Tag Archives: District Attorney

July 2023 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Congress SD15 City of Houston, part 1 January 2023 reports are here. Not all of these people are on the 2024 ballot. I am not including JPs and County Court candidates. Some potential opponents have already filed finance reports, … Continue reading →

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Grand jury no-bills Travis Scott

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

No criminal charges will be filed over the deaths at the 2021 AstroWorld concert. A grand jury declined on Thursday to criminally indict rapper Travis Scott and five others in the 2021 Astroworld concert deaths, capping a nearly two-year police … Continue reading →

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Ogg draws a primary challenger

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. A former Harris County prosecutor, Sean Teare, who left the district attorney’s office in February is running to unseat his longtime boss, District Attorney Kim Ogg in the Democratic primary, depicting her tenure as one riddled with mistakes. … Continue reading →

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Dallas data leak threatened by ransomware attackers

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. An online blog post by a group claiming responsibility for Dallas’ ransomware attack says a leak of employees’ personal information and other data stored by the municipal government will happen soon. In the post Friday, Royal noted the … Continue reading →

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Sexual harassment lawsuit against Collin County DA settled

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. Collin County Commissioners unanimously agreed Monday to settle an amended lawsuit against the Collin County District Attorney’s Office by three current and three former employees of that office. The suit accused District Attorney Greg Willis and First … Continue reading →

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A brief but dismal legislative update

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few recent news stories, to give you an idea of what’s happening in the Legislative session, and why I have been avoiding it. Item 1: Republican Texas senators on Monday reversed themselves and voted against allowing transgender kids currently being treated with puberty … Continue reading →

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Abortion funds remain protected from prosecution

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, in the kind of world where this is needed at all, for now. A federal judge issued a favorable ruling for Texas abortion funds, indicating they likely cannot be criminally charged for helping people travel out of state … Continue reading →

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Harris County restores some public safety funding

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of post-quorum-busting cleanup. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved nearly $10 million in additional funding for the sheriff and district attorney, three months after the Democratic majority said the unplanned adoption of a lower tax rate would … Continue reading →

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January 2023 campaign finance reports: Harris County

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: City of Houston January 2022 reports are here, July 2022 reports are here. I did not get around to doing the 30-day and 8-day reports from 2022, so what you see here in these reports is not contiguous for … Continue reading →

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Uvalde DA gets DPS report on school shooting

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still a long way from seeing it for ourselves. State police investigating the Uvalde school shooting have sent an initial report to prosecutors, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The Texas Rangers, a division … Continue reading →

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City of Uvalde sues Uvalde County DA

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What is going on here? The city of Uvalde is suing the local district attorney, accusing her of withholding information an independent investigator needs to conduct an internal affairs investigation of the police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting. … Continue reading →

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Collin County DA denies sexual harassment allegations

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty damn forcefully, but also in a way that’s kind of telling. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis repeatedly called accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation against him “false, defamatory and outrageous” at a news conference Wednesday, where he presented … Continue reading →

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Collin County DA accused of sexual harassment

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, boy. Six individuals who currently work or have worked in the Collin County District Attorney’s office filed a federal civil suit Monday, alleging that they were sexually harassed, discriminated against because of their gender, and faced retaliation after reporting … Continue reading →

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State and county election result relationships, part 3: Other county races

Posted on October 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Part One Part Two Last time we looked at judicial races, which for all of the complaints about not knowing the candidates and just going by partisan labels have produced a consistent range of outcomes over the years. Some people … Continue reading →

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Republican Commissioners abscond again

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Cowards. Republicans Tom Ramsey of Precinct 3 and Jack Cagle of Precinct 4 skipped Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting as part of an ongoing battle of political wills that could extend until the deadline for approving a tax rate passes at … Continue reading →

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Republican Commissioners skip out again

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Cowards. Harris County’s two Republican commissioners skipped Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting, preventing county leaders from passing a property tax rate and proposed budget for the next fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1. State law requires four members of the court … Continue reading →

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Investigating abortions is Houston’s “lowest priority”

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So says Mayor Turner, and I’m glad to hear it. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Thursday that investigating abortions under the state’s near-total ban is the city’s “lowest priority” when it comes to crime. Turner said the city would continue to … Continue reading →

