerer, Kelly Stone, Maria Jackson, Railroad Commission, Rodney Ellis, Staci Williams, Supreme Court, Texas | 10 Comments

Statesman overview of the statewide judicial races

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good to have a full slate of qualified candidates. After years of trouble scraping together enough candidates to run for seats on both statewide courts, Texas Democrats have the opposite situation in 2020 — contested primaries in almost every … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Brandy Voss, Court of Criminal Appeals, Dan Wood, Democratic primary, Election 2020, Elizabeth Frizell, Gisela Triana, Jerry Zimmerer, judicial races, Kathy Cheng, Lawrence Praeger, Peter Kelly, Staci Williams, Steve Miears, Supreme Court, Texas, Tina Clinton, William Demond | Comments Off

Endorsement watch: Supreme Court and SD11

Posted on February 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s endorsement process has been a bit haphazard this season – there are times when it looks like they’ve got a theme going, then they deviate from it in some head-scratching way that makes it hard for me to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Democratic primary, Election 2018, Election 2020, endorsements, Gisela Triana, Kathy Cheng, Lawrence Praeger, Peter Kelly, SD11, Senate, Supreme Court, Susan Criss, Texas | Comments Off

Judicial Q&A: Judge Amy Clark Meachum

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for judicial candidates in contested Democratic primaries. This is intended to help introduce the candidates and their experiences to those who plan to vote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Democratic primary, Election 2020, judicial races, Q&A, Supreme Court, Texas | 3 Comments

The Jerry Davis situation

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Someday, this is going to be taught in political science classes. And possibly law schools. The ongoing election dispute in District B has put Jerry Davis in a peculiar position, seemingly caught between two provisions of the Texas Constitution as … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, Election 2020 | Tagged Constitution, Cynthia Bailey, Democratic primary, District B, Election 2019, Election 2020, Harold Dutton, HD142, Houston, Houston City Council, Jerry Davis, lawsuit, Renee Jefferson Smith, runoff, Supreme Court, Tarsha Jackson, term limits, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

Texas Lawyer’s judicial race coverage

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve been busy with judicial Q&As as usual, but this year I’m not the only one chasing down judicial candidates to ask them why they’d make good judges. Texas Lawyer, a part of the Law.com publication, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals, Democratic primary, Election 2020, First Court of Appeals, Harris County, judicial races, Q&A, Republican Party, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Lawyer | 2 Comments

January 2020 campaign finance reports: Statewide

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a whole lot of candidates of interest for state offices. I’m going to break them down into several groups, to keep things simple and the posts not too long. Today we will look at the candidates for statewide office. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Bert Richardson, Brandon Birmingham, Brandy Voss, Brett Busby, campaign finance reports, Chrysta Castaneda, Court of Criminal Appeals, Dan Wood, David Newell, Democratic primary, Election 2020, Elizabeth Frizell, fundraising, Gina Parker, Gisela Triana, Jane Bland, Jeff Boyd, Jerry Zimmerer, Kathy Cheng, Kelly Stone, Kevin Yeary, Lawrence Praeger, Mark Watson, Nathan Hecht, Peter Kelly, Railroad Commission, Republican Party, Robert Alonzo, Ryan Sitton, Staci Williams, Steve Miears, Supreme Court, Texas, Tina Clinton, William Demond | 1 Comment

Flynn officially on HD138 primary ballot

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Score two for formerly-booted candidates. In mediation last Friday, [candidate Josh Flynn and the Harris County Republican Party] agreed that Flynn would appear on the upcoming primary ballot [for HD138]. [HCRP Chair Paul] Simpson said in a statement that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Constitution, Election 2020, HCDE, HD138, Josh Flynn, lawsuit, Paul Simpson, primaries, Republican Party, resign to run, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

TEA appeals takeover-delay injunction

Posted on January 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t settled just yet. Texas Education Agency officials said they filed an appeal Thursday to overturn an injunction by a Travis County judge blocking it from replacing Houston ISD’s trustees with a state-appointed board of managers. The appeal was … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Board of Managers, HISD, HISD Board of Trustees, Houston, lawsuit, Mike Morath, Supreme Court, Texas Education Agency, Third Court of Appeals | 1 Comment

