The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. The Harris County Elections Administrators Office received a flood of affidavits this summer challenging the eligibility of thousands of registered voters throughout the county, accusing them of not living at the addresses listed on registration records. It also doesnt matter whether the regular Republicans support this madness or not. Please update the original post to include this information. Highway construction and expansion interrupt lives, displace people from their homes and businesses, and decimate generational wealth, especially in communities of color.. Their presence allows us to view a case from both points of view the defense and the prosecution. 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. First Assistant County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne wrote the Harris County Attorneys office was approving the agreement based on the understanding that the Texas Supreme Courts order does not prohibit the tabulating of those votes as long as the ballots themselves remain segregated., Kimberly Gdula, deputy chief of the Attorney Generals office general litigation division, signed off on the agreement in an email: The State is good with this., However, Sunday evening, two days before the commissioners court meeting to certify the election results, Hilton, the chief of the Attorney Generals office general litigation division, sent an email to the parties questioning the legal basis for including the provisional ballots cast after 7 p,m. Ron DeSantis' office sent a letter to State Attorney Monique Worrell demanding answers after an alleged shooter with a criminal history was allowed to stay on the streets prior to a shooting spree in Pine Hills last week.. Keith Melvin Moses allegedly shot five people in Pine Hills, killing three, which included a television reporter and a 9-year-old on Feb. 22. and help keep the future of the Houston Press, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. A decision by a dissenting [opinion] of the court, while sometimes correct, Ariens said, is not as helpful as a decision from a majority of the court., But getting the temporary restraining order granted in the first place puts San Antonio and Bexar County in a stronger position, he said, as it allowed the city to get a mask mandate in place in public schools and public facilities. Again, I didnt have a problem with the May 7 reporting. The average attorney charges $500 per hour. One thing thats clear from the high number of mail-in ballot applications being rejected is that our election officials should be empowered to explain the process and encourage folks to apply to vote by mail if eligible. Federal prosecutors sometimes resemble sharks, because they are frequently unwilling to abandon even fruitless investigations unless they draw some blood. CIA plans to hold a fundraiser, hopefully on Feb 19. Today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and the Harris County Attorneys Office moved for a preliminary injunctioninLongoria v. Paxton, their challenge to the provision in Texass restrictive voting law (S.B. Contractors, Confidentiality An accurate and complete description of the vehicle (license plate, VIN number, year, make, model and color) that you own and desire returned. Were here today because the TCEQ failed to address these issues when it had the chance.. I do hope the County Attorneys Office keeps an eye on this activity, because we know its ill-intentioned bullshit and it deserves to be closely scrutinized. Harris County voters are in for a long election night, with full election results in primary runoff races not expected until well into Wednesday. Texas has a primary election on March 1, 2022. The new rule is at odds with how Claiborne, whose license the board renewed ahead of the most-recent vote, plans to conduct her business, according to the court documents. Longoria is employed by Harris County, and Morgan is a volunteer registrar. Applications are frequently submitted to start up concrete batch plants in the Houston area. Alan Rosen had his eye on the Sheriffs office back when Ed Gonzalez was a nominee for head of ICE, but thats off the table now. There will be a lot more litigation over the rest of that law to come. Who is the county attorney Harris County? Jack Morman did not have a report filed or Id have included him as well. 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. I will of course keep an eye on it. County Attorney > Home - Harris County, Texas I'm a college student making a commute across state lines (to the county the attorney is from) and I have no criminal record or charges in my name. Judge Jones is represented by Oliver Brown. Some of the projects cost comes from other non-TxDOT sources, while some of the money dedicated on the project will not be spent until later parts of the construction, likely to stretch beyond 2032. As I said before, the obvious way to deal with delays in opening a given voting location is to push back the closing time for it. Most of the new details are similar to requestsTurner made in August 2021, and correspond with requests county officials raised more than a year ago, which state highway officials said they could not approve because they locked TxDOT into commitments on side ventures that werenot included in the project. The agreements are a rare case of a major Texas highway project receiving major changes, prompted by community opposition, after officials had essentially greenlit its construction. The project also connects to trails for running and biking, adds air monitoring in certain areas, adds features aimed at encouraging transit use and commits to stormwater design changes sought by the Harris County Flood Control District. I have $15 Million in Zimbabwe dollars locked in a safe. She conceded gracefully and went on with her life. 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 deals, however, also give TxDOT room to consider alternatives that reduce the number of homes and businesses displaced, but also do not hold them to any specific reductions. Notes, Premarital Incorporation services, Living Think about sending the document to your legal counsel to make certain all things are completed properly. See the sample using the Preview function and read its description. See here (scroll down) for the background. 