Hiring a lawyer is expensive, but if a party is holding off on retaining one because they cant afford the costs, there are options they should pursue. Several of them are considering election contests.. Premiums are, in some cases, documented in the public record. In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. Local, state and federal leaders celebrated the EPAs decision to look at the discrimination claims Tuesday. This case will focus on the details of every aspect of the November 8 election in Harris County. The lawsuit was brought by Harris County election administrator Isabel Longoria and Cathy Morgan, a volunteer deputy registrar who is appointed to help register voters in Travis and Williamson counties. Those challenges are awaiting a summer trial. You can read the Chron story here and their explainer about election contests here. The amended complaint was filed on Monday, December 27. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the subject of an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency following complaints that the state agency violated civil rights laws in its permitting of concrete batch plants. The General Counsel Practice Group provides legal advice to the Countys elected and appointed officials, and employees. Voters have moved on. This section is responsible for receiving and processing incoming customer requests including purchasing copies and reports and filing documents in existing cases (causes). Not to my knowledge. Thank you for your help! The mayor announced Thursday that Arturo G. Michel is returning to government as City Attorney for the City of Houston. Judge Lina Hidalgo and the Harris County Commissioners Court are defunding the police.. Four Weeks Is Norm for Lawyers At law firms that have official policies, 20 vacation days per year is the norm, with some senior associates getting as many as 25, Moody told Bloomberg Law.But taking vacations while billing enough hours, remaining available to clients, and meeting court deadlines can be tricky. See here for the background. Herman 0 96,574 0 518,009 Republican, Democrat, or Independent no eligible voter should have their ballot thrown out because the Attorney General cant accept the results of Harris County elections.. 1 and, many other entities, including the Brennan Center (inLUPE v. Abbott), have also filed suit against various parts of the law. But due to a change in state law, you only have until March 8 to make a contribution. Theres no reason, just because youve turned 65, that you cant show up to vote, Hall said in promoting the changes during the June GOP Convention in Houston. Rory Olsen is represented by Jared Woodfill. I dont see a quick path to a resolution here. The ballots in question were cast during a one-hour period on Nov. 8. In an interview Tuesday, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee said that about 2,100 provisional ballots cast after 7 p.m. Election Day should be counted. Radack 0 71,246 0 794,652, You still have time to donate to the Democratic judges legal fund, Phony Defunding Claims II: Electric Boogaloo, Houston furniture magnate Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale, November 2022 election, adding to an array of GOP litigation. Because the Harris and Travis County district attorneys did not appeal, only Longorias challenge to the civil penalty permitted by the civil-liability provision and the Volunteer Deputy Registrars challenge to the criminal liability imposed under the anti-solicitation provision were at issue in the appeal. Raising this as a First Amendment issue makes sense to me, and maybe it will make sense to the courts as well. The plaintiffs are Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria and Cathy Morgan, a volunteer deputy registrar who assists people with mail-in ballots in Travis and Williamson counties. Further, the EAs Office discussed the plan for both May elections with both political parties as early as April 7. I cannot begin to fathom the pain and loss they are experiencing. I thought the price fixing argument was weak and as such Im not surprised at this outcome. Why would I receive a letter from Harris County attorney? Mealer 356,684 621,482 0 188,512 6 Cause No. As the Harris County Attorney, Christian D. Menefee is the chief civil lawyer for the largest county in Texas. Voting, Board The Harris County Bail Bond Board, on its second attempt, passed a rule that made the ten percent minimum a requirement, and in response a bail bond company owner filed a lawsuit to stop it. Even in the case of the loser who lost to DaSean Jones by 449 votes, its extremely hard to imagine there could have been enough people who encountered problems and could not vote anywhere else and would have voted for the loser to make a difference. 19 Cause No. We are doing everything we can to move this project forward, James Koch, director of transportation planning and development for TxDOT in Houston, told a North Houston Association luncheon on Wednesday. Its a win, at least temporarily, for Harris County officials in a fight against Paxtons attempt to discard thousands of midterm ballots as election results are set to be certified Tuesday. The Harris County Attorney's Office fights for the interests of Harris County through the civil justice system to preserve access to clean air and water; ensure safe, healthy neighborhoods; protect consumers against fraud, exploitation, and other bad acts; and defend voting rights. Harris County voters are in for a long election night, with full election results in primary runoff races not expected until well into Wednesday. She cited the example of barratry, where lawyers unlawfully solicit clients for profit. To make its case, Mealers legal team will have to find evidence that more than 18,000 voters were unable to cast ballots on Election Day, and that all of those voters planned to vote for Mealer, Stein said. The Brennan