After-deadline filing review: Courts

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s return to the wonderful world of scoping out our candidates. Today we will concentrate on judicial races. Previous entries in this series are for the greater Houston area, Congress, state races, and the Lege. Supreme Court and Court of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged 14th Court of Appeals, Alexandra Smoots-Hogan, Amparo Guerra, Amy Clark Meachum, Ana Martinez, Brandon Birmingham, Brandy Voss, Brennen Dunn, Brittanye Morris, Bryan Acklin, Candance White, Cheri Thomas, Cheryl Elliott Thornton, Colleen Gaido, Court of Criminal Appeals, Dan Wood, Daryl Moore, David Vuong, Dawn Rogers, Democratic primary, Dinesh Singhal, Election 2020, Elizabeth Frizell, filing deadline, First Court of Appeals, George Powell, Gisela Triana, Grant Harvey, Harris County, Jeralynn Manor, Jerry Zimmerer, Jim Sharp, Jimmie Brown, judicial races, Julia Maldonado, Kathy Cheng, Larry Weiman, Lawrence Praeger, Megan Daic, Natalia Cornelio, Nikita Harmon, Peter Kelly, Randy Roll, Robert Johnson, Robert Morales, Sonny Phillips, Staci Williams, Steve Miears, Steven Kirkland, Supreme Court, Tamika Craft, Teiva Bell, Texas, Tim Hootman, Tina Clinton, Ursula Hall, Veronica Rivas-Molloy, Veronica Sanders, Wally Kronzer, William Demond | 3 Comments

We continue to wait on the District B runoff

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Any hope for a speedy resolution to a lawsuit that is holding up the runoff for Houston’s District B city council seat evaporated Wednesday when the presiding judge for the Houston region said she would not assign a special … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged Cynthia Bailey, District B, Election 2019, Houston, lawsuit, Renee Jefferson Smith, runoff, Supreme Court, Tarsha Jackson | 1 Comment

We should have a full statewide slate

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. For Brandon Birmingham, a state district judge in Dallas, the 2020 race for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals started on election night 2018. As he watched Beto O’Rourke win more votes than any Texas Democrat ever had in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Beto O'Rourke, Brandon Birmingham, Brandy Voss, Court of Criminal Appeals, Dan Wood, Democratic primary, Election 2002, Election 2008, Election 2018, Election 2020, Elizabeth Frizell, Gisela Triana, Glen Maxey, Jerry Zimmerer, judicial races, Kathy Cheng, Lawrence Praeger, Margaret Mirabal, Peter Kelly, Sam Houston, Staci Williams, Steve Miears, Supreme Court, Texas, Tina Clinton, William Demond | 1 Comment

Filing period preview: Statewide

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Congress. As before, I am using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet as my primary reference. Statewide elections are much less exciting in Presidential years in Texas, since the state offices are on the ballot in the off years. We do … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Amy Clark Meachum, Bert Richardson, Brandy Voss, Brett Busby, Chrysta Castaneda, Court of Criminal Appeals, David Newell, Democratic primary, Election 2018, Election 2020, Gisela Triana, Jane Bland, Jeff Boyd, Jeff Brown, Jerry Zimmerer, Kathy Cheng, Kelly Stone, Kevin Yeary, Lawrence Praeger, Nathan Hecht, Railroad Commission, Ryan Sitton, Staci Williams, Supreme Court, Texas | 2 Comments

Suing ERCOT

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Panda Power built three power plants earlier in this decade, investing billions of dollars based on projections from the state’s grid manager that Texas desperately needed more generation to meet growing electricity demand. But those projections turned out to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged ERCOT, lawsuit, Panda Power, Supreme Court, Texas | 1 Comment

There’s no reason to trust the Republican study to “reform” the judicial election process

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. After a punishing election for Republican judges, state leaders are set to take a long look at Texas’ often-criticized judicial selection system — a partisan election structure that Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht has described … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged Brooks Landgraf, Court of Criminal Appeals, Election 2008, Election 2016, Election 2018, Greg Abbott, judicial nominations, judicial races, Nathan Hecht, Sharon Keller, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 3 Comments

Using floodplain rules to force environmental safety compliance

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A county’s gotta do what a county’s gotta do. Harris County officials are using flood control regulations passed after Hurricane Harvey to delay the reopening of two chemical companies where fires erupted in recent weeks, killing one worker and sending … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged Arkema, Attorney General, flooding, Greg Bonnen, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Houston, Hurricane Harvey, Intercontinental Terminals, Jeff Leach, Ken Paxton, KMCO, pollution, Rock Owens, Senate, Supreme Court, TCEQ, Texas, The Lege, Vince Ryan | 1 Comment

More on McLeod

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story on the bizarre accidental judicial resignation. The Harris County attorney’s office was notified in March that Judge Bill McLeod, a Democrat presiding over Harris County Court at Law No. 4, had filed a transfer of campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged Bill McLeod, Constitution, Election 2018, Election 2020, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, judicial races, Rodney Ellis, Steve Radack, Supreme Court, Texas | 1 Comment

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