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Thursday, March 11, 2010

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Morgan Smith was an editorial intern and columnist at Slate, in Washington D.C., before moving to Austin to enter law school at the University of Texas in 2008. (She has put her degree on hold to join the Tribune's staff.) A native of San Antonio, she has a B.A. in English from Wellesley College.

msmith@texastribune.org
512-716-8620

Recent Contributions

The Big Whoop

by Morgan Smith  |  47 minutes ago

Since the 1940s, the whooping crane has climbed from a count of just 16 to become a triumphant emblem of North American conservation efforts. Now the bird is the focus of a lawsuit that pits the environmental movement’s mightiest weapon, the Endangered Species Act, against principles held near and dear in Texas: the rights of private property holders.

Mr. Justice Green?

by Morgan Smith  |  3/8/2010  |  3

It would be an unlikely comeback to say the least: Despite having no judicial experience, a history of alleged ethical lapses as a state House member and that punch he threw at his successor, Rick Green is one runoff away from a seat on the Texas Supreme Court.

The Supremes

by Morgan Smith  |  3/3/2010  |  1

As the last numbers crept in late Tuesday night, there were no surprises in the contested races for the seats on the state’s highest civil court. Voters will return to the polls again in April to see who will take over Harriet O’Neill’s old spot, and Rose Vela didn’t manage an upset against recent appointee Eva Guzman.

Lists: Runoffs and Outright Winners

by Morgan Smith and Julian Aguilar  |  3/3/2010

Despite their best efforts, several of Tuesday’s candidates couldn’t pull off the needed majority vote to avoid a runoff six weeks from now on April 13. Meanwhile, some voters already know who’s going to the Legislature to represent them in 2011, because the victors face no general election opponents.

Primary Color: Supreme Court Place 9

by Morgan Smith  |  2/25/2010

Rose Vela is no stranger to challenging establishment-backed judicial candidates — and unlike most who run upstart campaigns, she wins. But this year she's taking on Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, the appointee of a governor with the most formidable political machine in recent Texas history.

Primary Color: CD-23

by Morgan Smith  |  2/16/2010

Two lawyers, two doctors and an ex-CIA officer are hoping that discontent with the federal government and anxiety about the economy will propel them to victory against incumbent U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio. But first, they have to win a crowded Republican primary.

Primary Color: Five to Watch

by Brandi Grissom, Elise Hu, Ross Ramsey, Abby Rapoport and Morgan Smith  |  2/16/2010

In honor of today's kickoff of early voting — a two-week period in which political junkies, committed activists and other go-to-the-head-of-the-class types will line up to cast ballots for their favorite candidates, unable to contain their enthusiasm or anger until March 2 — we present five different installments in our Primary Color series. Brandi Grissom reports on the GOP face-off to take on state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, in House District 78. Elise Hu tackles the four-way scrum between Republicans in HD-20 hoping to succeed retiring state Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown. Ross Ramsey asks why a perenially safe incumbent, state Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, has a fight on her hands this year in HD-98. Abby Rapoport looks at the battle for conservative cred in the race for the District 5 seat on the State Board of Education. And Morgan Smith picks apart the five-way race for the GOP nomination in Congressional District 23 — and the chance to topple U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio.

The Trials of Felipe Reyna

by Morgan Smith  |  2/8/2010

Two former Texas Supreme Court justices and a Goliath of state judicial politics are trying to oust the 10th Court of Appeals judge from the courthouse that he once cleaned as a janitor.

Odor in the Court

by Morgan Smith  |  2/2/2010

Even if 84 percent of Americans believe judges should not hear cases from major campaign contributors, the big Texas law firms that have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to them over the last ten years see nothing wrong with business as usual.

The Remedy

by Reeve Hamilton, Morgan Smith and Julian Aguilar  |  1/26/2010

Should Congress salvage health care reform? How? Is it possible? Democrats in the Texas delegation sound off.

Ready to Runoff

by Morgan Smith  |  1/21/2010  |  3

Let's say, thanks to Debra Medina, neither Rick Perry nor Kay Bailey Hutchison cracks 50 percent in the Republican gubernatorial primary. What exactly happens next? When? And which of the two top finishers will have the edge?

Game On

by Morgan Smith  |  1/13/2010  |  1

If ESPN analyst and Mike Leach antagonist Craig James decides to run for the U.S. Senate, he'd be simply the latest ex-athlete to assume his skills on the field translate to politics.

No Dollar Left Behind

by Morgan Smith  |  1/11/2010  |  1

Let's say you're a donor to a candidate or an elected official who quits a race mid-campaign or chooses to not run for reelection. What if you made a contribution to one of the nine Texas legislators who decided not to seek reelection this year, or to a former diplomat who toyed with a bid for governor but ultimately thought better of it, or to a tech executive who considered a challenge to a member of Congress but decided against running at the last minute? What happens to your money?

A brief history of fratricide

by Morgan Smith  |  11/3/2009  |  1

Ask a Republican who’s not on Gov. Rick Perry or Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s payroll about the 2010 governor’s primary, and you’ll get a response about a well-timed trip to Palm Springs in early March, when the two candidates square off. Party faithful want to stay above the fray: Primary challenges to longstanding incumbents tend to get rough quick.

 
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HD-146: Way Too Close to Call

by Morgan Smith | 3/3/10

CD-23: Canseco and Hurd in a Runoff

by Morgan Smith | 3/3/10

Sup. Ct. 3: Green on Top, but Runoff Certain

by Morgan Smith | 3/3/10

10th Ct. App. 3: Scoggins ousts Reyna

by Morgan Smith | 3/3/10

Sup. Ct. 9: Guzman Keeps Her Seat

by Morgan Smith | 3/2/10

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