Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston Change, Waiver 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. That came one day after Paxton petitioned the Supreme Court to toss the late-cast ballots. In Independence Heights, the first city incorporated by Black residents in Texas, the project proposes drainage improvements to alleviate persistent flooding in the area. 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. Details big and small remain works in progress and a federal pause looms as the last big hurdle, for now, as officials move ahead after last months agreements. I wish I felt more optimistic, but its not like the Fifth Circuit will care. I want kids across Harris County to go on to live long, healthy lives. I figure its just a matter of time before incumbent DA draws a primary challenger or two, so well want to keep an eye on her fundraising totals. Republican judicial candidate Erin Lunceford filed a petition Wednesday seeking a new election in Harris Countys 189th judicial district court race after losing by 2,743 votes out of more than 1 million ballots cast. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said the county would challenge Hegars finding in court if necessary. To Access County Clerk's Forms: (click here Downloadable Clerk's Office Forms) For suggestions or comments regarding this site please email us at webcomments@hctx.net. In 2017, the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature evenamended state lawto specify 22 months, updating state standards to mirror federal requirements. Business Packages, Construction On balance, with the improvements I think you have an excellent project that will move forward and move the greater good.. Marilyn Burgess, District Clerk Work demands keep most lawyers in private practice from frequent or lengthy vacations. UPDATE: Later in the day I found this Statesman story, which added a few details. Click the Create button below for a Certified Letter of Disposition or enter additional information . What gives us perspective are the lawyers in our firm who left behind successful careers as federal prosecutors to come and work for us. In a 4-1 vote, the court authorized County Attorney Christian Menefee to pursue a lawsuit against the comptrollers office. Also, reports from the field on Election Day about paper issues were very much coming from Democratic sites. So lets think about this instead: . The San Antonio Report consulted another expert with a similar opinion.
Public Information Requests - Houston Taylor accused Harris County Elections Administrator Cliff Tatum, who took over the office starting in August, of intentionally causing ballot paper shortages in Republican-leaning neighborhoods. I dont see the appeals being successful, but maybe theres some technical point of law on which they can get a rehearing. 2022-79328; Erin Lunceford v. Judge Tami Craft. I'm curious about what people think--should OP accept delivery? And of course there can always be election contests. 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. If the past is any guide, the local governments are unlikely to prevail in court, said University of Texas School of Law Adjunct Professor Randall Erben. That letter must include the following four paragraphs: 1. Under Hegars calculations, Heaps annualized budget would have been about $48.9 million over 12 months nearly $2.3 million off from the $46.7 million figure calculated by the county. Dockets. We wont allow any group to engage in illegal conduct to try and remove registered voters off the rolls.. March 1, 2023 Andy Taylor, general counsel for the Harris County GOP, is representing Lunceford. Mealer 356,684 621,482 0 188,512
Somebody has to be in the kitchen, or else were all on the menu, he said during a Dec. 8 panel discussion with federal highway officials and local opponents. Unless you're tempted to ignore a summons/subpoena/etc. Instead, the legislature and the Governor have made it a crime to do so.. That means the ball is in the state governments court, he said, which will have to make a move if it wants to change the status quo before Monday.. 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. Hidalgos opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. Despite the crisis, St. Marys University School of Law professor Michael Ariens believes the lawsuits ultimate success is a long shot.. But hey, lawsuits are time- and resource-intensive, and they often end in settlements anyway, so why not give this a try. Specials, Start I am willing to consider a pause, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said. RECORDING OF ANY PROBATE PROCEEDINGS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITEDAND COULD RESULT IN A FINDING OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. Christian Menefee, Harris County Attorney Contact, who do court appointed attorney work for in michigan, where file florida department of revenue power of attorney, for power of attorney who is the principal and who is the agent, find out how many cases an attorney has won, how to get an out of state power of attorney for car registration tennessee, texas durable power of attorney form 2019 which statute, what k8nd of registered mail letters come from the state attorney, why would i get a letter from harris county attorney. for Deed, Promissory Which, despite this being Montgomery County, and despite it being entirely his show, declined to indict Icsezen on whatever charges Paxton had dreamed up. Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor, Alan Rosen, Constable Precinct 1 The board passed the rule April 13 after a failed vote the month prior. Advise and represent clients in courts, before government agencies, and in private legal matters. 