Barraging the Obama administration with lawsuits, the Texas attorney general’s office wasn’t just trying to block policies. It was injecting disruptive, overtly Christian legal philosophies into the mainstream, and grooming a generation of conservative legal warriors.
July 2023
Posted in
Economy
Billions in property tax cuts need Texas voters’ approval before taking effect. Here’s what you need to know.
Legislation passed this month would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $100,000, lower schools’ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must approve a constitutional amendment first.
Posted in
Politics
U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson “briefly detained” by officers at rodeo near Amarillo
The Amarillo Republican, a doctor, was trying to help somebody experiencing a medical emergency in a chaotic situation, his office said. The sheriff is reviewing the incident.
Posted in
Ken Paxton Impeachment
Ken Paxton’s lawyers seek to dismiss 19 of 20 articles of impeachment
The suspended attorney general’s legal team argues that evidence of actions prior to January 2023, when he began his latest term, cannot be considered in the Senate impeachment trial.
Posted in
Righting the Rule of Law
Part 1: In 1998, a legal revolution was quietly born in Texas. It would pull America’s courts rightward.
With his election as Texas attorney general, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn planted the seeds of conservatism. Gov. Greg Abbott used his tenure to cultivate them into an aggressive strain of right-wing activism aimed at driving the nation’s courts and laws to the right.
Posted in
Righting the Rule of Law
Part 3: Under Trump, Texas’ foot soldiers became federal judges, securing a conservative stronghold in the courts
A federal judiciary full of ideological allies is helping Texas block Democratic priorities and advance right-wing legal doctrines. But the bigger prize is conservative control of the rule of law itself.
Posted in
Higher Education
Texas A&M University System regents name Mark Welsh interim president of flagship campus
The board also gave university lawyers the green light to negotiate a possible settlement with Kathleen McElroy after the university bungled the hiring of the journalism professor.
Posted in
Energy
The “1-mile rule”: Texas’ unwritten, arbitrary policy protects big polluters from citizen complaints
It’s not found anywhere in state law or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s rules, but for years the agency has denied citizens the ability to challenge air pollution permits because they live more than a mile away.
Posted in
Higher Education
Texas A&M regents could offer a settlement to the journalism professor at center of hiring controversy
The system’s board also plans to formally appoint an interim president after Katherine Banks resigned last week following news that the school changed its job offer to Kathleen McElroy, a Black journalism professor, after outcries from conservative groups.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
“Someone’s going to end up dead”: New evidence emerges in Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy
A new Houston police report details how the rapper perceived what was happening and what he told investigators. It also contains police interviews with concert promoters, security personnel and other key witnesses.
