Arturo G. MichelDecember 3, 2020 -- Mayor Sylvester Turner has selected a familiar name and a well-respected attorney to join the administration as the City's chief legal counsel and advisor. 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. The amended complaint was filed on Monday, December 27. In 2022, the county passed a shortened seven-month budget that was in effect until the new schedule began in October. Harris County Attorney - Off the Kuff Its just illogical to me, and this is a part of the story that nobody talks about.. 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. Although the ballots were processed, Harris County now intends to include them in the final vote canvass, Christopher Hilton, chief of the Attorney Generals office general litigation division said Monday. The Fifth Circuit asks the justice to answer whether a volunteer deputy registrar, or VDR, is a public official under the Texas Election Code; whether speech the plaintiffs intend to use constitutes solicitation within the context of the state code; and whether the Texas Attorney General has the power to enforce that code. While remaining supportive of parts of the project, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and city staff have suggested several changes to the project to eliminate some frontage road lanes, re-stitch neighborhoods divided by the freeway with better bike and pedestrian access, and increase commitments to community housing and flood control. The challenges were first reported by The New York Times, which found the affidavits disputed the eligibility of more than 6,000 voters. I have no interest in prioritizing those needs over anyone elses. Generally, lawyers won't have much free time if they're on a busy deal or busy case and will sacrifice many weekends and evenings during those times, but there will also be times (entire weeks or months) where there are no busy deals or cases--times when you get out of the office in the mid-afternoon or have long. Rodney Ellis, County Commissioner, Precinct 1 This was separate from all of those, which I confirmed with the County Attorney Office. Highway officials, however, have said since March that the federal review and lawsuit leave them no choice but to stop talking. Harris County Clerk's Office I wish I felt more optimistic, but its not like the Fifth Circuit will care. To say the least, that is a massive, massive upending of the regular democratic order. Will Archer is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. And for all of the fuss, final results were posted at 1:26 AM, which seems pretty damn reasonable to me. Giving this much power to a governing minority is the problem here. Four Observations From Houston Astros Spring Training, TX Rep. Slaton Wants To End Taxes for People With Ten or More Children. 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. The Chron story, from a bit later in the day, has more details. As a result, the county did not complete its count until Sunday morning, even though fewer than 115,000 ballots had been cast. Joe Danna, Sheriff All About Bail Bonds owner Sunya Claiborne, plaintiff in the lawsuit, contends that her business is at stake because the minimum charge requirement is classic price fixing and a per se antitrust violation without any grant of state authority to displace competition, according to court documents. Last time around, Hegar folded like a cheap suit after Harris County took the matter to court. By all accounts, there were maybe 20-25 sites that have paper issues. While the provisional ballots are included in the official count certified by Commissioners Court, the Supreme Court also is ordering the county to include in the final canvassed results a separate report that details the votes of the later cast votes for each candidate in each race. That way, candidates can determine whether this group of ballots would change the outcome of their race and assess the extent to which further litigation is warranted.. Local, state and federal leaders celebrated the EPAs decision to look at the discrimination claims Tuesday. 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. The General Counsel Practice Group provides legal advice to the Countys elected and appointed officials, and employees. The Disability and Elder Law Practice Group represents the Harris County Guardianship Program, in which adults are under the supervision of the Harris County Probate Courts. Not to my knowledge anyways. Though there is concern about the projects impacts in Midtown, Third Ward and Eado, the most vocal opposition to the project emanates from north of downtown where TxDOT proposes to add two managed lanes in each direction to I-45. Menu It will only work when communication between the parties is good enough for them to engage in a discussion without arguments, no serious power imbalance between the parties exist, and full transparency of financial matters is available. The election has been certified by Commissioners Court, which if nothing else avoids the drama of any further delays. of Attorney, Personal 5:00AM. Hegar said in a statement that the county will be barred from increasing property tax collections plus revenue from properties added to the tax roll last year until it resolves the discrepancy. We appreciate your patience and look forward to speaking with you soon. Such requests have been used by activists all over the country as a way to audit election results. Orange/Osceola State Attorney's Office. For example, is the definition narrowly limited to seeking application for violative mail-in ballots? Could be anything from a subpoena to an envelope of glitter. That would not be a cheap race as things stand now, as you can see. Aaron Adams is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Winning it will be another matter. Agreements, Sale Icsezen did so. He may or may not seek to run for something else do remember that the minute he says something to that effect hell have to resign, so all we would have before then is speculation but either way I wont be surprised to see some competition for the Precinct 1 slot. Ramsey 550,625 149,433 0 944,935 3 Cause No. I stop mid-sentence sometimes at town halls. Local Republican party officials argued the countys ballot transport protocol violated state election law. 