I point this out to say that barring something truly weird, Paxtons bad faith filing will not can not have any effect on any race. I believe thats the first Ive heard of the construction timeline being pushed back to 2027, which is a modest benefit no matter what else happens. The Harris County Attorneys Office whose attorneys were unaware of the judges ruling until the order was uploaded Monday to the Harris County District Clerks Office defended the Bail Bond Board against the lawsuit. The USPS redelivery form states that it was both a letter and certified mail. 2. And for all of the fuss, final results were posted at 1:26 AM, which seems pretty damn reasonable to me. Pay by card or PayPal to finish making an account. Judge Cox is represented by Cris Feldman. Several other provisions of SB 1 have been challenged ina half-dozenlawsuitsby civil rights groups and theBiden administrations Justice Department,includingbans on 24-hour and drive-thru voting, ID requirements for mail-in ballots andprotections for partisan poll watchers. Ramsey 550,625 149,433 0 944,935 9 Cause No. Estate, Public None of that will stop the Fifth Circuit from doing what the Republicans ask them to do since thats what they believe their job is, but at least he tried. Siegel said that is precisely why the GOP is suing. Change, Waiver Im extremely doubtful that there is a legitimate legal challenge here, Stein said. Why Would I Receive A Letter From Harris County Attorney There is no valid justification for such a one-sided restriction on speech.. Without the minimum fee, Claiborne planned to offer competitive pricing of less than 10% of the face amount of the bond to consumers who desire to purchase a bail bond for themselves, or their loved ones charged with a designated offense and qualify for reduced payment terms, according to court documents. In the interim, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Garcia, who both were outspoken about the need for changes to the design, were reelected. Cant let Mattress Mack undo election wins. I'm a college student making a commute across state lines (to the county the attorney is from) and I have no criminal record or charges in my name. I am willing to consider a pause, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said. The Statesman has a couple of key bits from the ruling: In his order, Rodriguez rejected Paxtons argument that the solicitation ban targets government speech, which isnt protected by the First Amendment because the state is allowed to regulate how public employees perform official duties. When the Texas Election Networks canvassing efforts in Sunnyside came to light in early July, County Attorney Christian Menefees office said it was investigating this issue and exploring legal options to protect residents and prevent this from happening again., Asked about the status of the investigation this week, county attorney spokesperson Roxanne Werner said, Although we have not found any further activity by this group, we are continuing to monitor the situation and will take action if appropriate. Texas was a pioneer of in-person early voting. Paxton and one of the district attorneys (Shawn Dick of Williamson County) appealed. Federal and state law require that ballots be kept secure for 22 months after an election to allow for recounts and challenges a time frame Texas counties have had set in place for decades. Harris County Attorney said Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar's claims that Harris County officials are finding a resolution to defunding law enforcement complaints are false. Who is the county attorney Harris County? Theres an unwritten contract between parents and their schools and its that when our children are under the care of their schools, they do everything they can to keep them safe, Hidalgo wrote in a letter to superintendents. Judge Payne is represented by John Raley. They elicit strong backlash from residents who often already know what its like to live by one. Since the case has progressed from federal district court to the Fifth Circuit and on to the state Supreme Court, the parties positions have changed and the justices find themselves in the unusual position of being asked to answer three questions where there is very little if any disagreement between the parties. Note that Paxton had previously tried to indict Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir on similarly flimsy charges in 2020, but a grand jury in Williamson County again, not where the alleged crime took place declined to indict. To say the least, that is a massive, massive upending of the regular democratic order. Political science and law experts agree that the local governments mask mandates have an unfavorable path forward, ending with the Texas Supreme Court; all nine justices are Republicans and have shown little appetite for ruling against the governor. With voters walking into polling places and ballots set to arrive at NRG Arena in a few hours, Harris Countys Republican Party has challenged the process election officials will use to transfer ballots from locations to the central counting center, citing concerns with handing the machines over to anyone but precinct judges. But I will send out word when I learn more. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg during a press conference Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Houston. Last year, TCEQ approved an amendment that included exemptions for emission limitations for concrete batch plants, in response to an application to construct a plant by a Fort Worth concrete company. That would include increasing penalties for those who violate election laws even inadvertently, reducing early voting days and restricting mail-in balloting to only the military, the disabled and people who will be out of the county during the entirety of early voting. Itll become too much of a political annoyance for him, and it could end up costing him dearly. As the Harris County Attorney, Christian D. Menefee is the chief civil lawyer for the largest county in Texas. Some lawyers travel the country, or even the world, to participate in trials, depositions, arbitrations, and business deals. An additional $10 collection fee will be added to each invoice referred to collections, as approved by Harris County Commissioners Court in September 2020. If the past is any guide, the local governments are unlikely to prevail in court, said University of Texas School of Law Adjunct Professor Randall Erben. The Republicans picked the judges with some of the smallest accounts. How TxDOT will rebuild Interstate 69 beneath Metropolitan Transit Authoritys Red Line light rail in Midtown while keeping the trains moving as much as possible. The Election Administrators office notified Republican election judges they could opt in to the countys plan if they wished, and at least 31 of them did so. Lawyers tend to squeeze in short vacations whenever they can. Nearly 70% of voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, but Mealer only cites issues on Election Day itself. The group represents Harris County and numerous entities including the Harris County Appraisal Review Board, the Harris County Toll Road Authority, the Harris County Tax Office, the Harris County Sheriffs Office, the Harris County Constables, and the Harris County Fire Marshals Office. The Disability and Elder Law Practice Group represents the Harris County Guardianship Program, in which adults are under the supervision of the Harris County Probate Courts. Real Estate, Last The fee cant be lowered due to appearance of impropriety issues. There are apparently 2,100 provisional Election Day ballots in question, out of 2,555 total E-Day provisionals and 2,420 that included a vote in this race. Theres no explanation for it hes just flat wrong. Judge Lunceford previously served on the bench, so I trust she understands the seriousness of asking a court to disregard the votes of over a million residents across Harris County, Menefee said. The travel time alone for the attorneys will be in the thousands when ZOOM meetings are not allowed! Disclaimer | As a bail agent for the corporate surety Allegheny Casualty Co., she also worries that the new rule will put her at odds with the insurance company which she fears could violate customer privacy. Theft, Personal A grand jury subpoena is a court order demanding that the recipient produce documents and/or testify at a given time. Please update if/when you open the letter. This is a critical piece of leverage that can bring TxDOT to the bargaining table, Peters told Commissioners Court before it approved the pause. Judges cant take pro bono help to defend selves. One of his top staffers ran against Judge Hidalgo in the 2022 Dem primary, and I imagine there will be some kind of response to that. County Attorney > Home - Harris County, Texas Published March 3, 2023 at 8:10 AM EST. Im pleased with the courts decision today to reject the request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked this rule from being implemented.. Menefee said Paxtons opinion directly contradicts a separate opinion his office issued last month, as well as an opinion issued by the AGs office more than 30 years ago, which both concluded that ballots are confidential for 22 months following an election. (S or C-Corps), Articles To vote by mail in the primary, Texas voters must request mail ballot applications between January 1, 2022, and February 18, 2022. Those against the project often note it will result in the demolition of more than 1,000 residences, nearly 350 businesses and a handful of schools and churches. We expect TxDOT to uphold its end of this historic agreement, and not only to evaluate the impacts over the next year but to agree to and fund real solutions that address concerns about displacement, pollution, flooding and impacts on the public transportation network, said Harris County Pct. Hidalgo 612,111 1,095,479 101,400 36,568 For additional information please review our The night also could be politically turbulent as a dispute plays out over one line in the states election code. Select the subscription plan to continue on to sign up. Because the proceedings are still ongoing, it is too soon to know whether the ability to extend voting hours in the future could be impacted. The stay and pause, officials said, would give an opening to officials to work out details of the planned freeway widening without backing off their opposition to what TxDOT is proposing. In other words, please find me the people who showed up to vote at a location that was having paper