Tag Archives: Andy Taylor

One more whiny election loser lawsuit

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I know, we all thought we were done with these. Nearly five months after Harris County’s November 2022 election results were upheld in court, another unsuccessful Republican judicial candidate laid out a similar set of facts before the same judge … Continue reading →

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“Living at the office” residency lawsuit update

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. A judge has allowed a Texas Senate candidate backed by state GOP leaders to keep campaigning amid questions about his eligibility. But she has also declined to dismiss the case, letting it move forward ahead of … Continue reading →

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A tale of living at the office

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I am oddly fascinated by this. A Republican candidate for Texas Senate who is backed by top state leaders is fighting a multifront legal battle against primary opponents who want to remove him from the ballot over residency questions. The … Continue reading →

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Whiny loser election lawsuits finally tossed

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The results of Harris County’s highly scrutinized November 2022 election were upheld Thursday evening by a judge, who threw out all but one remaining election contest out of 21 related lawsuits. Republican candidate Erin Lunceford filed her suit in … Continue reading →

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One losing Republican drops his sore loser lawsuit

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A Harris County GOP judicial candidate dropped his lawsuit challenging his November election results, one of 21 similar pending lawsuits brought by defeated Republican candidates. Dan Spjut lost the race for the Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. … Continue reading →

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Sore loser election contest lawsuit trial concludes

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Up to the judge now. Attorneys made their closing arguments Thursday in a case aimed at throwing out Harris County’s November election results, the first to go to trial out of 21 pending lawsuits brought by defeated Republican candidates in … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the sore loser election contest lawsuit

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a lot of the same old song. Attorneys pored over Harris County voter records in a downtown courtroom Tuesday afternoon, arguing over the validity of thousands of ballots cast nearly nine months ago. It was the first day in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

First (and hopefully only) sore loser election contest lawsuit begins Tuesday

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What a slog this has been. Republicans who have spent the past nine months questioning Harris County’s November elections will have their day in court Tuesday when the first of 21 lawsuits aimed at overturning the results will go to … Continue reading →

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The case of the no-evidence lawsuit

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The lack of evidence in the Harris County election lawsuits is so glaring, I don’t know how we’re talking about anything else. In the weeks following Harris County’s November election, 22 Republican candidates who lost their races filed lawsuits challenging the … Continue reading →

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And now we have a judicial loser contesting the election

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Republicans did warn us they’d be sore losers. Republican judicial candidate Erin Lunceford filed a petition Wednesday seeking a new election in Harris County’s 189th judicial district court race after losing by 2,743 votes out of more than 1 … Continue reading →

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There were still ballots being counted yesterday

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I think they’re done now? It’s hard to say for sure from the story. With more than 1.1 million ballots cast, Harris County on Thursday still was counting ballots from Tuesday’s election. The county filed a request for an extension … Continue reading →

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Radack drops his redistricting lawsuit

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Former Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit he filed against Harris County Commissioners Court alleging Commissioners Court violated the Open Meetings Act during county redistricting. Below is a statement from Harris County Attorney Christian … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court rejects mandamus over Commissioners Court redistricting

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The primary will proceed as scheduled, but the issue could be revisited sometime after the 2022 election. The Texas Supreme Court rejected an effort by Republican commissioners and voters to block Harris County’s recent redistricting plan on Friday, suggesting another … Continue reading →

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Another lawsuit filed over Commissioners Court redistricting

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What a bunch of crybabies. A former county commissioner is suing Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, claiming Hidalgo and the county violated state law when they met to approve redistricting maps. Former Commissioner Steve Radack argues the commissioners violated the … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit over Harris County Commissioners Court redistricting tossed

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this over the holidays. A Harris County Judge on Wednesday tossed a lawsuit from Republican commissioners and voters over new county maps that favor Democrats. Judge Dedra Davis ruled in favor of Harris County, finding that Republican commissioners Jack … Continue reading →

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Republicans sue over new Commissioners Court map

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Republican Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey have filed a voting rights lawsuit in state court in hopes of halting a Harris County redistricting plan they claim strips more than 1.1 million people of their right to vote in … Continue reading →

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And it’s off to SCOTX for the Republicans who want to stop drive-through voting

