Tag Archives: Attorney General

“Phantom” voters

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is a molehill, not a mountain. Sixteen small counties across Texas appear to have more registered voters on their rolls as of 2010 than qualified citizens of voting age – a phenomenon prompting conservative Washington, D.C., watchdog group to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More on those police “charities”

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nice story in the Statesman about those law enforcement charities that call you for donations. The first time he got the call last year, Rodney Shaheen thought one of his children had been in a bad car crash. The name … Continue reading →

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Ames Jones resigns from the Railroad Commission

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We have our answer about how confident she was in her defense of that lawsuit. Elizabeth Ames Jones resigned from the Texas Railroad Commission on Monday to devote herself full time to running for state Senate District 25, she said … Continue reading →

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Sonogram lawsuit appeal

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s appeal of the injunction granted against the awful sonogram law was heard in court, but there’s no indication yet when the court will issue a ruling. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t … Continue reading →

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

AG sues sham police charity

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has sued officials with the nonprofit Texas Highway Patrol Association and officials with a museum the association operates in San Antonio, claiming they have defrauded consumers by soliciting donations to help families of fallen … Continue reading →

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On voting rights

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Attorney General Eric Holder was in Austin last week to give a speech on voting rights and the things the Justice Department is doing to protect them. No, the location was not an accident. Giving his most expansive speech on … Continue reading →

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Margins tax lawsuit goes to Supreme Court

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oral arguments for the lawsuit that claims the business margins tax is an unconstitutional income tax are being heard by the State Supreme Court this week. In a lawsuit filed in July, Allcat Claims Service LP , a Boerne insurance … Continue reading →

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Sonogram law still blocked

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas sonogram law, that was ruled unconstitutional before it could go into effect, will stay in legal limbo for the time being. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ordered the main provisions of the law were improper because they … Continue reading →

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TRO granted for redistricting plans

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The San Antonio panel this morning enjoined provisions of the Texas Election Code requiring counties to redraw precinct boundaries by October 1 and to issue new voter registration certificates to voters by December 6. The panel also enjoined … Continue reading →

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Beware the Texas Highway Patrol Association

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A public service announcement from Grits for Breakfast: This morning Grits received a solicitation phone call from a telemarketer who said he was from the “Texas Highway Patrol,” calling because “we’ve lost two troopers recently” and they wanted to “raise … Continue reading →

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Taking aim at the Voting Rights Act

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In responding to a petition by State Rep. Marc Veasey and State Sen. Wendy Davis to intervene against the state in its lawsuit to get the federal court to pre-clear the new maps, the Attorney General responded by saying that … Continue reading →

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AG rules Willingham case off limits for Forensic Science Commission

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The last shovelful of dirt is thrown. The Texas Forensic Science Commission’s investigation of the science used to convict Cameron Todd Willingham — executed in 2004 for an arson that killed his three children — may be at an end … Continue reading →

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Abbott takes his pro-pollution crusade to a new front

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is the sort of thing our Attorney General thinks is worth fighting for. Expanding on the push-and-pull between Washington and Texas on environmental regulation, the state’s attorney general has called federal regulations meant to cut greenhouse gases from auto … Continue reading →

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Time for the biennial attack on the Travis County DA

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Every two years, some Republican legislators try to kill the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. An amendment tacked on to the House budget bill approved last week would shift roughly $3.4 million a year from … Continue reading →

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The end of the Willingham case for the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Dave Mann reads the Willingham report from the Forensic Science Commission so you don’t have to. The commission’s nearly 50-page report—the product of a high-profile, frequently stalled investigation—is an odd mix. It documents at length the flawed state of fire … Continue reading →

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

Can we please get back to the basics?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The ongoing saga of the Texas Forensic Science Commission: Adding an unexpected twist to its investigation of the science used to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham for arson murder, the Texas Forensic Science Commission voted Friday to seek an … Continue reading →

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Amazon sues Texas

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Four months after Texas officials told Amazon.com Inc. that it owes $269 million in uncollected sales taxes, the online retail giant has filed a lawsuit demanding that the comptroller’s office release the audit information it used in arriving … Continue reading →