2023-01076; Aaron Adams v. Judge LaShawn Williams. Adding sidewalks and bike amenities to areas where TxDOThas committed to trying to reduce the number of properties it will take. It has a chilling effect, Rodriguez said while questioning a state attorney Friday morning. See here for the background and here for the courts order. What hes doing is not helping in furtherance of coping with the disaster, Menefee said. Judge Jackson is represented by John Raley. Isabel Longoria, the Harris County Elections Administrator, and Cathy Morgan, a Volunteer Deputy Registrar serving in Williams and Travis counties, sued the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to enjoin enforcement of the civil liability provision, as applied to the anti-solicitation provision. Located in downtown Houston, the Harris County Attorneys Office represents Harris County government, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network in all civil matters, including lawsuits. The night also could be politically turbulent as a dispute plays out over one line in the states election code. Attorney Fee Standards effective June 1, 2019. . When it comes to voting by mail, I have to be very careful with my words, Longoria said from the witness stand. So, until I hear otherwise, it is my contention that these provisional ballots are not enough to alter any races result, and also that this doesnt matter because all of the ballots should be counted. Now you can just go somewhere else. This event transpired months ago and the officers who came to my house had me believe that I would be aware of any charges that evening by phone, however, I did not receive a call. The citys press release is here. Judge Andrews is represented by John Raley. The Texas Organizing Project didnt file its lawsuit to extend voting hours because of problems in The Villages and Cy-Fair. My question for you all, is this pretty much done deal that I'm getting fined and going to jail? Dont ever give them an inch. In a statement Tuesday, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefees office said: The requests for these documents were handled the same as any other requests for documents related to ongoing litigation against the county. They also refer to the overall total of about 4,000 provisional ballots the actual overall total is 4,333, of which 1,778 were cast early and are clearly not at issue. 2023-00964; Alexandra Mealer v. Lina Hidalgo. In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. Their decision was supported by Harris County Commissioners Court and leaders of both political parties, a statement from Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee read. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Cagle 64,225 186,970 0 5,056
In 2022, the county passed a shortened seven-month budget that was in effect until the new schedule began in October. Morgan testified that she was concerned the law applied even to volunteers like her, given that her role is formally certified by county election offices. The court hasnt specified whether or not thats legal, Fombonne said. The decision prompted the three Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court to go into an executive session to discuss with the county attorneys office whether they have legal options to compel the two missing commissioners to attend. Brian Staley is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. One of his top staffers ran against Judge Hidalgo in the 2022 Dem primary, and I imagine there will be some kind of response to that. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I dont know how likely that is, but it never hurts to talk. About | Comptroller Hegar misapplied the law, bungled the math, and is acting outside of his legal .
The General Counsel Practice Group provides legal advice to the Countys elected and appointed officials, and employees. Create your US Legal Forms account now and get a lot more samples. To put it another way, good luck proving intent. 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. Because I have nothing better to say, here are a couple of tweets from Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee: . Judges cant take pro bono help to defend selves. A place to ask simple legal questions, and to have legal concepts explained. 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. Why would I receive a letter from Harris County attorney? There is a deadline of MARCH 8 to raise funds!! 8(lost to Judge Erika Ramirez), Bruce Bain, former candidate for the269th District Court(lost to Judge Cory Sepolio), Michelle Fraga, former candidate for the281st District Court(lost to Judge Christine Weems), Elizabeth Buss, former candidate for theHarris County Criminal Court at Law No. FDAMS Application . Youre immunocompromised and you want to vote by mail or from your car because youre afraid of a deadly disease? According to the Public Information Act, the attorney generals office has 45 working days from the day after the request to respond. You have separation of powers.. It could all be a moot point by then anyway.. Directive, Power The group, focused on economic development north of the city, is a vocal supporter of the widening project because of its potential to improve access to downtown and revitalize sagging areas along the I-45 freeway corridor. 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. (*) I did search on the Supreme Court webpage for Paxtons mandamus filing, which might have been more specific and thus answered my questions. All public case information is still available to everyone, once they login, and can be viewed FREE of charge. You can read the Chron story here and their explainer about election contests here.
The restriction applies to any program intended to systematically remove the names of ineligible voters from the official list of eligible voters, including general mailings and door to door canvasses, according to the Justice Department. Mark Goldberg is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez.
In response to each of the requests for public information, the elections office responded by seeking an opinion from the Texas Attorney Generals office allowing it to withhold the information due to ongoing litigation, the lawsuit states. My guess is that the states response will be some combination of you cant sue us and neener neener neener, secure in the belief that the Fifth Circuit will undo anything Judge Biery does. I would be very interested in meeting with you to discuss this matter further, and I would appreciate any advice or guidance you can provide. The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. That short fiscal year has made it difficult to make year-to-year funding comparisons, and has resulted in the county and the comptrollers office using different methods to analyze whether the constables funding has increased or decreased. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) - Gov.