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. Texas has a primary election on March 1, 2022. Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to be a drug den.Jun 21, 2021 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. Incorporation services, Living Theres no explanation for it hes just flat wrong. The county will now have to spend substantial resources handling these contests, time that could instead be spent serving the people of Harris County, added County Attorney Menefee. If that does not happen, the county will resume the suit and well let the courts decide.. 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. Area residents had fought the companys application, which was rejected on the grounds that it didnt adequately study the impacts of pollutants. On balance, with the improvements I think you have an excellent project that will move forward and move the greater good.. All parties were put on notice that the votes would be counted.. Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 1:54 PM. Are there more parks like Fairfield Lake out there? 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. Neither party raised concerns. Our hospital system will operate at a $45 million deficit, Hidalgo said. Corporations, 50% To get some of those benefits, officials first have to iron out technical issue that not only affect the$10 billion rebuild of I-45and the downtown freeway system, but numerous other mobility projects that cross it. I do know that at least one more loser has filed a losers contest, but I dont care to give any of this any more validity. I included Mealer and Cagle for post-election inclusion mostly out of curiosity. We want a project that does not displace, and we know that wide freeways do not relieve traffic, the group said. He would almost surely run as a Dem in this heavily Democratic precinct. 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. With a new election administrator about to come on board, we can revisit the matter and see if theres a consensus to be had. Voting, Board The judge hearing the case is in San Antonio which complicates matters re time to get there and back for hearings. 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.. I cannot begin to fathom the pain and loss they are experiencing. Greg Abbott recommended keeping the current waiting period. It is believed that the purpose of these suits is to drag out the cases, have judges dip into personal resources, and be exhausted financially and emotionally by the time of their next race. She cited the example of barratry, where lawyers unlawfully solicit clients for profit. Marilyn Burgess, District Clerk Bail band companies had been lowering that percentage from what had once been seen as a de facto standard of ten percent because of the misdemeanor bail reform. Additionally, many letters from the U.S. Attorneys Office will include a blank Business Records Affidavit for the recipient to fill out and have notarized. Specials, Start Harris County Attorneys Office1019 Congress, 15th FloorHouston, TX 77002, Harris County Attorney's Office Staff Directory. This happened to Rob Icsezen, the host of the H-Town Progressive podcast and a Democratic appointee of the Early Voting Ballot Board and Signature Verification Committee for the 2020 election. His math is wrong. 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. Its your own damn fault you didnt vote! I am writing to request your help with a matter that is very important to me. Well just have to keep an eye on that. and help keep the future of the Houston Press, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Trust, Living [Paxtons office wants] to throw a monkey wrench into the operations of vote counting, especially if they think they might lose, and Paxton is in a close race as far as I can tell, said Linda Eads, a professor at Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law and a former deputy attorney general for litigation for the state of Texas. PPP/Emilys List, July 2: Biden 48, Trump 46, UT-Tyler/DMN, July 12: Biden 48, Trump 43, Morning Consult, July 28: Biden 47, Trump 45, Morning Consult, August 3: Biden 47, Trump 46, 2023 Off the Kuff | Powered by WordPress, Name Raised Spent Loans On Hand Applications are frequently submitted to start up concrete batch plants in the Houston area. Hani Mirza, legal director of the Texas Civil Rights Projects voting rights program, was part of the team that sought the court order extending voting hours this year. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. There are a couple of stories all rolled into this, so my apologies for any confusion. If I trusted them before I have no reason not to trust them now. 