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Harris County looks to sue over Comptroller’s BS “defunding” claim

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Tell it to the judge. Harris County Commissioners Court this week is expected to hire an outside law firm to take legal action against the state and Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who accused the county of defunding law enforcement in violation … Continue reading →

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The Constables’ and Comptroller’s ridiculous complaint

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is transparent bullshit. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar this week accused Harris County commissioners of defunding local constables and threatened to prevent the county from implementing its proposed 2023 budget if the county does not reverse course. In a letter … Continue reading →

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Charges against Judge Jordan dropped

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Just four days after being indicted and arrested, Harris County misdemeanor court Judge Darrell Jordan saw an official oppression charge against him dropped. Fort Bend County prosecutors on Friday announced they were dropping the misdemeanor charge against … Continue reading →

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More on Jordan and Dolcefino

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Dolcefino speaks. Former TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino has called for the resignation of Harris County misdemeanor Judge Darrell Jordan, alleging a personal vendetta led the jurist to wrongly hold him in contempt of court in 2020. Dolcefino’s demand came after … Continue reading →

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Jordan and Dolcefino

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have questions about this. Darrell William Jordan, a Harris County misdemeanor court judge, on Monday was arrested and charged with of official oppression, according to court records. Jordan is accused of using his office to unlawfully arrest and detain … Continue reading →

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DAs are not going to be able to avoid enforcing anti-abortion laws

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but that’s not how it works. Even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, local prosecutors in several of the largest Texas counties vowed not to file criminal charges in abortion-related cases, seemingly offering hope … Continue reading →

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Too much Deshaun Watson news

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The lawsuit counter ticks up again. The official number of lawsuits pending against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will indeed increase to 26. Attorney Tony Buzbee tells Josh Voight of WEWS in Cleveland that two more women will be suing Watson. … Continue reading →

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How will abortion bans be enforced?

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that anti-abortion zealots don’t yet know how they’re going to force women to give birth. The bad news is we cannot count on that to continue to be true. It took next to zero effort for … Continue reading →

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Grand jury indicts three Hidalgo aides

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Three Harris County staffers at the center of a mounting investigation into a since-canceled vaccine outreach contract have been indicted with misuse of official information and tampering, according to district clerk records. Aaron Dunn, Wallis Nader and Alex … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson must disclose whether he had sex with 18 massage therapists

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a headline for you. NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson now will have to answer whether he had sex with 18 additional therapists who came to his defense about his massage habits last year, according to a ruling Tuesday by a … Continue reading →

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First round of Deshaun Watson depositions

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He hasn’t had much to say so far. Four days after a Harris County grand jury chose not to indict Deshaun Watson, the Texans quarterback answered questions for the first time while under oath in connection to 22 civil lawsuits accusing him … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson traded to Cleveland

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He’s someone else’s problem now. The Texans have traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns. The quarterback waived his no-trade clause for Cleveland after initially eliminating the franchise, a person with knowledge of the negotiation said, but Watson reversed his decision … Continue reading →

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No charges against Deshaun Watson

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good for him, I guess. A Harris County grand jury on Friday declined to indict Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, choosing not to criminally charge him in nine alleged instances of sexual assault or harassment during various private massage appointments, according … Continue reading →

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Deshaun Watson will face some depositions

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A long-awaited update on this case. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson must undergo depositions in connection to at least some of the 22 misconduct allegations made against him before April, a judge on Monday ordered. Lawyers involved in civil litigation … Continue reading →

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We don’t really need more prosecutors on the bench

Posted on February 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. On a winter afternoon nine months into the pandemic, Harris County district attorney Kim Ogg held a Zoom meeting with felony judges and prosecutors to discuss the backlog of cases caused by COVID-19 shutdowns at the downtown Houston courthouse. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Abbott admits he can’t enforce his mask mandate ban

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So what are we even doing here? Just make your mandate and move on. Gov. Greg Abbott has been embroiled in court battles with Texas cities, counties and public schools that have defied his ban on local mask mandates. But … Continue reading →

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No charges files in Capitol date rape drug incident

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A not very satisfying resolution. The Texas Department of Public Safety and Travis County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday “that there is not enough evidence to support” an allegation that a lobbyist used a date rape drug on a Capitol … Continue reading →

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