Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman resigns
Her resignation is effective Friday, she told Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 20, 2014.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
ERCOT to argue it is immune from winter storm lawsuits
Nearly two dozen lawsuits allege that failures by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the operator of the state's main power grid, led to the wrongful death of a family member. Full Story
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![A home in South Austin is lit only by candlelight near the front door as much of Austin was still without power on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Despite federal moratorium, more Texas renters face eviction as state protection lapses
Although the CDC renewed its order halting evictions until the end of June, the Texas Supreme Court let state guidelines expire. Housing advocates believe more landlords will start turning out tenants. Full Story
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![A demonstrator holds up a sign in protest of evictions against the Harris County Courthouse in Houston on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
A family is suing Texas’ power grid operator after their son died from suspected hypothermia. But ERCOT may be shielded from lawsuits.
A Conroe family is suing ERCOT and Entergy Texas for a total of $100 million after their son died inside his bed from suspected hypothermia. Full Story
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![Cristian Pavon Pineda, 11, was found dead in his family's home in Conroe after a severe winter storm plummeted temperatures below freezing.]()
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Austin won’t be allowed to restrict dining-in at restaurants, Texas Supreme Court says
Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown sought to restrict dine-in food and beverage service both indoors and outdoors from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting on New Year’s Eve and ending at 6 a.m. Sunday. The measure allowed restaurants to offer drive-thru, curbside pick-up, take out, or delivery services. Full Story
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![Bartender Wendel Goodwin made a drink for a customer on May 22, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Despite committee’s recommendation, ending Texas’ partisan judicial elections looks unlikely
Several Texas lawmakers said they would not vote to end the system of partisan judicial elections, which critics say allows for the appearance of impropriety if not bias itself. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas extends rental assistance program designed to avoid evictions until March 15
The move comes after Congress passed a stimulus bill Monday extending the federal moratorium on evictions through the end of January. The moratorium order was set to expire at the end of the year. Full Story
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![A home in Texas.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Democrats' hopes of flipping Texas again fall short as Republicans dominate the state's 2020 elections
This year proved another disappointment for Texas Democrats, who underperformed the high expectations they had set for themselves, particularly in a hotly contested battle for dominance in the Texas House. Full Story
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![A Republican party flag at an event by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in College Station in October.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Jim Wright wins Texas Railroad Commission race, extending decades of Republican dominance on the oil and gas regulating board
Wright defeated Democrat Chrysta Castañeda. The commission's elected, three-member board has been entirely Republican for at least 25 years. Full Story
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![James "Jim" Wright defeated incumbent Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton in the Republican Primary.]()
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Texas Supreme Court rejects Republican-led effort to throw out nearly 127,000 Harris County votes
A handful of GOP activists and candidates had asked the state's highest civil court to rule Harris County's drive-thru voting locations illegal and invalidate votes that have already been cast. The challenge has also been filed in federal court. Full Story
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![Voters line up to utilize drive-through voting at NRG Stadium in Houston during the first day of early voting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
"It’s wholly un-American": Harris County drive-thru voters await court rulings as Texas Republicans push to invalidate 127,000 votes
A conservative activist and three Republican candidates have asked state and federal courts to toss the votes and shut down drive-thru voting in the state's most populous, and largely Democratic, county. Full Story
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![A poll worker feeds a voting machine and power cord through a voter’s car window in the drive-through line at NRG Stadium in Houston during the first day of early voting on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas counties will be allowed only one drop-off location for mail-in ballots, state Supreme Court rules
The court upheld Gov. Greg Abbott's authority under state law to limit ballot drop-off locations, issuing what is expected to be the final ruling in numerous lawsuits that challenged his order. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Pointing to pandemic and election controversies, Democrats make their case for Texas Supreme Court
Democrats argue the high court's pandemic-related decisions show GOP incumbents should be unseated in November. Republicans say the virus is another argument for sticking with the status quo. Full Story
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![Candidate campaign materials at the Texas Justice Tour event in Cedar Park on Feb. 16, 2020.]()
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Order allowing Texas counties to have multiple mail-in ballot drop off sites is upheld, but appeal halts openings
The state is continuing to fight a Travis County district court's ruling that overrode Gov. Greg Abbott's order limiting counties to one absentee ballot drop-off location. Full Story
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![The Travis County Tax Office at 5501 Airport Blvd. is now the only drive-thru location open for hand delivery of mail ballots in the county. The drop-off location photographed here on Oct. 2, 2020, will be open until Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Voters in Harris County may continue using drive-thru voting, Texas Supreme Court rules
A last-minute challenge by the Republican parties of Texas and Harris County argued the largely Democratic county's new drive-thru polling places were illegal. Full Story
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![A voter is handed a machine to vote in the drive-through line at NRG Stadium in Houston during the first day of early voting on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott picks Rebeca Huddle for Texas Supreme Court vacancy
Abbott, a former Texas Supreme Court justice himself, picked Huddle to serve on the all-Republican high court. Full Story
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![Rebeca Huddle.]()
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Harris County can't send mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters, Texas Supreme Court rules
The elections administrator for the county, Texas' most populous and a critical stronghold for Democrats, has already sent the applications to voters 65 or over. The GOP Texas Supreme Court ruled he may not send them to the rest of the county's 2.4 million registered voters. Full Story
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![Mail-in ballot application.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Early voting can start Oct. 13 as scheduled, Texas Supreme Court rules
The Texas Supreme Court ruled against several GOP officials who pushed to keep early voting to a two-week period during the pandemic. Full Story
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![People wait outside the Bexar County Elections Department in San Antonio to drop off their mail-in ballots, voter registration applications or to be trained as poll workers on Oct. 5, 2020.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The confounding commotion around voting in Texas
Voting and election cases are piled up in the courts in Texas, and the days between now and Nov. 3 are growing short. Some of the rules could change while we're voting. But vote anyhow. Full Story
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![A voter casts her vote at the gymnasium at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center in Houston for the delayed primary runoff election on July 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz and John Cornyn indicate support for confirming a new Supreme Court justice before the election
If the U.S. Senate confirms a nominee of President Donald Trump, it could secure a conservative influence on the high court for a generation. Full Story
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![U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 27, 2018.]()
Credit: Matt McClain/Pool via REUTERS