2023-00924; Elizabeth Buss v. Judge David Fleischer. Handling of the voted ballots themselves opens up the possibility of accidental or intentional damage or misplacement that could call into question the election after the fact.. Things are moving in what seems to be a positive direction, said J. Bruce Bugg, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. Harris County will continue to follow Texas law, not the Attorney Generals opinion.. A county attorney in Texas has the following duties: Represents the state in prosecuting misdemeanor criminal cases. She is 1 of 17 elected Harris County Dem. Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to. No results found. Judge Ramirez is represented by John Staley. Once again, Comptroller Hegar has abused his authority, the county attorney said. A-Z, Form In a statement, Longoria said: In April, the EAs Office discussed the May 7 law enforcement and county driver program with the Secretary of States Offices Managing Attorney of the Elections Division, specifically requesting guidance and recommendations. Thats what I, a non-lawyer who has no responsibilities in these matters, would have done. S.B. Comptroller Hegar misapplied the law, bungled the math, and is acting outside of his legal . And completely out of the blue. 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. As shown by Attorney General . I really do believe they did the best they could and that were overall in a much better place than when we started and that we worked hard for it. Im pretty sure this is not what antitrust law was intended for, but what do I know? The request drew a fast rebuke from Democratic Party leaders and Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. Its deeply annoying that we have to do this as a reminder, these cases are stinking piles of nothing and the losers pursuing them damn well know it but its where we are. Check out the subscription page by clicking Buy Now. Abbotts swift action to get a temporary restraining order lifted was expected, as the governor would not want to be seen as weak while school districts and local governments defy his executive order, said Jon Taylor, professor of political science and chair of the department of political science and geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Not much else to say at this time for 2024, but I will note that at least some of the Democratic judges whose election is being challenged by a sore loser are raising funds for their legal defense. This includes legal research and drafting of legal documents for the purchase, sale, lease and operation of real estate including land title examinations, contracts, leases and concession agreements for parks and county buildings, roads and other public purposes. Rodriguez also rejected Paxtons claim that granting the injunction would interfere with the orderly operation of Texas elections. The feds later asked TxDOT to pause other work on the project as well. Sylvia Trevino, Constable Precinct 6 2023-00958; Rory Olsen v. Judge Jason Cox. Estates, Forms 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. HCTRA Harris County Toll Road Authority See here for the background. It doesnt need to make sense. Did I mention that the Republicans opposed the extension of voting hours in Harris County (and not in red-voting Bell County, which also had voting location issues), and also opposed the counting of provisional ballots cast by people who voted after 7 PM? They said that it took President Joe Biden a fellow Democrat winning the White House for federal regulators to put pressure on this issue in the conservative Lone Star State. 17 Cause No. The agreement announced Monday does not remove the pause the Federal Highway Administration placed on the project in March 2021. During the election CIA knocked on 300,000 doors. The county attorneys probe is based on a complaint from at least one Sunnyside resident who said two men came to her home and asked questions they said were to confirm the identities of registered voters who live at that address. As a reminder and a general principle, never believe a word Andy Taylor says. Were evaluating the lawsuit and will let the courts sort it out.. 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. Paxton and one of the district attorneys (Shawn Dick of Williamson County) appealed. Seems like a lot of fuss for something that is unlikely to go anywhere, but who knows. You really gonna claim that there were over two thousand of them, and all of them were going to vote for Erin Lunceford? I have no interest in prioritizing those needs over anyone elses. Christian D. Menefee (@CDMenefee) 4:44 PM 17 February 2022. . Briones 819,495 331,782 0 667,234 I really dont think thats too much to ask. She cited the example of barratry, where lawyers unlawfully solicit clients for profit. On January 7, 2021, I filed with the Harris County Clerk's Office an affidavit disclosing my . Im sure theyll say theyre just a bland nonprofit, but to a voter who does not have a law degree, who does not have a background in law enforcement, you are a lot more likely to believe that this is some kind of quasi-official visit, Slattery said. After provisional and mail-in ballots were counted, the incumbent for Harris Countys 180th Criminal State District Court, DaSean Jones, went from trailing Republican Tami Pierce to leading by less than 500 votes, the Houston Chronicle reported. Free preview Harris County Attorney Letter, Why Would You Get A Letter From The County Attorney, Harris County District Court Vacation Letter, Living In all, the Elections Administrators Office received 115 affidavits, according to Leah Shah, a spokesperson for the elections office. Brian Staley is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Attorney, Terms of of Sale, Contract Otherwise you could be arrested with no notification. If you throw out all of the Election Day provisional ballots, DaSean Jones still leads by 89 votes. Another 49 challenges came in after Aug. 10, the 90th day before the election. 