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. And even the states witness Keith Ingram, the Texas secretary of states director of elections indicated the threat of prosecution loomed over election officials. From what Ive gathered from talking to people, the multiple-dropoff-locations idea, which had been Diane Trautmans original plan, is probably the best way to go. The Texas Secretary of States office agrees with the GOPs assessment. Luncefords opponent, Democrat Tamika Craft, won the election by 0.26 percent of the vote. Burgess 940 14,710 5,207 5,403 Houston furniture magnate Jim Mattress Mack McIngvalehas filed a lawsuit against the Harris County Elections Administrators office accusing it of refusing to turn over public records related to theNovember 2022 election, adding to an array of GOP litigationaimed at the countys elections process. 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. 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. As the Harris County Attorney, Christian D. Menefee is the chief civil lawyer for the largest county in Texas. The Bell County attorney confirmed last week that a court order there had not been challenged by the Attorney Generals Office or another party. 1 priority for the next legislative session that begins in January. The Harris County GOPpushed backon the countys plan, arguing only election judges are allowed to transport ballots and instructing Republican election judges to drive ballots themselves. The criminal division prosecutes criminal cases. In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. Nearly 400 get letters from Harris DA saying narcotics officers Still the only voter ID anyone should need. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Its just chaos intended to give a boost to Big Lie enthusiasts, and as the story notes later on, its potentially a conflict of interest for Paxton since he himself is on the ballot this year, and everyone agrees its likely to be a close race. Thats what I, a non-lawyer who has no responsibilities in these matters, would have done. Menefee said he is undecided but leaning toward filing suit; he said the county would seek a temporary restraining order preventing the state from enforcing Abbotts July 29 executive order prohibiting local governments from issuing local COVID-19 restrictions. Weve seen this show before Comptroller Hegar misconstruing the law and playing political games to make headlines, Menefee tweeted. My Account, Forms in After closing the polls, election judges will hand off ballots to law enforcement officers and deputized county staffers, who will drive the equipment to the central counting station at NRG Arena on the judges behalf. I dont know when they plan on ruling, but at some point it just doesnt matter. 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. The agreement outlines plans for widening the freeway by adding two managed lanes in each direction from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8, along with various frontage road and interchange alterations. A week is a lifetime in politics and this can radically change, but if the governor wasnt hurt by what happened with the electric grid and the winter storm in February and for the most part, he seems to have not been hurt by it its probably the same kind of calculations here when it comes to the masking order and mandatory versus voluntary vaccinations, Taylor said. James Slattery, senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said for the average voter, the organizations name, badge and paperwork could convey a sense of an official visit by the government without explicitly doing so. If the GOP succeeds, that would end. The two new agreements, one between TxDOT and the city and another between TxDOT and Harris County, specify the commitments both sides are making. It doesnt need to make sense. Harris County Attorney Letter // Get FREE Letter Templates (Print or This practice group files lawsuits for collecting fines, taxes, judgments, workers compensation, property damage, contract, and other monies owed to Harris County. UPDATE: Later in the day I found this Statesman story, which added a few details. Matthew Dexter is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Will, Advanced 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.. Longoria is employed by Harris County, and Morgan is a volunteer registrar. Sales, Landlord Regarding the temporary restraining order request getting rejected, Kevin Pennell the plaintiffs lawyer said in an email Friday he had no comment. The men gave her an official-looking affidavit form and asked her to sign it attesting to the residents at the address under penalty of perjury.. Affidavits of surety to surrender principal often list the premium and are filed by bail agents as an attempt to cut ties with a defendants bond, usually after a new charge. You know what she did? The letter, from the law firm Odelson, Sterk, Murphey, Frazer & McGrath is addressed to five of the 11 candidates for ethics board: David Carrabotta, Lisa Emmett Stechman, David Laske, Joy Alfonsi . 10 Cause No. The pause, approved unanimously by Commissioners Court at a special meeting Monday, instructs County Attorney Christian Menefee to seek a stay on the lawsuit in federal court as he negotiates with TxDOT to resolve differences between the changes the county seeks to the project and the current plan. They elicit strong backlash from residents who often already know what its like to live by one.
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