See here and here for the background. This action was taken in response to the Office of the Texas . Nearly 70% of voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, but Mealer only cites issues on Election Day itself. Matthew Masterson, who previously served as the Trump administrations top election security official and now is Microsofts director of information integrity, said that Paxtons opinion will make it impossible for election administrators to appropriately ensure that ballots are kept secure. The General Counsel Practice Group provides legal advice to the Countys elected and appointed officials, and employees. UPDATE: The Trib story also references 2,000 ballots, which does not help clear up my confusion. We worked hard to make this happen. I was on several endorsements interviews with some of these judges through a different organization. The letter, from the law firm Odelson, Sterk, Murphey, Frazer & McGrath is addressed to five of the 11 candidates for ethics board: David Carrabotta, Lisa Emmett Stechman, David Laske, Joy Alfonsi . Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to be a drug den.Jun 21, 2021 Forms, Real Estate This was separate from all of those, which I confirmed with the County Attorney Office. Random fact: In 2020, Democrat Jane Robinson lost her race for Chief Justice of the 14th Court of Appeals by 1,191 votes out over over 2.3 million cast, a margin of 0.06 percent of the vote. The challenged provision makes it a state jail felony for election officials to solicit the submission of an application to vote by mail if the voter did not request it. A William Wagner, about whom I could find nothing, filed the same for Constable in Precinct 7. in the final count and seeking clarification so that the parties can pursue any legal remedies, if necessary., In a statement Monday, Harris County Attorneys office spokesperson Roxanne Werner said: Representatives from the Attorney Generals office and the Harris County Republican Party asked for the language describing that process to be removed from the agreed order, leaving Harris County to process and count the late ballots as they would other provisional ballots while ensuring they were kept segregated. PDF RQ-0395-KP - Office of the Attorney General Those ballots were cast after a district court judge ordered Harris County polling places to remain open an extra hour because many locations had opened late that morning. I appreciate that Mayor Turner, Congresswoman Jackson Lee, Judge Hidalgo, Commissioners Ellis and Garcia, County Attorney Menefee, and everyone Im forgetting eventually had to say Yes to a sincere and meaningful counteroffer. Privacy Policy and our Accessibility Statement. Itll become too much of a political annoyance for him, and it could end up costing him dearly. An accurate and complete description of the vehicle (license plate, VIN number, year, make, model and color) that you own and desire returned. You never know. See here for the background. RECORDING OF ANY PROBATE PROCEEDINGS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITEDAND COULD RESULT IN A FINDING OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice or gives rise to a solicitor/client relationship. Business. I dont know why the change of court and I dont know if the second hearing was delayed or if it just took that long for a ruling, but here we are. The agreements are a rare case of a major Texas highway project receiving major changes, prompted by community opposition, after officials had essentially greenlit its construction. The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. Christian D. Menefee (@CDMenefee) 5:00 PM 17 February 2022. A Republican is going to win during the primary election. of Attorney, Personal Currently, Texas has two weeks of early voting before elections, though in 2020 Gov. The countys agreement can only be approved after a Commissioners Court meeting, scheduled for Thursday. The Republicans picked the judges with some of the smallest accounts. A cadet class will be at risk.. In December, a motion was filed to get a temporary injunction against the provision of that law that makes it a crime for election officials and election workers to encourage voters to vote by mail, whether or not those voters are eligible under Texas law to do so. Court records filed Friday showed a bail bondsman sued Harris County as an attempt to stop the new rule, which would require agents like her to charge defendants jailed on violent offenses a 10 percent minimum to secure their freedom after an arrest. 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. for Deed, Promissory 2023-00958; Rory Olsen v. Judge Jason Cox. Under S.B. Time and again, the TCEQ has approved permits for additional plants in these very same neighborhoods, and failed to ensure that the pollution that comes out of these plants does not harm human health and the environment, Menefee said. That link takes you here, and while the in-person fundraiser mentioned there is now over, the Donate link remains. Briones 819,495 331,782 0 667,234 This website often will provide the arresting agency . Regarding the temporary restraining order request getting rejected, Kevin Pennell the plaintiffs lawyer said in an email Friday he had no comment. She said she was shocked by the opinion. Additional Losing Candidates File Election Contests in Harris County. For now, at least. Were evaluating the lawsuit and will let the courts sort it out.. 