Tag Archives: Justice Department

Justice Department sues Texas over the voter suppression law

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Specifically, they are challenging a couple of specific provisions of the law. The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday sued Texas over its new voting law, expanding its effort to challenge Republican-backed measures passed in state legislatures. The lawsuit, brought by … Continue reading →

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SB8’s day before SCOTUS

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The good guys appear to have the upper hand in this case. It seems unlikely that will last for very long, however. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grilled attorneys for abortion providers, the federal government and Texas over the … Continue reading →

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The SCOTUS hearing on SB8 is today

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have no idea what to expect. The U.S. Supreme Court will take up on Monday the highest-profile legal challenges to Texas’ new abortion law. The Supreme Court previously declined to act on the near-total abortion ban, making next week’s … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will hear SB8 appeals

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Both of them, on November 1. The law remains annoyingly in effect until then. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to fast-track two Texas cases involving the state’s near-total ban on abortion, but refused to halt the law from being … Continue reading →

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Texas takes its shot at Roe v Wade

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We were always headed in this direction. It was just a matter of when we were going to get there. Texas on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to keep in place a law that imposes a near-total ban on … Continue reading →

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Justice Department officially asks SCOTUS to halt SB8

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The stakes are clear. Now we get to see if SCOTUS has any respect for the law. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to take up abortion providers’ challenge to Texas’ near-total abortion ban sooner than the high court … Continue reading →

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Justice Department goes to SCOTUS over SB8

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The Biden administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to stop enforcement of Texas’ near-total abortion ban, according to a Friday statement from a U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson. Courts have pingponged back and forth on the law’s … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit does the expected with the SB8 appeal

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Was it ever in doubt? Texas’ near-total abortion ban can continue to be enforced while the law’s constitutionality is decided, a panel of federal appellate judges ordered late Thursday. The three justices of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

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Justice Department files its brief with the Fifth Circuit

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. They’re going to need a lot of it. The Biden administration urged the courts again to step in and suspend a new Texas law that has banned most abortions since early September, as clinics hundreds of miles away remain … Continue reading →

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Federal lawsuit over mask mandate ban in schools has its hearing

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A big case with potential national implications. School district leaders should have the right to make decisions about mask mandates based on the needs of their students and local coronavirus spread data, attorneys argued Wednesday in federal court. Lawyers with … Continue reading →

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We wait until at least Tuesday for a chance at justice with SB8

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Friday temporarily allowed Texas’ near-total abortion ban — the strictest in the nation — to again be enforced after freezing a federal judge’s temporary block of the … Continue reading →

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State appeals SB8 restraining order to Fifth Circuit

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure they expect the usual room service from the appeals court. It’s just a matter of how quickly they can get it. Texas asked a federal appeals court Friday to step in “as soon as possible” to restore the … Continue reading →

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Federal judge blocks SB8

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some justice for now, but we’ll see how long it lasts. A federal judge temporarily blocked Texas’ near-total abortion ban Wednesday as part of a lawsuit the Biden administration launched against the state over its new law that bars abortions … Continue reading →

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Justice Department gets involved in federal lawsuit over mask mandate ban

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this over the weekend. The Justice Department signaled its support on Wednesday for the families of children with disabilities in Texas who are suing to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in the state’s schools. The department filed a … Continue reading →

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Medicaid and the “heartbeat” law

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Texas’ new abortion ban makes no exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. Nearly a month after it was enacted, state health officials still won’t say whether that includes Texans on Medicaid, a small but critical … Continue reading →

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The “abortion bans are good for interstate commerce, actually” defense

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can never tell when Ken Paxton is trolling or sincere. In briefs filed Wednesday in the Justice Department’s challenge to Texas’ abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted the trips Texas women are making out of state to … Continue reading →

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How the “heartbeat” lawsuits may proceed

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The recent “Amicus” podcast from Slate had a bonus segment on the many lawsuits that have been filed in relation to and challenge to SB8, the so-called “heartbeat” bill. For all the normal people out there who don’t follow this … Continue reading →

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Texas takes its potty obsession to court

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, brother. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over recent federal guidance issued to protect LGBTQ people in the workplace, including a directive that says employees should be allowed to use the bathrooms, locker rooms and … Continue reading →

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Justice Department files its motion for an injunction against SB8

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s hope they get a quick win. The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order or injunction that would prevent Texas from enacting a law that bans nearly all abortions in the state, heating … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues over “heartbeat” law

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Justice Department sued Texas on Thursday over its new abortion restrictions law, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters, a week after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block the law. Garland announced the lawsuit, filed in a federal district … Continue reading →

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More on the AG response to the “heartbeat” bill

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, like this. Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee are calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to prosecute people who are now empowered to file lawsuits against abortion seekers under Texas’ new abortion … Continue reading →

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The federal response to the “heartbeat” bill

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope it amounts to something, and I hope they’re quick about it. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday the Department of Justice is “urgently” exploring ways to challenge Texas’ strict new abortion law, but did not specify what … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s migrant roundup order still blocked

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge in El Paso on Friday extended her order blocking Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to state troopers to pull over drivers transporting migrants “who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19.” U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone lengthened her … Continue reading →

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Still no quorum, and no Dem legislators rounded up yet

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And I’m still not sure what exactly will happen when and if a law enforcement officer stumbles across one of the wayward legislators. The hunt for missing Democratic Texas House members escalated late Thursday and Friday, as the sergeant-at-arms and … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit filed against Abbott’s migrant transport order

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bring them on. Immigrant rights groups backed by the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott over his executive order restricting the transportation of migrants, claiming it goes against federal law and amounts to racial profiling at the … Continue reading →

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Judge halts Abbott’s “pull over migrants” executive order

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Gov. Greg Abbott and the state of Texas from ordering state troopers to pull over drivers transporting migrants “who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19.” U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone granted … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues over Abbott’s anti-migrant executive order

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Biden administration sued Texas on Friday, asking a federal judge to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that state troopers pull over drivers transporting migrants who pose a risk of carrying COVID-19 as a way to prevent the spread … Continue reading →

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Let a thousand Justice Department probes of Texas voter suppression bloom

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just don’t expect too much to happen. With Texas lawmakers poised to push for new voting restrictions in a special session next week, the state’s congressional Democrats are urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Texas’ existing voting laws. … Continue reading →

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First post-legislative session voting rights lawsuit filed

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not the last. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, a Latino civil rights group and a voting rights group say a bill signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week that prevents Texans from using a commerical … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues Georgia over its voter suppression law

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. In its first major action to combat GOP voter suppression laws, the Biden Justice Department announced on Friday that it is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting restrictions. The lawsuit was first reported by … Continue reading →

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On prosecuting the insurrectionists

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good start. While federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital will likely tackle the bulk of criminal charges for the perpetrators of Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Ryan K. Patrick is among a growing number of U.S. … Continue reading →

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No bail in

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, I’m afraid. Texas won’t have to seek federal approval when state lawmakers draw new election maps in two years, a three-judge panel in San Antonio decided Wednesday. The judges, however, cautioned Texas that its next process will “undoubtedly” … Continue reading →

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We have a consent decree

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It appears to be a done deal. Houston would add $2 billion to its planned sewer system improvements over the next 15 years under a proposed deal with state and federal regulators that is expected to produce higher water bills … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit Obamacare hearing

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Remember, the Fifth Circuit is where hope goes to die. Adjust your expectations accordingly. On the left was Judge Carolyn Dineen King, an appointee of Jimmy Carter; on the right sat Judge Kurt Engelhardt, a nominee of Donald Trump, and … Continue reading →

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