Tag Archives: Greg Abbott

The New York Times reports: A federal judge on Wednesday granted the Justice Department’s request to halt enforcement of the recently passed Texas law that bans nearly all abortions in the state while the legal battle over the statute makes its way through the federal courts. In his 113-page ruling, Robert L. Pitman, a Federal District Court judge in Austin, …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday called for Texas lawmakers to increase the penalty for illegal voting — less than a month after he signed a bill that lowers the maximum punishment. The crime of illegal voting was scheduled to go from a second degree felony to a Class A misdemeanor in December, after the passage of …

Politico reports: Donald Trump’s letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he pursue an “audit” of the 2020 election set off a “mad dash” in the governor’s office as aides sought to figure out just how serious the former president was. In the letter, Trump called on Abbott to hold a “Forensic Audit of the 2020 Election” and pass HB …

Politico reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday defended U.S. Border Patrol agents seen charging at migrants on horseback, saying he would hire them if they fear being fired. “You have a job in the state of Texas,” he told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.” “I will hire you to help Texas secure our border.” The Department of …

The New York Times reports: Eight and a half hours after former President Donald J. Trump made a public demand for Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas to back legislation to create a “forensic audit of the 2020 election,” the Texas secretary of state’s office announced a “comprehensive forensic audit” of the results from four of the state’s largest counties. The …

The Hill reports: Former President Trump is pressuring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to back a bill to launch an election audit in the Lone Star State, signaling an expanded effort to throw his broader 2020 election defeat into question. While Trump won Texas handily in November, he issued an open letter to Abbott on Thursday repeating his unfounded claims …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas is being sued over its new law barring social media platforms from banning users over their political views by two trade associations that represent some of the industry’s biggest online companies. NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, which represent Google and Twitter, among other companies in the e-commerce and social media industries, filed …

Florida Politics reports: The Lincoln Project is demanding answers after an ad critical of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID-19 response was pulled off the air moments before the kickoff of a nationally televised football game. The ad, scheduled to air Saturday during a University of Texas match, ranks Texas among the leading states in the nation for COVID-19 deaths. The …

“We need better parenting, greater parental involvement. We need to restore God in our communities. If we do that, we will be able to reduce crime in this region.” – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, as he signed a bill today which makes it harder to raise bail for pre-trial release. Last week Abbott declared he will “eliminate all rapists,” therefore …

Via press release from the NAACP: Today, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Reed Smith LLP, and The Arc filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Houston Area Urban League, Houston Justice, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and The Arc of Texas challenging S.B. 1, a new Texas law targeting voting rights. S.B. 1 includes a …

Houston’s NBC News affiliate reports: Texas Governor Greg Abbott weighed in on a burning question related to the state’s recently passed bill banning abortions after six weeks: what about victims of rape? During a Tuesday press conference, Abbott said the law gives rape victims up to six weeks to get abortion and thusly “does not do that [force victims to …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed into law Senate Bill 1, sweeping legislation that further tightens state election laws and constrains local control of elections by limiting counties’ ability to expand voting options. The governor’s signature ends months of legislative clashes and standoffs during which Democrats — propelled by concerns that the legislation raises new barriers …

Austin’s NBC News affiliate reports: New polling from the Texas Politics Project asked voters whether they thought the state was headed in the right direction. Just 35% of those polls said yes, 52% said they thought Texas was on the wrong track. “This is really an eye-opener for us,” said Jim Henson, executive director of the Texas Politics Project at …

The Hill reports: Voting rights advocates on Friday sued to block a restrictive new GOP-crafted Texas voting bill that the challengers say will make it disproportionately harder for people of color to vote. The 74-page complaint, filed in a San Antonio-based federal court, takes aim at Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1), a sweeping measure passed this week that would tighten …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to raise private funds to build a wall along the Texas-Mexico border surged in August, from around $1 million at the beginning of the month to more than $54 million by its end. In June, Abbott announced a fundraising website where people could donate to help pay for the barrier. Two months …

CNN reports: A Texas state law that bans abortion after as early as six weeks into the pregnancy could provide the playbook for red states to pass extreme abortion restrictions — without having to wait for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade. The measure — signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May — prohibits abortion …

Via press release from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) will be deploying an additional 2,500 medical staff to support health care facilities in Texas, including hospitals and nursing homes. This will bring the total number of medical personnel deployed across the state to 8,100. In addition, DSHS …

The Texas Tribune reports: After months of drama and political resistance, the curtain lowered Thursday night on Democratic attempts to stave off a far-reaching rewrite of the state’s voting laws coveted by Republicans seeking to retain their hold on power in a changing Texas. One week after finally regaining enough members to conduct business, the Texas House slogged through a …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday announced an executive order banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates regardless of a vaccine’s approval status with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He also said he was adding the issue to the agenda for the current special session of the Texas Legislature. The order comes two days after the FDA granted full …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has now tested negative for COVID-19, four days after testing positive for the virus. “I am told that my infection was brief and mild because of the vaccination I received,” Abbott said in a video he posted on Twitter Saturday afternoon. “So, I encourage others who have not yet received …