Tag Archives: bail

Still a few bugs in the system

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A continuing story. While Harris County officials are complaining that a federal judge’s bail order threatens public safety, the county has failed to provide more than 100 low-level defendants with pretrial services aimed at ensuring they make their court dates. … Continue reading →

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County’s new bail system not quite ready

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Real soon now. Harris County’s long-trumpeted new system for setting bail for people awaiting trial will be up and running by the end of July, nearly a month later than the July 1 effective date the county had promised a … Continue reading →

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State to help defend county bail policies

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Of course it will. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the top lawyers in five other states are backing Harris County in its protracted battle over money bail for poor low-level defendants, as the tally of those released on no-cash … Continue reading →

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Ellis shakes things up

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. It’s what he should be doing. When former state Sen. Rodney Ellis launched his campaign to succeed the late El Franco Lee as Precinct 1 commissioner last year, he said he would shake up Harris County government. He’s kept … Continue reading →

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One Republican judge doesn’t want that high-priced attorney for the bail lawsuit appeal

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where credit is due. One of 15 Harris County judges challenging a federal order altering how bail works for indigent defendants has dropped out of the group that hired a pricey D.C. law firm to appeal the lawsuit. Court … Continue reading →

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There is always some risk

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I get the concern, but the alternative was unacceptable and now is illegal. Get used to it. More than 600 people charged with misdemeanors have been released since June 7 when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an emergency motion by … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will not hear Harris County bail appeal

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let this please be the end of the line. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has denied Harris County’s request to stop the release of misdemeanor inmates who can’t afford to post cash bail. The county had appealed late Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit reinstates bail order

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County took the fight over its controversial bail system to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, even as county officials scrambled to plan the imminent release of dozens of misdemeanor defendants held behind bars who cannot afford to … Continue reading →

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Judge Jordan deserves to have his position in the bail lawsuit represented

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have problems with this. The only Harris County judge to fight the county’s defense of its controversial bail system has been notified he will not get his own lawyer to appeal the high-profile federal lawsuit that has divided county … Continue reading →

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Harris County bail order halted

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Very late in the day on Friday. A federal appeals court granted Harris County a last-minute reprieve Friday in a contentious civil rights lawsuit, calling a temporary halt to a judge’s order that would have altered the way cash bail … Continue reading →

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Harris County will continue to fight bail lawsuit

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Harris County has appealed a federal civil rights lawsuit that challenged the county’s bail system, despite rising legal costs that have neared $3 million. After a heated discussion and a closed-door meeting Tuesday, Harris County Commissioners … Continue reading →

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“What are we fighting for?”

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the key question for the county in the bail lawsuit. As legal costs mount, surpassing $200,000 per month, pressure is building for Harris County officials to settle a lawsuit over the county’s cash bail system that a federal judge … Continue reading →

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Senate approves bail reform bill

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. After weeks of politically touchy negotiations capped by a shove from a Houston federal judge, the Texas Senate on Thursday approved significant changes in the state’s bail bond system designed to keep low-level offenders from sitting in jail because … Continue reading →

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Why won’t the county settle the damn bail lawsuit?

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg asks the same question I’ve been asking. Now that Chief U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal – it should be noted, a Republican appointee — levelled her devastating assessment of Harris County’s rigid bail system a few days ago, … Continue reading →

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County considers its bail options

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I can think of one, if they need some help. With just two weeks until the 193-page order from Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal kicks in May 15, county officials are working to draft a plan to deal … Continue reading →

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Harris County bail system ruled unconstitutional

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Damn right. A federal judge in Houston Friday issued a scathing denouncement of Harris County’s cash bail system, saying it is fundamentally unfair to detain indigent people arrested for low-level offenses simply because they can’t afford to pay bail. In … Continue reading →

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Settle the damn bail lawsuit already

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Enough. Harris County commissioners Tuesday voted to add high-profile, conservative litigator Charles Cooper to a growing team of attorneys defending the county and several public officials against a civil rights lawsuit alleging the county’s bail system unconstitutionally jails the poor. … Continue reading →

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Bail bondsmen complain about bail reform bill