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It was inevitable. State and local Republicans have taken their challenge of drive-thru voting in Harris County to the Texas Supreme Court. In separate petitions, the Texas and Harris County GOP are asking the state’s highest court to limit drive-thru … Continue reading →

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Petition to stop drive-through voting dismissed

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Drive-thru and curbside voting programs in Harris County can continue after a state appeals court Wednesday quickly threw out a last-minute lawsuit filed by the Texas Republican Party challenging the county’s efforts to provide more voting options … Continue reading →

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ReBuild re-vote approved

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Add another item to the ballot. City Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed to put the controversial street and drainage program known as ReBuild Houston before voters again in November, but not before tweaking the ballot language in hopes of avoiding … Continue reading →

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Judge sides with city in term limits lawsuit

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The city wins for now, but we all know it’s not over yet. Politicians at City Hall can continue serving four-year terms — at least for now — after a state district judge sided with the city of Houston Friday … Continue reading →

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ReBuild re-vote?

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It could come to that, but it’s not clear to me that it has to. The funding scheme for ReBuild Houston, the city’s street and drainage repair initiative, remains in limbo after a state appeals court agreed Thursday that the … Continue reading →

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City loses appeal of procedural argument in term limits lawsuit

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Stay with me, because this is going to take a bit of explaining. A state appeals court on Thursday rejected the city’s procedural challenge to a lawsuit that could force Houston’s mayor and city council members to revert to three … Continue reading →

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Senate whinefest about ballot propositions

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Spare me. Members of a state Senate committee called Monday for changes in Texas law to prevent cities from thwarting or blocking citizen petition drives, a key issue for conservative and tea party groups in Houston and other cities in … Continue reading →

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City wins first round of term limits ballot language lawsuit

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s round one, of course, but it’s still a win. The ballot language Houston voters used to change term limits for elected officials was “inartful” but not “invalid,” a state district judge ruled Wednesday, a move that nonetheless left the … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit against Uptown line dismissed

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We haven’t heard the last of this, of that you can be certain. A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a dedicated bus lane project in Houston’s Uptown area, but the ruling is not a final resolution of the dispute. … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The state propositions

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are seven constitutional amendments awaiting your vote on the November ballot. The Chron evaluates them. Proposition 1 The amendment would boost homestead exemption amounts for school district property taxes from $15,000 to $25,000. It also would reduce the amount … Continue reading →

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And now we have a lawsuit over HERO repeal ballot language

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, for crying out loud. Last month the Texas Supreme Court suspended the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, more commonly known as HERO, and ordered City Council to either repeal the non-discrimination measure or put it up for a public vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Pastors file a lawsuit over HERO

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Organizers of the anti-Houston Equal Rights Ordinance petition have filed suit against Mayor Annise Parker, saying she and unnamed “conspirators” unconstitutionally rejected valid petition signatures and “smothered the Citizen Referendum Petition in … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Uptown line

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, I suppose this was inevitable. A homeowner’s association is suing Metro over its involvement in plans to run bus lanes along Post Oak Boulevard, saying the project puts the agency at odds with a 2003 referendum that … Continue reading →

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New litigation against ReBuild Houston

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

To be expected at this point. A class action lawsuit has been filed against the city, seeking to reimburse residents who pay the drainage fee that helps fund ReBuild Houston, the multibillion-dollar streets and drainage improvement program that voters narrowly … Continue reading →

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No HERO ruling quite yet

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There was a hearing, but still no ruling quite yet. Opponents of the city’s legally embattled equal rights ordinance say they collected about 200 more valid petition signatures than they need to trigger a repeal referendum, a figure a district … Continue reading →

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Still counting HERO repeal petition signatures

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

After more than a month, we finally have an update on the signature counting from the HERO repeal petition trial. The first publicly disclosed tally since the heated trial surrounding the city’s equal rights ordinance wrapped up last month leaves … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court hears Renew Houston appeal

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Last stop of the litigation train for the plaintiffs that have sued to overturn the Renew Houston referendum, on the grounds that the voters were misinformed about what they were voting for. Two lower courts have sided with the city, … Continue reading →

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Judge Schaffer makes his ruling on the HERO repeal petitions

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I was expecting this to happen Monday, but apparently Judge Robert Schaffer handed down his ruling about which HERO repeal petition signatures were valid and should be counted on Monday. Judge Robert Schaffer ruled on which types of signatures can … Continue reading →

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