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. In other words, please find me the people who showed up to vote at a location that was having paper problems, and did not wait for them to be fixed, did not go to another location, did not come back later, and as a result did not vote. Given the precedent and given the broad discretion the governor has under that act, hes probably on pretty solid ground, Erben said. That widening, which requires the destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses adjacent to the freeway, has drawn scorn and accusations that highway officials are perpetuating decades of carving freeways through low-income and minority communities to the detriment of those neighborhoods. 13 Cause No. So it doesnt speak to who has to drive to meet the other person to do so, Longoria said. 18 Cause No. The lawsuit follows the approval by the Harris County Bail Bond Board to require bondsmen to take in 10 percent or more of the surety bond minimum set by a judge or magistrate to make it more difficult for violent offenders to leave jail and go on to commit more crime. On the other side of that, you can see that Judge Hidalgo left it all on the field. Garcia, A 175,027 340,089 0 291,697 Judge Sepolio is represented by John Raley. Theres already been a lot of time for talk, and I dont know how much latitude TxDOT has to give. We have 26-pay-period accounting and Comptroller Hegar should know that, the judge said. Have I got that right? I started writing this post at 8 PM, and as of that time there had been no ruling from SCOTx. Privacy Policy and our Accessibility Statement. See here for the background. Attorney General Ken Paxton is distorting the law to fuel conspiracy theories, encouraging reckless behavior that erodes public trust in our democratic process, Menefee said in a statement. The criminal division prosecutes criminal cases. Judge Peeples has set an initial status conference for today, Tuesday December 13, at 3:00 p.m. This will be an important case, and Im glad to see its progressing, said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. Judge Weems is represented by John Raley. This is a preliminary injunction, and whether it survives the Fifth Circuit or not there will be a trial on the merits later this year, and you can bank on it going all the way to SCOTUS. 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. ====================================================== Neighborhoods with batch plants lack deed restrictions and zoning to protect them, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said. Still the only voter ID anyone should need. 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. Estate, Last 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. Speaking Engagement- Use this link to request the County Attorney speak to an audience at an event. It is the May 7 election, and widespread problems that day, that prompted the concerns in the first place. 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. Name Change, Buy/Sell I was on several endorsements interviews with some of these judges through a different organization. The lawsuit, filed just hours before polls closed on Election Day, could have caused serious delays in counting ballots on May 24 had the Texas Supreme Court agreed with the Harris County GOP that the plan was unlawful. Dont ask me when that is likely to happen. Gonzalez 0 4,032 0 9,258 The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, known as the motor voter act, bars election officials from performing most voter roll maintenance activities within 90 days of a federal election. A court of law ordered Harris County to keep the polls to open for an additional hour on Election Day and people across our county cast their ballots during that time, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement. State attorneys said that the law did not apply to volunteers like Morgan and argued the government can prohibit interactions between local election officials and voters without running afoul of the First Amendment. If the name sounds familiar, it may be because Judge Peeples was the jurist who ruled that the abortion bounty hunter law SB8 violated the state constitution last December, though he did not issue a statewide injunction against it. Many of those races were close, and it wouldnt surprise us to see candidates filing election contests.. 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. 2023-01067; Dan Spjut v. Judge Juanita Jackson. Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston 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. At aMay 11 hearingwith the state House Elections Committee, Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria argued the countys ballot delivery plan utilizing law enforcement officers and deputized staffers is in compliance with Texas law. My tuition has been paid in full and I would have imagined the school would have notified me for other fees at this point in time. From Statesman columnist @bgrumet: @TXAG Ken Paxton is using the powers of his office to treat a good-faith mishap as a crime, after coming under political pressure from his own base to file charges., Austin Statesman (@statesman) 9:30 AM 6 February 2022. They also collaborate with the Harris County Senior Justice Assessment Center, a consortium of state and county agencies that review cases/offer services for elderly victims of abuse and exploitation. In Houston, the three Democrats on Commissioners Court voted to allow County Attorney Christian Menefee to bring his own case, over the objections of the two Republican members. Doesnt exactly fill you with pride and confidence in our justice system, does it? But I have always believed that one way or another this was going to happen, so any improvements or modifications to the original plan have to be considered with that in mind. Minutes, Corporate Sartaj Bal is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. They have a goal in mind and this is why they hired a lawyer. An essential component of the central counting station is the physical delivery of sealed ballot boxes and access to the central counting station is necessary (for) that process to take place, the filing states. The court hasnt specified whether or not thats legal, Fombonne said. The EPAs civil rights compliance arm announced the investigation last Wednesday. The petition is filed in Harris County, but the case will be heard by a judge from outside the county, according to Menefees office. 