Center, Weil, and the Harris County Attorneys Office are seeking the injunction on behalf of Isabel Longoria, the Election Administrator for Harris County, Texas; and the Brennan Center and Weil are also representing Cathy Morgan, a volunteer election worker in Texas. If it is charges it'll give you the opportunity to prepare if you get the paperwork. Federal officials have lifted their pause on a small piece of the planned Interstate 45 mega-project that will remake downtown Houstons freeway system and has divided state transportation planners, community groups and local politicians. While most criminal cases are handled in state courts rather than in federal courts, the types of criminal cases prosecuted by the United States Attorneys Office include white collar fraud, Medicare fraud, drug trafficking, tax evasion, and immigration crimes. Note that Paxton had previously tried to indict Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir on similarly flimsy charges in 2020, but a grand jury in Williamson County again, not where the alleged crime took place declined to indict. The concrete plants are subject to permits that aim to limit pollution in the form of particulate matter and crystalline silica which have been linked to respiratory diseases and cancer but independent testing of concrete facilities by the complaints authors indicate that pollution levels exceed health-based limits. I think the Trib story contains the most relevant bit of information: The Election Day problems were unlikely to have been substantial enough to swing the results of the Harris County judges race, according to Bob Stein, a political science professor at Rice University. Though not a guarantee of funding or a commitment to build the projects listed, it details what the state plans to do. Estimated tocost at least $9.7 billion, the project would rebuild I-45 from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8, adding two managed lanes in each direction. We certainly didnt for Uvalde, or Santa Fe, or El Paso, or any of too many other places to name. I have $15 Million in Zimbabwe dollars locked in a safe. I was invited to this meeting because of the effort to create and carry out block walking events. Alexander Mealer is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Winning it will be another matter. The bottom line is that the plaintiffs have asked for a temporary injunction against the provision of that law that makes it a crime for election officials and election workers to encourage voters to vote by mail, whether or not those voters are eligible under Texas law to do so. Order Specials, Start As the story notes, Bell County had similar issues with some polling locations and also got a court order allowing locations to remain open until 8 PM, which the AGs office has not opposed. The odds that Jones could lose the entire 360 vote net he got from the E-Day provisionals plus another 90 votes in this subset of the total ballots just strike me as extremely remote. The root cause of that debate, however, remains unresolved, Hegar said in the statement, referring to the defunding spat from last fall. At issue is a new state law passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature,Senate Bill 23, that bars large counties from cutting law enforcement spending without getting approval from voters. Also, reports from the field on Election Day about paper issues were very much coming from Democratic sites. Comptroller Hegar misapplied the law, bungled the math, and is acting outside of his legal . Works with law enforcement officers in the investigation of criminal cases. Elizabeth Buss is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. No matter how you get there, bullshit still walks. Without the minimum fee, Claiborne planned to offer competitive pricing of less than 10% of the face amount of the bond to consumers who desire to purchase a bail bond for themselves, or their loved ones charged with a designated offense and qualify for reduced payment terms, according to court documents. But hey, lawsuits are time- and resource-intensive, and they often end in settlements anyway, so why not give this a try. Judge Cox is represented by Cris Feldman. The law has drawn multiple lawsuits in addition toLongoria v. Paxton. University of Texas - Austin Texas A&M University - College Station Texas Super Lawyers, Avvo and Board Certification - Family Law (2003-8) Texas State Bar A Guide to Texas Child Support Law. There is no perfect design, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. From the inbox, sent to me by former HD133 candidate Sandra Moore: Below is a list of the judges and electeds being sued by the Republicans. UPDATE: The Trib story also references 2,000 ballots, which does not help clear up my confusion. Following a testy three-hour hearing earlier in the day, Federal District Judge Xavier Rodriguez temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the rule against Harris Countys election administrator until the rest of a lawsuit plays out. Directive, Power Just to review the timeline a bit, the federal order to halt I-45 construction did indeed come one year ago, a couple of weeks after Harris County sued TxDOT over many of the previously expressed concerns about the project. A judgerejecteda second attempt by a bail bondingbusiness to put an end to a Harris County rule requiring defendants accused of violent offenses to pay aminimum 10 percent feeto secure their release from jail, officials said Monday. 