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I understand their concerns, but that doesn’t mean I agree with them. Legislation touted as a fix-all to reform Texas’ controversial jail-release system was blasted Tuesday by bail bondsmen and attorneys who said it would destroy the bail-bond industry and … Continue reading →

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Commissioners get testy over bail practices lawsuit

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hash it all out. Tensions flared at Harris County Commissioners Court Tuesday after new Commissioner Rodney Ellis filed legal papers supporting civil rights groups in their high-profile federal lawsuit against the county and its bail system. In a rare … Continue reading →

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Bail practices lawsuit wraps up

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to the judge now. The call by two civil rights groups for an immediate fix to Harris County’s bail system is now in the hands of a federal judge after high-stakes arguments over whether poor people should remain … Continue reading →

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County will use public defenders at bail hearings

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County commissioners on Tuesday approved a pilot program to make public defenders available at bail hearings, a step aimed at retooling a criminal justice system that has increasingly drawn criticism for jailing thousands of poor, low-risk offenders. Within … Continue reading →

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Bail reform bills

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to see this. An unusual bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and judges has teamed up to back broad reforms in Texas that could eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders who are not deemed dangerous or a flight risk. Bills introduced … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Gonzalez testifies in bail practices trial

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

He says on the stand what he has been saying elsewhere. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez took the witness stand for an hour Wednesday afternoon in a closely watched federal civil rights case that is challenging whether it is constitutional … Continue reading →

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Bail practices lawsuit gets going

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The first day in court for this lawsuit was Monday. Neal S. Manne, a managing partner at Susman Godfrey, told Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal in his opening statement Monday that ODonnell and hundreds of other poor people … Continue reading →

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County approves defense attorneys for bail hearings

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue. Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to develop a pilot program that would make public defenders present at bail hearings, a move aimed at reducing what officials say is the unnecessary jailing of thousands of defendants because they … Continue reading →

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Ogg sides with bail reformers

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As well she should. District Attorney Kim Ogg on Friday filed a brief supporting bail reform in the lawsuit brought against Harris County’s misdemeanor judges to change the bail system. The civil rights lawsuit, filed in federal court, is expected … Continue reading →

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The Sandra Bland Act

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, on Thursday filed House Bill 2702, dubbed the Sandra Bland Act. The exhaustive piece of legislation would expand what qualifies as racial and ethnic profiling; mandate people experiencing a mental health crisis and substance … Continue reading →

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Harris County really needs to settle that bail practices lawsuit

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Enough already. Two Houston-based lawmakers called on Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan Friday to dismiss an attorney hired to represent county judges in a federal civil rights lawsuit, after that attorney claimed in a hearing that many people jailed in … Continue reading →

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Chron favors a jail administrator

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I remain unconvinced. Next month, we’ll have a new sheriff in town. Ed Gonzalez will take command of the largest sheriff’s office in Texas, the third-largest in the nation, with more than 4,600 employees responsible for serving and protecting the … Continue reading →

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Yet another lawsuit filed against Harris County criminal justice

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Lawsuit number three. Harris County has been sued in federal court for the third time in less than a year for yet another issue related to the county’s tough arrest and pretrial detention practices. This time, civil rights advocates allege … Continue reading →

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Motion to dismiss county bail practices lawsuit denied

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Onward. In a sweeping 78-page opinion issued late last week, a federal judge has denied Harris County’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit that accuses it of operating an unconstitutional bail system. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal dismissed the sheriff and … Continue reading →

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The new Sheriff in town

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sheriff-elect Ed Gonzalez has his work cut out for him. When newly elected Sheriff Ed Gonzalez takes office on Jan. 1, he will face a tangle of budget, staffing and jail inmate safety issues inherited from more than a decade … Continue reading →

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City sued over bail practices

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

One more lawsuit going after the practice of jailing people who can’t afford to post bonf. Two civil rights groups sued the city of Houston late Monday, alleging the city jail has detained people for days at a time without … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Ryan v Leitner

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan was the only non-judicial incumbent elected in November. Here’s how his race looked. Dist Leitner Ryan Leitner% Ryan% ========================================== CD02 158,149 113,363 58.25% 41.75% CD07 135,129 116,091 53.79% 46.21% CD09 25,714 106,728 19.42% 80.58% CD10 … Continue reading →

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