problems, and did not wait for them to be fixed, did not go to another location, did not come back later, and as a result did not vote. Sometimes if you sign up for trustee (work while in jail) they give you and extra days credit. This 11th-hour ask to throw those votes away should not be tolerated, especially considering the State rejected the Countys offer to hold off on counting these votes while it sought clarification from the Supreme Court, Werner added. Steer clear of days of lost time seeking the internet and dropped money on documents that arent updated. Harris County, TX Attorney. I think Harris County has the right response here. Around the same time, Harris County sued TxDOT, saying the designs did not adequately address the impacts of noise and pollution in some communities, notably the North Side and Independence Heights. Did I mention that the Republicans opposed the extension of voting hours in Harris County (and not in red-voting Bell County, which also had voting location issues), and also opposed the counting of provisional ballots cast by people who voted after 7 PM? Federal officials have lifted their pause on a small piece of the planned Interstate 45 mega-project that will remake downtown Houstons freeway system and has divided state transportation planners, community groups and local politicians. This one was filed on December 10, and if there was any news coverage of it I am not able to find it. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. What hes doing is not helping in furtherance of coping with the disaster, Menefee said. 2504 Rusk St. #110 Maybe you illegally downloaded a movie or song. First Assistant County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne wrote the Harris County Attorneys office was approving the agreement based on the understanding that the Texas Supreme Courts order does not prohibit the tabulating of those votes as long as the ballots themselves remain segregated., Kimberly Gdula, deputy chief of the Attorney Generals office general litigation division, signed off on the agreement in an email: The State is good with this., However, Sunday evening, two days before the commissioners court meeting to certify the election results, Hilton, the chief of the Attorney Generals office general litigation division, sent an email to the parties questioning the legal basis for including the provisional ballots cast after 7 p,m. A legal opinion released by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week will almost certainly throw county elections offices into chaos after November, experts say, exposing election clerks to possible criminal charges and materially reducing the security of every ballot cast in the state. The odds that Jones could lose the entire 360 vote net he got from the E-Day provisionals plus another 90 votes in this subset of the total ballots just strike me as extremely remote. It seems like the intent was to keep I-45 on the TxDOT project list for at least a little longer, to see if an agreement among all the parties can be reached. In no uncertain terms, the secretary of states office which isrun by a Republicanappointed by Gov. Not to my knowledge. In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. Houston ISDs board of trustees already is expected to vote Thursday on a mask mandate proposed by Superintendent Millard House II. Letter from the US Attorneys Office? Speak with Oberheiden, P.C. Voters have moved on. The opinion has already impacted elections administrators across the state, who told Votebeat that theyve seen an onslaught of requests since Paxton released it. State attorneys said that the law did not apply to volunteers like Morgan and argued the government can prohibit interactions between local election officials and voters without running afoul of the First Amendment. This court is a sham and a disgrace, and the only way forward is to pack it with judges that will actually apply the law. Im fine with this approach if theres a path to meeting the needs of the many people and groups that have been objecting to the design of this project, then sure, lets go for it but I wouldnt get my hopes up too much. What is troubling everybodyand apparently troubling the attorney general who wants to give a definition of solicitation that Im not aware existing in any criminal codeis the absurd result that someone could be held criminally liable for encouraging their fellow citizen to vote, Morales-Doyle said. There is nothing more reliable in this world than the Fifth Circuit giving Republicans everything they ask for. But the Republicans opposed that at every turn. I will pass along information about the fundraiser when I have it. Is it limited to demanding submission of an application for mail-in ballots (whether or not the applicant qualifies) or does it broadly cover the kinds of comments Plaintiffs stated that they wish to make: telling those who are elderly or disabled, for example, that they have the opportunity to apply for mail-in ballots? However, state law does not prevent the county from providing the records, but rather gives the county discretion to decide. Id like to see a whole lot more money spent on non-highway expansion transit, sidewalks and bike trails, flood mitigation, that sort of thing and a whole lot more effort and resources put into designing and building urban and suburban environments where people can live closer to where the work and shop and eat and go to school so that highway driving is less necessary. Details big and small remain works in progress and a federal pause looms as the last big hurdle, for now, as officials move ahead after last months agreements. Officials have defended the deals as the best way to change the project but still maintain the benefits that will come with it, including faster and safer commutes and the creation of two-way managed lanes that can improve transit in the I-45 corridor. Bail band companies had been lowering that percentage from what had once been seen as a de facto standard of ten percent because of the misdemeanor bail reform. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. According to the petition filed Monday night,Wayne Dolcefino, a media consultant and former TV journalist,submitted multiple requests for public information on behalf of the Gallery Furniture owner, who was a major donor supporting Republican candidates including County Judge LinaHidalgos opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. Greg Abbott expanded early voting for an additional week to allow more people concerned about COVID-19 to vote before Election Day. The Compliance Practice Group specializes in lawsuits for debt collection and enforcement of laws that protect the interest of Harris County. Attorneys for the city and county relied on a dissenting opinion from a judge on the 8th Court of Appeals in a mask mandate case involving El Paso County, Ariens said: that Texas law does not allow the governor to suspend laws giving local governments the ability to respond to public health crises as they see fit. Kyle Scott is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. The Supreme Court is occasionally solicitous of the First Amendment, if it approves of the speech in question, so who knows what they might do. These losing candidates should move on too.. We are doing everything we can to move this project forward, James Koch, director of transportation planning and development for TxDOT in Houston, told a North Houston Association luncheon on Wednesday. Morales-Doyle supported that approach, noting that every criminal solicitation statute that he is aware of applies only to solicitation of criminal conduct. Judge Lina Hidalgo is the head of Harris County's governing body. Hidalgo opened the meeting alternately lambasting Ramsey and Cagles absence and lamenting the potential impacts of the countys inability to approve its proposed tax rate. If you open up the floodgates and give anyone access to the ballots throughout that process, you have broken that chain of custody to the point where you would not be able to prove that this was the ballot a given voter cast, Masterson said. r/magic8ball I wish this was a thing and not a dead sub with one post. The other thing is this: because theres enough prosecutorial discretion thats involved, it takes time obviously justice takes time and any sort of delay in court action could be months from now, long after, hopefully, the crisis and the spike in delta has passed. A new Texas law that keeps local election officials from encouraging voters to request mail-in ballots likely violates the First Amendment, a federal judge ruled late Friday. Step 2: For a period of thirty (30) calendar days, collections prepares and mails a series of demand letters and may attempt contact by phone. You know what she did? The plaintiffs argue that the provisions violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments because the risk of criminal and civil liability chills speech that encourage[s] voters to lawfully vote by mail. Contractors, Confidentiality See here for the background. None of the affidavits led to county elections officials removing any names from the voter rolls. 1, Longoria, Morgan, and other election officials and election workers across Texas can be imprisoned for a minimum of six months and fined up to $10,000 if they encourage a voter to apply for a mail ballot application. The county attorneys office did not respond to a request for more information about the requests, including who submitted them. Anyone who ran into a problem at one location could have gone to another. As part of the canvass, respondents are ordered to separately identify in the vote tabulations the number of later cast votes for each candidate in each race and for or against each proposition, so that candidates, the parties, and this Court may ascertain whether the later cast votes would be outcome-determinative and so that the parties can assess the extent to which further litigation is warranted. Isabel Longoria, the Harris County Elections Administrator, and Cathy Morgan, a Volunteer Deputy Registrar serving in Williams and Travis counties, sued the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to enjoin enforcement of the civil liability provision, as applied to the anti-solicitation provision. The Harris County Attorneys Office fights for the interests of Harris County through the civil justice system to preserve access to clean air and water; ensure safe, healthy neighborhoods; protect consumers against fraud, exploitation, and other bad acts; and defend voting rights.