Tag Archives: Voting Rights Act

SCOTUS puts new maps on hold

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt a serious setback to those hoping Texas would see new congressional and House district maps ahead of the 2018 elections. In separate orders issued Tuesday, the high court blocked two lower court rulings … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs ask SCOTUS to back down in redistricting fight

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This week’s update: The challengers told the justices that the Supreme Court lacks the power to review the state’s request because there is nothing to put on hold: The lower court has neither blocked the state’s current redistricting plan nor … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit stays voter ID ruling

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The state of Texas can use its revised voter ID measure for the upcoming November elections, a divided federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. The 2-1 decision, first reported by Politico Tuesday night, came from a panel of three … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Justice Department goes all in on voter ID

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Despicable, but what did you expect? Continuing a dramatic reversal on voting rights under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice is asking a federal appeals court to allow Texas to enforce a photo voter identification law that a … Continue reading →

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State House map paused as well

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise, given the previous order. A lower court ruling that invalidated parts of the Texas House state map has been temporarily blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. Responding swiftly to an appeal by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS puts a pause on the Congressional redistricting ruling

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, just a temporary one. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a lower court ruling that invalidated two of Texas’ 36 congressional districts. In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito, the high court indicated it wanted … Continue reading →

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Will we have maps in time for March primaries?

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. It’s up to the courts. State officials insisted Friday they expect to stop the court challenges on appeal, and reverse Texas’ losing streak on the voting-rights lawsuits, legal experts predicted Texas could end up back under federal supervisions of … Continue reading →

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Texas appeals voter ID ruling

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

On to the next phase. As promised, Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed what he called an “outrageous” federal court decision tossing out the state’s new voter ID law. In a 25-page filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the … Continue reading →

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Court throws out State House map

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Once more, with feeling. Parts of the Texas House map must be redrawn ahead of the 2018 elections because lawmakers intentionally discriminated against minorities in crafting several legislative districts, federal judges ruled on Thursday. A three-judge panel in San Antonio … Continue reading →

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Voter ID law thrown out

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Fantastic. A federal judge has tossed out a new law softening Texas’ strict voter identification requirements. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos on Wednesday ruled that Senate Bill 5, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, doesn’t absolve Texas lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit rules against Texas’ voter interpreter law

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas ran afoul of the Voting Rights Act by restricting the interpretation assistance English-limited voters may receive at the ballot box, a federal appeals court found. In an opinion issued Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit … Continue reading →

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Texas to appeal redistricting ruling

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. If Gov. Greg Abbott calls a second special legislative session this summer, it won’t be for redistricting. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed Friday that Abbott won’t ask lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map — found … Continue reading →

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Court invalidates CDs 27 and 35

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We are one step closer to having a new Congressional map. Federal judges have invalidated two Texas congressional districts, ruling that they must be fixed by either the Legislature or a federal court. In a unanimous decision Tuesday, a three-judge … Continue reading →

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Still no word on what Pasadena will do with the redistricting appeal

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’re waiting. Because the ruling went against the city, Pasadena is required to pay legal costs to attorneys for that group, the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund. In addition, the city’s fees to its legal representatives at Bickerstaff, Heath, … Continue reading →

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How the redistricting case could play out

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Michael Li games out how the Texas redistricting litigation may go from the anticipated court ruling to final resolution. So, in short, Texans could end up with a new set of maps (drawn by the Texas Legislature or drawn by … Continue reading →

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Plaintiffs again ask for voter ID law to be tossed

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Again I agree with them. Minority groups have asked a federal judge to scrap Texas’ voter identification law and place the state under the jurist’s supervision for at least a decade, according to court filings this week. Not only are … Continue reading →

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Pasadena has a decision to make

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

To continue the redistricting appeal, or to drop it and accept the ruling? One factor to consider is the cost involved. Pasadena has already paid more than $2.5 million to its outside attorneys. But there’s a complication: Under federal law, … Continue reading →

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Let a thousand hypothetical alternative Texas Congressional maps bloom

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Stephen Wolf of Daily Kos Elections takes a crack at drawing a remedial Congressional map for Texas. Just how effective is GOP gerrymandering in Texas, and what might a redrawn map look like in 2018 as a consequence of a … Continue reading →