Garland and Haines Send Letter to Congress Urging Section 702 For the subject that I wanted to be thinking about yesterday, we start with this. Longoria and Morgan, however, told U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio that waiting until summer is not an option for a prohibition that will handcuff them in the weeks leading up to the March 1 Texas primaries. Astros Week: Michael Brantley, AT&T Sports Southwest's Money Problem and Pitch Clock Chaos, Top Draft Prospect Jalen Carter Charged With Reckless Driving and Racing on Day of NFL Combine. See here and here for the background. Ballots are kept in secure lock boxes for 60 days, and then transferred to another secure facility for the remainder of the waiting period in order tocomply withthe Civil Rights Act of 1960, a federal law which, in part, requires ballots be securely stored for 22 months. Harris County Justice of the Peace Court Forms - Downloadable forms for small claims cases, eviction, and criminal matters heard by Justices of the Peace. Under S.B. And completely out of the blue. & Estates, Corporate - This was separate from all of those, which I confirmed with the County Attorney Office. As the Harris County Attorney, Christian D. Menefee is the chief civil lawyer for the largest county in Texas. Judge Finch is represented by Anthony Drumheller. I thought the price fixing argument was weak and as such Im not surprised at this outcome. I am a bot whose sole purpose is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of responses in this subreddit. The Chron story, from a bit later in the day, has more details. The county's position on his determination that the county defunded the Precinct 5 Constable's Office has not changed. The litigation exception typically is upheld by courts, so McIngvales lawsuit is unlikely to produce the requested records, he said. One judge whose race is being challenged, David Fleisher, lives in 133. Mr. The 5th U.S. Its going to be Republican versus Republican, Renteria said. 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. Ellis 40,800 443,116 0 3,543,358
Local Republican party officials argued the countys ballot transport protocol violated state election law. If I trusted them before I have no reason not to trust them now. However, the hyperlink for that case didnt work when I tried it, and searching for the case via that number returned no results. Sale, Contract Under Hegars calculations, Heaps annualized budget would have been about $48.9 million over 12 months nearly $2.3 million more than the $46.7 million figure calculated by the county. 2023-01066; Dan Simons v. Judge Sedrick Walker. Sean Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law submitted a brief that was in line with Pettit on the first and third questions, but had a nuanced distinction on the question of solicitations meaning. The criminal division prosecutes criminal cases. Name Change, Buy/Sell We have a ways to go before this is truly settled. That is a sacred act, and were going to fight to protect it.. Jerry Garcia, Constable Precinct 2 local news and culture, Faith Bugenhagen 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. The only reason we know any of this is because Paxton put out a whiny press release complaining about his inability to get a Montgomery County grand jury to give him what he wanted. 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia. Attorneys. 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. She said Republican judges only learned the day before that election that they would have to hand ballots over at polling sites, rather than drive them downtown themselves. Planning Pack, Home According to Hegar, Heaps office was allotted about $46.6 million for the 2023 fiscal year. You know what she did? I really dont think thats too much to ask. Judge Weems is represented by John Raley. Usually, federal agents will handle investigative tasks, such as interviewing witnesses or executing search warrants, and then the United States Attorneys Office will rely on those investigative efforts of the federal agents to build a case for trial. And even the states witness Keith Ingram, the Texas secretary of states director of elections indicated the threat of prosecution loomed over election officials. 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. 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. 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. in the final count and seeking clarification so that the parties can pursue any legal remedies, if necessary., In a statement Monday, Harris County Attorneys office spokesperson Roxanne Werner said: Representatives from the Attorney Generals office and the Harris County Republican Party asked for the language describing that process to be removed from the agreed order, leaving Harris County to process and count the late ballots as they would other provisional ballots while ensuring they were kept segregated. If their position is strong, they will know what they need to support their case. Again, I didnt have a problem with the May 7 reporting. Their leadership has known about the Countys election day plans for some time, yet they waited until 6 hours before the polls close to now ask a court to throw the plans out the window and put residents votes at risk, Menefee said in a statement. Political science and law experts agree that the local governments mask mandates have an unfavorable path forward, ending with the Texas Supreme Court; all nine justices are Republicans and have shown little appetite for ruling against the governor. Business Packages, Construction My Account, Forms in Now, someone wakes up on Election Day and suddenly thinks law enforcement officials and deputized election officers are an issue?. The right to free speech and the right to vote are vital to democracy, and S.B. 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. She is the first woman to be elected County Judge and only the second to be elected to the Commissioners Court. One year ago, opponents of the states plan to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston criticized the take it or leave it optionstate officials offered regarding amending plansfor the mega-project. The letter, addressed to Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan on Nov. 25, concludes the appointment of Isabel Longoria as the county's first election administrator is "unlawful and null and void 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. The county received the second largest settlement for a local government in the nation. If you make a mistake, print out and complete application again (once youve registered an account every document you download is reusable). I wont hold my breath for it.