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. The county attorneys office did not respond to a request for more information about the requests, including who submitted them. The Harris County Elections Administrators office maintains the Secretary of States office knew about the strategy and raised no objections when they implemented the ballot delivery plan during the May 7 election. What horrible crime could OP have committed to receive an envelope full of glitter? According to the Public Information Act, the attorney generals office has 45 working days from the day after the request to respond. Employment law attorneys advise the county, its departments, and its officials regarding proposed policies, procedures, and legal obligations and provide training for management and newly elected officials. The Harris County GOP reacted angrily to this and sent a letter to Ken Paxton demanding he take action or else we have no confidence that the Attorney General will uphold any of our election laws. Order Specials, Start Luncefords opponent, Democrat Tamika Craft, won the election by 0.26 percent of the vote. Brian Douglas Walters. The night also could be politically turbulent as a dispute plays out over one line in the states election code. In the letter to the attorney generals office, Bitter, the general counsel for the secretary of states 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. Moreover, Harris County is not responsible for the content nor endorses any site which has a link from this page. I want to send a message to the Harris County elections administrator, Taylor said. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee's Statement on Supreme Court Nomination February 22, 2022 Harris County Attorney Menefee Responds to Governor Abbott's and General Paxton's New Policy Banning Healthcare For Transgender Children February 17, 2022 Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee Statement on Fifth Circuit Ruling The right to free speech and the right to vote are vital to democracy, and S.B. Jack Cagle (SPAC), County Commissioner, Precinct 4 Why Would I Receive A Letter From Harris County Attorney How much does a District Attorney make? Greg Abbott expanded early voting for an additional week to allow more people concerned about COVID-19 to vote before Election Day. Others rub shoulders with business leaders, politicians, sports figures, and even celebrities. State highway officials held fast to their plans for rebuilding Interstate 45 in Houston on Thursday, offering a litany of benefits the project will bring and pressing federal officials to lift a 12-month-and-counting pause on development. Though not a guarantee of funding or a commitment to build the projects listed, it details what the state plans to do. Similarly, Morgan argued in the filing that her work as a voter registrar particularly around the University of Texas in Austin will be hampered if she can no longer proactively suggest that eligible but unaware voters request an application to vote by mail as she has in the past.. Oh, and the second place where there might be a Democratic primary fight worth watching is in Precinct 1. Oh, and if this is one of the final straws that leads to Constable precinct redistricting, I wont complain. However, the hyperlink for that case didnt work when I tried it, and searching for the case via that number returned no results. 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. It does not make the records confidential (where it would be illegal to disclose the information); it just means the government is not required to disclose the information, Aleshire said. The opinion from Paxton doesnt carry the force of law, but experts say it will almost certainly serve as the basis for a lawsuit by right-wing activists. So our perspective is that those provisional ballots are no different than any other provisional ballots they are to be counted.. I will summarize what happened: A Republican poll watcher showed up to observe what the EVBB and SVC were doing. Voting, Board I for one dont see any difference between the two. Harris County Attorney Denies the County is Resolving Texas Comptroller Change, Waiver 1) 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. Bandit signs are typically small and placed in large quantities along public spaces as esplanades. 3 Cause No. Not to my knowledge. City of Houston and Harris County Statements on EPA Order for Union Pacific Contamination Cleanup, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee Responds to Texas Comptroller, Harris County Attorney Announces Legal Action Against Landfill Expansion. 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. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee on Thursday expressed disappointment in the decision by the 5th Circuit, which has blocked a number of court challenges to conservative policies. The Chron story, from a bit later in the day, has more details. 55th District Court Judge Latosha Payne ruled Aug. 9 against atemporary injunctionstemmed from civil litigation lodged in April against the Harris County Bail Bond Board that attempted to prevent the premium policy from taking effect. Please read the Administrative Order below: - Prohibiting Recording of Remote Proceedings, Emergency Public Helath and Safetly Conditions, NEW!!! The ban on sending unsolicited mail-voting applications was one of many provisions containedinSenate Bill 1, the sweeping GOP voting law that was passed Sept. 1during the Legislatures second special session. 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. Eagleton 51,665 23,158 119,650 59,159 Hailed by elected officials as a breakthrough that salvaged a desperately-needed freeway rebuild, the deals surprised critics of the initial design. Garland and Haines Send Letter to Congress Urging Section 702 Their complaints, filed with the EPA earlier this year, said TCEQ failed to provide information in Spanish and insufficiently protected communities of color who live in areas where concrete facilities are predominantly located. These election contests are frivolous attempts to overturn the votes of more than a million residents in the third largest county in the country. That may be a bad feature of the law as it now exists, but it is the law and a district court is highly unlikely to deviate from the normal course of behavior.