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Austin gay divorce upheld

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Gay divorce seekers are one for two in the state of Texas. Over the objections of state Attorney General Greg Abbott, an Austin appellate court has upheld the divorce of a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts. When a lower court granted … Continue reading →

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Abbott wants to block Austin gay divorce

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Attorney General Greg Abbott is once again fighting to protect the sanctity of divorce in Texas. Texas law not only limits marriage to opposite-sex couples, it forbids any action — including divorce — that recognizes or validates a same-sex marriage … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Early voting? Never heard of it

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhat incredibly, there were still endorsements being made over the weekend. Two newspapers finally got around to picking a side in the Governor’s race. The good news is that at least they picked the right one. First up, the Abilene … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: DMN for BAR

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have to admit, I was not expecting to see any Democrats for statewide non-judicial offices endorsed other than Bill White and Jeff Weems, but I am delighted to see this. [A]fter eight years of [Attorney General Greg] Abbott, Texas … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: And I hope for a pony, too

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I am not surprised that the Chron has endorsed AG Greg Abbott for re-election. My expectation was that the newspapers would all endorse Bill White, Jeff Weems, and each of the Republican incumbents, and so far there have been no … Continue reading →

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Interview with Barbara Radnofsky

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Coming into the home stretch, we move towards the top of the ballot with Barbara Radnofsky, who is running for Attorney General. Radnofsky, the 2006 Democratic nominee for Senate, is an attorney and mediator who has remained very active in … Continue reading →

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UT/TT poll: Perry 39, White 33

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Another poll result. Republican Gov. Rick Perry leads his Democratic challenger, Bill White, by 6 percentage points — 39 percent to 33 percent — in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Libertarian Kathie Glass has the support of 5 … Continue reading →

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Appeals court overrules gay divorce ruling

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Gay couples who got married outside of Texas can’t get a divorce inside Texas, according to the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas. Two men won’t be able to turn their Massachusetts marriage into a Texas divorce, the Dallas Court … Continue reading →

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

Rick Perry isn’t the only debate ducker out there

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of debates and those who don’t want to have them, meet Greg “I’ll leave the decision about whether or not I participate in a debate to my staff” Abbott. What are these guys afraid of? Is the thought of … Continue reading →

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If not Planned Parenthood, then who?

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is another can of worms being opened. State Sen. Bob Deuell wants Planned Parenthood’s clinics out of the state’s Women’s Health Program, which provides family planning services — but not abortions — to impoverished Medicaid patients. … Continue reading →

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The SBOE and charter schools

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some members of the State Board of Education want to get into the charter school business. Representatives for Texas’ 460 independent charter schools asked the State Board of Education on Wednesday to tap into the state’s education trust fund and … Continue reading →

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Fundraising: Other statewides

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bill White kicked butt in the fundraising department, but how did the other statewide candidates do? Not nearly as good, unfortunately. Here’s a look: http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/summary.php?rn=458383&form=COH Totals From Report For Linda Chavez-Thompson Filed on: July 15 2010 Covering the Period February … Continue reading →

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Radnofsky urges Abbott to sue Wall Street

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas should file a sweeping lawsuit against Wall Street firms similar to the ones that led to the multibillion-dollar tobacco settlements of the 1990s, Democratic attorney general candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky argued Monday. Shortly after she launched her appeal, … Continue reading →

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

Gay divorce lawsuit update

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all a little surreal. A man seeking to end his same-sex marriage in Dallas County is arguing an ironic point in a state that doesn’t recognize his nuptials: Grant the divorce and there will be one less gay marriage … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s health care lawsuit

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a copy of the lawsuit that AG Greg Abbott and a dozen of his buddies have filed against the health care reform bill that was signed into law today. You may be wondering, as I have been, … Continue reading →

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January finance reports for statewide candidates

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It almost seems a bit silly to look at the January campaign finance reports, since the 30 days out report is due in two weeks, but I’ve created a Google spreadsheet with summaries for the statewide candidates. A couple of … Continue reading →

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No check for you!

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Nice little bit of holiday cheer for Texas’ retired public employees this week. Retired public employees discovered yesterday that they would not receive additional $500 checks this year. According to Senator Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, they shouldn’t hold their breath for … Continue reading →

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