Harris County Attorney Denies the County is Resolving Texas Comptroller They also ensure Harris Countys compliance with environmental regulations; represents the county in state administrative hearings; and coordinates with federal, state, and local stakeholders on environmental legislation, rules, and policies affecting the county and its citizens. The Election Administrators office notified Republican election judges they could opt in to the countys plan if they wished, and at least 31 of them did so. (3) Whether the Texas Attorney General is a proper official to enforce Texas Election Code 31.129. Who is the county attorney Harris County? 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. Be that as it may, the point about the counties just not moving to undo what they have ordered is an interesting point. If a spouse has taken the time and money to retain a lawyer, it means they are serious. We have had their lives in limbo for a year, Commissioner Laura Ryan said of Houston-area drivers. I want to send a message to the Harris County elections administrator, Taylor said. Do NOT delete this post and create a new post with the requested information. Theres apparently some talk of a compromise, which would need to happen soon, but Ill believe it when I see it.
That would require dividing the short fiscal year by 16 pay periods and multiplying that by 26 to cover the whole year, she said. 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. Id like to see enough of the concerns raised by the plan opponents be addressed in a way that theyre willing to let the project move forward. Many of those races were close, and it wouldnt surprise us to see candidates filing election contests.. 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. 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. 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. Judge Williams is represented by Anthony Drumheller. See here for the background. A temporary guardianship may be created without notice to the ward if the court has probable cause to believe that the incapacitated minor or adult person requires the immediate appointment of a guardian, without a formal doctors letter or hearing. Rogers Parents Deal With If TEA is About to Take Over? The proceedings are pending. The initial request for a temporary restraining order was denied on Friday, and there will be a hearing for a temporary injunction on May 6. This is the state house district in which I ran back in 2018 and 2020. When the Texas Election Networks canvassing efforts in Sunnyside came to light in early July, County Attorney Christian Menefees office said it was investigating this issue and exploring legal options to protect residents and prevent this from happening again., Asked about the status of the investigation this week, county attorney spokesperson Roxanne Werner said, Although we have not found any further activity by this group, we are continuing to monitor the situation and will take action if appropriate. Planning, Wills On rebuttal, Pettit argued that sanctionable solicitation is not limited to criminal inducement. Did you say anything at all to the officers? Metro is probably as eager as anyone to get this going, as their MetroNext plans depend on various items in the I-45 rebuild. Harris County gives 3 for one on non-violent offense but not DWI or BMV. You can help Democrats being sued by election losers, these cases are stinking piles of nothing and the losers pursuing them damn well know it, Here we go again with the defunding baloney, January 2023 campaign finance reports: Harris County, agreed path forward for rebuilding Interstate 45, Metros plans for bus rapid transit into its overall design, Agreement reached on I-45 expansion plans, Federal Highway Administration placed on the project in March 2021, postponing action on the countys lawsuit, Judge assigned to hear election loser contest, ruled that the abortion bounty hunter law SB8 violated the state constitution, And now we have a judicial loser contesting the election, The Republicans did warn us theyd be sore losers, ridiculous election contest filed in HD135, SCOTx allows provisional votes to be counted, Paxton sues to prevent some provisional votes from being counted, report released by the Elections Office on the 18th, At least one local voter purge effort has been thwarted, attempted to get Sunnyside residents to sign forms, Paxton issues deranged opinion on access to ballots, EPA to investigate TCEQ over concrete plant permits, If the only choices are take it or leave it, well, state officials offered regarding amending plans, argue highway officials should focus more on improving transit, The continued Republican threat to voting, reduced early voting hours in places like Harris County, Harris County GOP drops its lawsuit over election night vote dropoffs, break with the countys ballot delivery plan, wary to hand over ballots to emissaries so they can ferry to a central location, the county did not complete its count until Sunday morning, I didnt have a problem with the May 7 reporting, SCOTx ponders the questions the Fifth Circuit asked it about SB1, Seems like theres not that much in dispute, New bail bond rules survive initial court challenge, Fifth Circuit asks SCOTx for help on some SB1 issues, Of course the Fifth Circuit put a hold on the SB1 injunction, the Fifth Circuit giving Republicans everything they ask for, Injunction granted in lawsuit over criminal penalties for election officials who encourage voting by mail, Rob Icsezen and Dana DeBeauvoir would like to have a word with you, Ken Paxton cannot be trusted to prosecute anyone, indict Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, sending out the howler monkeys against the Court of Criminal Appeals, Preliminary injunction sought against mail ballot restrictions, Biden administrations Justice Department, wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, letter sent by seven Houston-area Congressman urging Buttigieg to not impede the project, arent likely to be happy with half a loaf, Harris County sues Abbott and issues a mask mandate, mask mandate case involving El Paso County, Superintendant House speaks about the looming TEA takeover.