The vote was 4-3 along party lines. Whitley now needs two-thirds support of the full Senate to be confirmed.
Emma Platoff
Emma Platoff was a reporter at the Tribune from 2017 to 2021, most recently covering the law and its intersection with politics. A graduate of Yale University, Emma is the former managing editor of the Yale Daily News.
Posted in
Texas Voting Rights
Federal judge temporarily blocks Texas from purging voters in citizenship review
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery called the review “ham-handed” and ordered counties not to remove voters from the rolls without his approval and “a conclusive showing that the person is ineligible to vote.”
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Criminal Justice
Texas’ highest criminal court strikes down provision of Open Meetings Act as “unconstitutionally vague”
The ruling only pertains to a slice of the law, but open government advocates say the decision “removes a powerful disincentive” put in place to keep public officials from hiding public business.
Posted in
Texas Voting Rights
Federal judge directs more counties to halt voter citizenship review efforts as lawsuits proceed
After state officials conceded that at least a quarter of a list of nearly 100,000 Texas voters flagged for citizenship review should never have been questioned, a federal judge said, “I wish all of this could’ve been done back as the original effort.”
Posted in
Politics
All 12 Senate Democrats oppose Texas Secretary of State David Whitley. That’s more than enough to block his nomination.
If all 12 lawmakers are on the Senate floor when Whitley’s nomination comes, he doesn’t have the votes to be confirmed.
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Politics
Houston judge tosses same-sex marriage benefits challenge, but plaintiffs pledge to appeal
A newly elected Democratic judge issued the decision in the latest turn of a 2013 legal challenge to Houston’s policy extending benefits to municipal employees’ same-sex spouses.
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Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott appoints Brett Busby to Texas Supreme Court
If confirmed, Busby, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, would replace Justice Phil Johnson, who retired after 13 years on the high court.
Posted in
Texas Voting Rights
Opposition to Texas Secretary of State David Whitley’s nomination mounts, imperiling his future in the job
For the second week in a row, the Senate Nominations Committee failed to bring Whitley up for a vote. And he’s gained a new public adversary: the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
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Texas Legislature 2019
After state leaders’ unified rollout, 2.5 percent rollback rate on property tax bill looks unlikely to stick
Weeks after state leaders trumpeted a consensus property tax reform proposal, few seem married to the bill’s pitch to cut the rollback rate to 2.5 percent.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Sen. Angela Paxton files bill that would allow her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, to issue exemptions from securities regulations
Billed as a consumer-protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board — a felony under Texas law that Ken Paxton was charged with in 2015.