Tag Archives: Texas

The Texas Tribune reports: Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated, his office announced Thursday. Mason, a Tarrant County resident, was acquitted of an illegal voting charge last month. Sorrells’ office is now asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn the ruling that cleared her. Mason was convicted of illegal voting in …

The Hill reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) endorsed Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) on Wednesday, defending the congressman as he faces criticism from fellow Republicans after dubbing two far-right members of the caucus “scumbags.” Gonzales went after Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Bob Good (R-Va.) over the weekend, saying the Freedom Caucus members “walk around with white hoods,” and referencing …

Law & Crime reports: The so-called “Kraken” of the legal system has won a personal and professional victory in the Lone Star State. On Thursday, a Dallas-based court of appeals upheld a trial court decision that decided against any form of discipline for attorney Sidney Powell over her November 2020 lawsuits that sought “to prevent the certification of election results …

The Texas Tribune reports: A Texas landowner may seek compensation from the state for damages to his property east of Houston, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday. Richie DeVillier, a landowner in Chambers County, sued the state in 2020 after his land repeatedly flooded following changes Texas made to Interstate 10. The original lawsuit argued DeVillier had a right …

The Daily Beast reports: The tragicomic tale of a down-on-his-luck Texan who reinvented himself as a renegade war hero in a fake Russian republic took an unexpected turn this week when he was allegedly abducted by Russian troops—after apparently being accused of being a CIA spy. Russell Bentley, also known as “Texas,” is perhaps the last person one would expect …

The Texas Tribune reports: Months after a scandal over his ties to white supremacists, far-right political operative and former state lawmaker Jonathan Stickland has created a new group — with help from outgoing Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi. On March 5, Stickland registered “RaTmasTeR Holdings LLC” with the Texas secretary of state, and Rinaldi is listed as the new group’s …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: Multiple people suffered what were described as “serious injuries” Friday when a commercial vehicle crashed into a DPS Office in Brenham, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Six people were hospitalized, according to Senator Lois Kolkhorst, who is from Brenham. She said of the six, three were taken to nearby hospitals by helicopters. The …

The Texas Tribune reports: The complaint, filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission, alleges Cruz may have improperly directed radio distribution and marketing firm iHeartMedia to send over $630,000 to the Truth and Courage PAC, a group dedicated to Cruz’ reelection effort. The amount would exceed the $5,000 limit an officeholder is permitted to solicit for a super PAC. End …

Politico reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended a program he began nearly two years ago to shuttle migrants out of Texas to cities across the country Sunday, accusing President Joe Biden of using asylum-seekers as “political pawns,” amid criticism that he has done just that. But “the person who’s actually using illegal immigrants as political pawns is Joe Biden,” Abbott …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Supreme Court Justice John Devine is facing new questions about his impartiality after a clip went viral this week in which he implied that Democrats plan to cheat against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the 2024 election. “Do you really think the Democrats are going to roll over and let Trump be president …

The Texas Tribune reports: Former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said on Thursday that Midland oil magnate Tim Dunn, one of the state’s most powerful and influential GOP megadonors, once told him that only Christians should hold leadership positions in the lower chamber. Straus, a Republican who is Jewish, relayed the encounter in an interview with former Texas Tribune CEO …

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports: The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Monday a human case of avian influenza A(H5N1), also known as bird flu, in the state. According to a press release from the department, the person had direct contact with dairy cattle presumed to be infected with avian influenza. DSHS did not specify where the person lives or …

ABC News reports: A Texas woman who was charged with murder over self-managing an abortion and spent two nights in jail has sued prosecutors along the U.S.-Mexico border who put the criminal case in motion before it was later dropped. The lawsuit filed by Lizelle Gonzalez in federal court Thursday comes a month after the State Bar of Texas fined …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas’ top campaign finance watchdog gave initial approval last week to a proposal that would require social media users to disclose if they are being paid to share or create political advertisements. The Texas Ethics Commission’s action comes just months after The Texas Tribune reported that a secretive and politically-connected company, called Influenceable LLC, paid internet …

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he’s looking into a company that supplies parts to Boeing, and part of his investigation includes whether its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments factored into safety issues. Paxton announced Thursday he sent a “request to examine” letter to Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., which has a facility in Texas and …

Via press release from Texas Democrats: Leaked video shows Hood County Constable Scott London, Hood County GOP Chair Steve Biggers and Hood County GOP Chair candidate Greg Harrell attending a meeting held by Abolish Abortion Texas (AATX) where they supported the death penalty for women who seek abortions or use IVF, including pregnant minors. London and Harrel have also signed …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Senator Ted Cruz is one step closer to his dream law to force law enforcement officers to give top national officials a private escort past airport security. Cruz introduced language into the Federal Aviation Administration’s funding bill. Yet despite some derision against him, the language remains in the bill. During the ice storm of 2021, …

The Guardian reports: A Texas appeals court has thrown out a five-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sentenced for trying to cast a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election that was rejected. Mason, now 49, attempted to vote in Fort Worth in the 2016 even though she was ineligible because she was still on …

CBC News reports: A panel of federal appeals court judges late Tuesday continued to block Texas from arresting and jailing migrants under a contentious state immigration law known as SB4, keeping a hold on the measure while it weighs its legality. In a 2-1 decision, the panel of 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges denied Texas’ request to suspend the …

The Texas Tribune reports: Prosecutors on Tuesday agreed to drop the securities fraud charges facing Attorney General Ken Paxton if he performs 100 hours of community service and fulfills other conditions of a pretrial agreement, bringing an abrupt end to the nearly nine-year-old felony case that has loomed over the embattled Republican since his early days in office. The deal, …