1 makes it a crime for me to do a critical part of my job, and it hurts the most vulnerable voters, saidIsabel Longoria, Harris County Election Administrator. Harris County assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of errors, omissions or discrepancies. Nor does it require that election officials start soliciting applications to vote by mail it simply prevents the imposition of criminal and civil penalties against officials for encouraging people to vote by mail if they are eligible to do so, Rodriguez wrote. My Account, Forms in Were here today because the TCEQ failed to address these issues when it had the chance.. Tom Ramsey, County Commissioner, Precinct 3 Mark Herman, Constable Precinct 4 Which, despite this being Montgomery County, and despite it being entirely his show, declined to indict Icsezen on whatever charges Paxton had dreamed up. Just like what happened in Bell County (won by Greg Abbott 59.04% to 39.52%, in case you were curious), which the AG has accepted as fact. With fewer people needing bail bonds because fewer people were being assessed bail, bail bond companies saw their revenues decline and so they looked for new customers by lowering their fees so as to entice those who were still being required to pay bail but couldnt afford their fees. Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston The Supreme Court is occasionally solicitous of the First Amendment, if it approves of the speech in question, so who knows what they might do. The Press has more. Christian Menefee, Harris County Attorney In 2017, the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature evenamended state lawto specify 22 months, updating state standards to mirror federal requirements. January 2022 reports are here, July 2022 reports are here. Harris County Commissioners Court on Thursday voted to sueTexas Comptroller GlennHegars office in response to hiscomments accusing the countyof defunding law enforcement. 6(lost to Judge Kelley Andrews), Matthew Dexter, former candidate forHarris County Criminal Court at Law No. As of today, the office has not received an opinion on how to proceed with these particular public information requests. I'm curious about what people think--should OP accept delivery? In no uncertain terms, the secretary of states office which isrun by a Republicanappointed by Gov. Bruce Bain is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. 10 Cause No. RECORDING OF ANY PROBATE PROCEEDINGS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITEDAND COULD RESULT IN A FINDING OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. But boy it sure would be nice to have a state government that wasnt a constant threat to our local matters? The Harris County GOP argues the plan violates state law, so they are advising their partys election judges to drive the ballots to NRG themselves. The latest UTP, updated annually by the Texas Department, outlines a record $85.1 billion in transportation spending across the state from 2023 to 2032. Notes, Premarital . Gonzalez 0 4,032 0 9,258 Marilyn Burgess, District Clerk They saw it as a chance to win long-sought relief for people who have suffered from batch plants. Greg Abbotts executive order prohibiting local authorities from issuing COVID-19 restrictions, such as mask and vaccine mandates. Those against the project often note it will result in the demolition of more than 1,000 residences, nearly 350 businesses and a handful of schools and churches. This 11th-hour ask to throw those votes away should not be tolerated, especially considering the State rejected the Countys offer to hold off on counting these votes while it sought clarification from the Supreme Court, Werner added. If you open up the floodgates and give anyone access to the ballots throughout that process, you have broken that chain of custody to the point where you would not be able to prove that this was the ballot a given voter cast, Masterson said. As for Joe Danna, is there ever a time when he isnt running for Sheriff? It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. The Harris County Elections Administrators Office also issued a statement, saying it readily has responded to requests that do not require documents subject to the litigation, and has sought an opinion from the attorney generals office on those that do. & Estates, Corporate - 2023-00952; Nile Copeland v. Judge Latosha Lewis Payne. What is troubling everybodyand apparently troubling the attorney general who wants to give a definition of solicitation that Im not aware existing in any criminal codeis the absurd result that someone could be held criminally liable for encouraging their fellow citizen to vote, Morales-Doyle said. Nearly 70% of voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, but Mealer only cites issues on Election Day itself. Yet, the way the (Texas Public Information Act) is written, no one except those involved in the underlying lawsuit can get access to the public information.. Reconsidering how the project will incorporate, Mark Montgomery, former candidate forHarris County Criminal Court at Law No. On balance, with the improvements I think you have an excellent project that will move forward and move the greater good.. Hudspeth 4,660 22,009 0 9,952 If you have a favorite or two among them and a few bucks to spare, Im sure theyd appreciate a contribution. Judges are being sued in their individual capacity. That is why each person named in a suit has to retain their own attorney. Politicians at the news conference slammed the state environmental agency for valuing the needs of industryover the health of people. Highway officials, however, have said since March that the federal review and lawsuit leave them no choice but to stop talking. The litigation exception typically is upheld by courts, so McIngvales lawsuit is unlikely to produce the requested records, he said. While most criminal cases are handled in state courts rather than in federal courts, the types of criminal cases prosecuted by the United States Attorneys Office include white collar fraud, Medicare fraud, drug trafficking, tax evasion, and immigration crimes. They asked Biery to rule no later than Feb. 14, noting that to cast a mail-in ballot in the primaries, voters must fill out and return an application between Jan. 1 and Feb. 18. Check out how