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The broader implications of the Pasadena voting rights lawsuit

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Buried in this Trib story about the ongoing saga of Pasadena’s voting rights lawsuit is this nugget about the state getting involved. The case could reverberate beyond Pasadena’s city limits. Legal experts contend that a decision by the 5th Circuit could guide other … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial update: Invoking privilege

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting choice. Texas’ defense of its electoral maps suffered a setback Friday when a state witness couldn’t defend lawmakers’ intentions for much of his testimony. […] Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, was the chairman of the House Select Committee on … Continue reading →

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Redistricting update: It’s all about the emails

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two days into the trial, and there’s more drama. Plaintiffs challenging Texas’ 2013 redistricting maps Tuesday accused the state of improperly delaying the release of thousands of pages of documents from them, including 113 documents that state lawyers refuse to … Continue reading →

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Redistricting trial week begins

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This will be the main event of the week. Eight months ahead of the 2018 primaries, Texas and its legal foes on Monday will kick off a week-long trial that could shake up races across the state. The state and … Continue reading →

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Next round of voter ID briefs ordered

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Moving right along: With the next election season looming, a federal judge has set a fast-paced schedule for determining whether Texas should be penalized for a voter ID law found to have been written by Republicans to intentionally discriminate against minority … Continue reading →

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No partisan gerrymandering claims (yet) in Texas

Posted on June 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Redistricting: The three-judge panel in the Texas redistricting case has issued an order striking the expert report offered by the Texas Democratic Party in connection with its partisan gerrymandering claim. However, the court said that it would allow … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit to hear AALDEF lawsuit appeal

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This happens today. Amid last-minute efforts to overhaul the state’s voter identification law in light of an ongoing legal fight, the Texas Legislature gaveled out without addressing another embattled election law that’s now moving forward in federal court. The U.S. … Continue reading →

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Voter ID plaintiffs ask court to void the law

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As well they should. Lawyers for minority voters and politicians asked a federal judge Wednesday to void the Texas voter ID law, saying it is the next logical step for a statute found to be discriminatory. The lawyers also said … Continue reading →

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Voter ID 2.0 gets final passage

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully, this will turn out to have been a waste of time. The Texas House and Senate have approved a deal to relax the state’s voter identification requirements, meaning the closely watched legislation now only awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval. … Continue reading →

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No special session for redistricting

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Buried in my Wednesday post about the SCOTUS ruling that declared North Carolina’s Congressional map to be an illegal gerrymander was a note that the court in the Texas redistricting case asked the state to consider a special session to … Continue reading →

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The SCOTUS ruling on North Carolina’s gerrymandering could affect Texas

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is potentially a very big deal. In striking down North Carolina’s congressional district map, the Supreme Court sent Texas a firm warning Monday about how the state’s case may fare if it reaches that stage. The 5-3 North Carolina … Continue reading →

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Bill to ban straight-ticket voting advances in the Senate

Posted on May 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This could happen. A Texas Senate panel approved legislation Thursday that would end straight-ticket voting in all elections. The Senate Committee on Business & Commerce voted 7-0 to send House Bill 25 for potential consideration by the full chamber. Two members, … Continue reading →

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Who’s your lawyer?

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey has a simple question. Do you remember the name of the lawyer who advised the Texas House and Senate when they wrote the 2011 voter ID bill? That’s the law a federal judge in Corpus Christi found to … Continue reading →

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Justice Department will send election monitors to Pasadena

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. The U.S. Department of Justice is monitoring the Pasadena city elections as the suburb faces mounting federal scrutiny in the wake of a federal judge’s ruling that the city intentionally violated the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against Hispanics. … Continue reading →

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Trib overview of the Pasadena elections

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. When voters head to the polls here Saturday, their city council and mayoral picks could have repercussions well beyond this working-class Houston suburb. It will be the first election since a federal judge struck down the city’s 2013 … Continue reading →

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Court denies motion for appeals in redistricting case and sets trial date

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We are moving along in this process after such a long long looooooooooooooooong wait to get here. A three-judge panel on Monday denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to appeal a March ruling that said the Legislature intentionally discriminated … Continue reading →

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