Prosecutors had argued they couldn’t get a fair trial in Collin County, where Paxton is deeply connected politically. The decision is likely to herald more delays in the five-year-old case.
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Texas voters won’t be required to wear masks while voting after appeals court temporarily lets Abbott order stand
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a previous ruling that found the exemption to Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide face mask mandate put a discriminatory burden on Black and Latino voters.
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Criminal Justice
All seven of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s whistleblowers have resigned, been fired or put on leave
The last of the seven whistleblowers, Ryan Bangert, said he resigned Wednesday. Two others had already resigned, two more were fired last week, and two were put on leave earlier this month.
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Texas 2020 Elections
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.
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Politics
U.S. Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to Supreme Court, with Texans Cornyn and Cruz in favor
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Republicans of Texas, both voted to confirm Barrett.
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Criminal Justice
As Ken Paxton battles scandal, Land Commissioner George P. Bush considering a 2022 run for attorney general
An aide said Bush has heard from “several donors” who want him to consider running. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, “is absolutely planning on running again,” a spokesman said.
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Texas 2020 Elections
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.
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Politics
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.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Sick Texans seeking late absentee ballots still need a doctor’s note, Texas appeals court rules
A state district court judge had ruled against the longstanding requirement for a doctor’s note to ask for an emergency absentee ballot, saying many people who test positive for the coronavirus don’t interact with a physician.
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Criminal Justice
Judge rules Ken Paxton’s 5-year-old criminal case can be heard in his hometown of Collin County
The Harris County judge’s order reverses a decision that the state’s top lawyer should not face a jury in the North Texas region where he and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, are deeply connected in political circles.