to write a Harris County attorney letter. They have a goal in mind and this is why they hired a lawyer. Democratic AGs file lawsuit to ease access to mifepristone, Former Land Commissioners oppose anti-Open Beaches bill, So it looks like that TEA takeover of HISD is going to happen, So about that DPS delay in notifying the victims of the credential stuffing attack, Superintendant House speaks about the looming TEA takeover Off the Kuff, Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, Ramblings of an HHSC Employee amidst chaos, They are Building a Wal-Mart on My Street. But, the judge noted, Longoria and Morgan do not work for the state. His comments followed testimony from Longoria and Morgan, who said they feared the civil and criminal penalties that could come from violating the broad prohibition. Theres some risk here for Harris County as well, as the opponents of this project arent likely to be happy with half a loaf. That doesnt change the fact that his filing is trash and should be rejected by SCOTx on the grounds that these people deserve to have their votes counted. She reasonably fears that, unless she complies with these unlawful rules, her license will be suspended or revoked, the lawsuit reads. Another 49 challenges came in after Aug. 10, the 90th day before the election. Houston, Texas, U.S. Kim Ogg is an American lawyer. Stacey M. Soule, State Prosecuting Attorney. For now, at least. Forms, Real Estate Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee announced a settlement of the countys lawsuit against e-cigarette company JUUL Labs, Inc. over claims that JUUL deceptively marketed its products to children. I dont know why the change of court and I dont know if the second hearing was delayed or if it just took that long for a ruling, but here we are. However, he is leading by 449 votes, so if you threw out all of the E-Day provisionals, he would still be ahead by 89 votes in his race. Hopefully we will hear more about how this is progressing quickly. In family law it is especially important to think a few steps ahead. 8 Cause No. The bondsmen would also have to report how the premium was paid and who paid it. Once it has a foothold, the momentum only goes in one direction. However, Gerald Birnberg, an elections attorney and General Counsel to the Harris County Democratic Party, questioned the Secretary of States logic, pointing out that its own office deputizes others to perform certain duties. Paxton and one of the district attorneys (Shawn Dick of Williamson County) appealed. As the project has lingered, and faced opposition, some have argued it is forcing TxDOT to take a harder line, jeopardizing some of the gains. Several other provisions of SB 1 have been challenged ina half-dozenlawsuitsby civil rights groups and theBiden administrations Justice Department,includingbans on 24-hour and drive-thru voting, ID requirements for mail-in ballots andprotections for partisan poll watchers. You could have voted elsewhere! See here for the background. That doesnt mean Ill agree with every decision they made, but I start out with the belief that they did their best to act in our interest. That would include increasing penalties for those who violate election laws even inadvertently, reducing early voting days and restricting mail-in balloting to only the military, the disabled and people who will be out of the county during the entirety of early voting. The office also includes the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library, which is a public library that serves the legal information needs of self-represented litigants, legal professionals, the judiciary, and County and other governmental officials. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia. And every voter who might have been discouraged by issues at one location could have gone to another one, which would have been at most a couple of minutes away by car. Respondents are ordered to provide the Court with a copy of the canvass results, including the separately tabulated later cast votes, as soon as they are available. The Press has more. Additional Losing Candidates File Election Contests in Harris County. Shah said the office will work in coordination with the county attorneys office to review and determine the validity of all challenges on a case-by-case basis after the midterm election. Giving the go-ahead to two parts of the $10 billion-plus project work along Interstate 69 and at Texas 288 to rebuild where the three freeways converge near Third Ward staves off the possibility of state officials removing all of the projects funding from Texas 10-year highway plan and provides a glimmer of hope that officials locally, in Austin and Washington can find some common ground. Todays decision allows the threat of criminal prosecution to loom over election officials trying to help voters.. We expect TxDOT to work alongside us to achieve the same. off Incorporation services, Texas Attorneys - Vacations - Harris County, Identity S.B. Judge Andrews is represented by John Raley. Dont ask me when that is likely to happen. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. In the meantime, we have a small victory, for now, against SB1. Please complete an event and/or meeting request in its entirety using the link(s) below. The mayor announced Thursday that Arturo G. Michel is returning to government as City Attorney for the City of Houston. But well see what happens. Thats what we need to aim for. The poll watcher complained to the Harris County GOP, who called the Secretary of State, who called Icsezen and said he was wrong, the poll watcher needed to be allowed in to observe the SVC. Disclaimer | Judge Payne is represented by John Raley. Given the precedent and given the broad discretion the governor has under that act, hes probably on pretty solid ground, Erben said. for Deed, Promissory In his orders, hell suspend two to three laws specifically by name, and then hell say any other laws that could allow a local official to do something inconsistent with what Im doing, Menefee said. The petition asks the high court to order Harris County to allow election judges to drive their own precinct ballots to the central counting center at NRG Park. The office provides legal counsel to Harris County government, elected officials, and employees, and represents them in civil lawsuits. But really, this is all about making noise and trying to cast doubt on the election administrators office and government in general in Harris County. The policy was prompted by a Commissioners Court resolution urging the board members to adopt rules regulating the minimum fee that a bondsman must collect to secure a defendants release on violent charges. Texas Supreme Court justices questioned during oral argument if they should answer certified questions from a federal appeals court about challenges to an election law that created penalties for soliciting voters to use mail-in ballots. Tatum, your day of reckoning has just started.. The Department of Justice haschallengedS.B. The judge said his order does not affect any voting procedures, change the vote-by-mail process or affect voting deadlines or eligibility. Heap 0 69,735 18,880 68,808 And now you know what I know. A legal opinion released by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week will almost certainly throw county elections offices into chaos after November, experts say, exposing election clerks to possible criminal charges and materially reducing the security of every ballot cast in the state. To get the example, log in to your account and click Download. webcomments@hctx.net. 2023-00924; Elizabeth Buss v. Judge David Fleischer. UPDATE: Its 10:30 PM, more than a third of the Tuesday votes have been counted, and I see nothing on Twitter or in my inbox to indicate that SCOTx has issued a ruling. We are excited to remain an active partner in this planning and development process.. Gonna give talking a try. The board passed the rule April 13 after a failed vote the month prior. of Attorney, Personal Rodriguez took particular issue with the lack of a clear definition for what constitutes soliciting when talking to voters, even those 65 and older who automatically qualify to vote by mail under the states strict rules. Communicate with their clients, colleagues, judges, and others involved in the case. Either we win enough power to hold them off, or we are left with nothing but the hope that the likes of Bryan Hughes is unwilling to go that far. If the questions are not answered, she would therefore still need to have the temporary injunction in place, he said. Dan Simons is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Its just one page long, and the gist of it is this: In this mandamus proceeding, which challenges Harris County election officials processing of the later cast votes, we grant the following temporary relief under Rule of Appellate Procedure 52.10(b): The petition for writ of mandamus remains pending before this Court. The Business Records Affidavit is a legal mechanism through which the recipient authenticates the documents provided for use in future legal proceedings. If the state cut early voting to just one week, as Hall has proposed, it would affect up to 6.5 million Texans thats how many voted in the first two weeks in 2020. (Except for Steve Radack, who still has a nice chunk of change in his account.) There will be a lot more litigation over the rest of that law to come. 5:00AM. To put it another way, good luck proving intent. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The state, represented by Lanora Pettit, a principal deputy solicitor general with the Office of Attorney General, acknowledged in her brief that volunteer deputy registrars are not public officials subject to prosecution; the term solicit does not include merely providing information but instead requires strongly urging a voter to fill out an application that was not requested; and the Attorney General is not a proper official to seek civil penalties. Judge Lina Hidalgo is the head of Harris County's governing body. The Texas Election Network website which has minimal information about the organization and does not disclose its leadership lists five objectives, including clean voter rolls and fraud-free absentee ballots. See here for the background. 2023-301111; Will Archer v. Judge James Horwitz. Harris County gives 3 for one on non-violent offense but not DWI or BMV. In the interim, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Garcia, who both were outspoken about the need for changes to the design, were reelected. Check out the subscription page by clicking Buy Now. Federal prosecutors sometimes resemble sharks, because they are frequently unwilling to abandon even fruitless investigations unless they draw some blood. Update: I'm being summoned to the county court to defend myself for reckless driving charges. Free preview Harris County Attorney Letter, Why Would You Get A Letter From The County Attorney, Harris County District Court Vacation Letter, Living Harris County will pause its lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over the proposed Interstate 45 widening in hopes that it leads to a consensus that has eluded them for more than four years. See here for the background. The criminal division prosecutes criminal cases. In the letter to the attorney general's office, Bitter, the general counsel for the secretary of state's office, wrote that an election clerk may effectively have to break state law in order to comply with a request for ballots so soon after an election. More than 1 million Texans used vote-by-mail during the 2020 presidential election and more than 850,000 of those ballots came from people 65 and older, according to the Texas Division of Elections.
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