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. On balance, with the improvements I think you have an excellent project that will move forward and move the greater good.. Menefee said he is undecided but leaning toward filing suit; he said the county would seek a temporary restraining order preventing the state from enforcing Abbotts July 29 executive order prohibiting local governments from issuing local COVID-19 restrictions. To vote by mail in the primary, Texas voters must request mail ballot applications between January 1, 2022, and February 18, 2022. Alexander Mealer is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Kyle Scott is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. For months, election administrators in Texas and across the country have been fielding records requests from activists intent on re-examining every ballot cast in every election since November 2020 or, in some cases, even earlier. Divorce, Separation If that does not happen, the county will resume the suit and well let the courts decide.. Maybe you illegally downloaded a movie or song. In fact, the first time any concerns were raised occurred during a public meeting May 11 at the Election Committee Hearing by the Secretary of States Office. James Lombardino is represented by Jared Woodfill. As the story notes, the I-45 project is on pause while a complaint filed with the Federal Highway Administration over the projects effects on communities of color are investigated. The main argument was that this provision of SB1 criminalizes speech on the basis of its content and the viewpoint expressed, since Longoria could talk all day about not voting by mail but risked arrest if she said the opposite. That doesnt change the fact that his filing is trash and should be rejected by SCOTx on the grounds that these people deserve to have their votes counted. 2023-301111; Will Archer v. Judge James Horwitz. They said that it took President Joe Biden a fellow Democrat winning the White House for federal regulators to put pressure on this issue in the conservative Lone Star State. James Slattery, senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said for the average voter, the organizations name, badge and paperwork could convey a sense of an official visit by the government without explicitly doing so. 9 Cause No. Design specifics of the future I-45 interchange with Interstate 10 that accommodate Metros planned. In at least one race, the provisional ballots could impact the outcome. In a Nov. 29 letter from FHWA Chief Counsel Andrew Rogers, federal officials said recent discussions represent a good start but set parameters for any design work to proceed. Harris County Clerk's Office Harris Countys settlement is part of a global settlement with JUUL Labs, Inc resolving numerous cases brought by government entity plaintiffs, including school districts, cities, and counties. Attorneys. But if she does comply with them, she will be participating in an illegal price fixing scheme and violating her customers privacy rights.. 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. The dispute seems to be more about politics than the law, Martin Renteria, a Republican election judge in Harris County, said. The lawsuit, filed just hours before polls closed on Election Day, could have caused serious delays in counting ballots on May 24 had the Texas Supreme Court agreed with the Harris County GOP that the plan was unlawful. Judge Craft is represented by Steve Kherker. I'm clueless as to what this could be about and I apologize if this isn't the best place to ask this question but I'm rather worried at this point. The initial request for a temporary restraining order was denied on Friday, and there will be a hearing for a temporary injunction on May 6. Although the ballots were processed, Harris County now intends to include them in the final vote canvass, Christopher Hilton, chief of the Attorney Generals office general litigation division said Monday. Gonna give talking a try. Order Specials, Start They dont know when theyre going to run afoul of this vague [law].. I did not get around to doing the 30-day and 8-day reports from 2022, so what you see here in these reports is not contiguous for those who were on last Novembers ballot. Tenant, More 1 makes it a crime for me to do a critical part of my job, and it hurts the most vulnerable voters, saidIsabel Longoria, Harris County Election Administrator. The only reason we know any of this is because Paxton put out a whiny press release complaining about his inability to get a Montgomery County grand jury to give him what he wanted. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Menefee told the Houston Chronicle Tuesday evening that he believes the July 29 order violates the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, which he said grants the governor the power limited authority to suspend laws. The agreement announced Monday does not remove the pause the Federal Highway Administration placed on the project in March 2021. Looking on the Electronic Filings search, I think this case is number 22-1044. As the story notes, Bell County had similar issues with some polling locations and also got a court order allowing locations to remain open until 8 PM, which the AGs office has not opposed. The agreement outlines plans for widening the freeway by adding two managed lanes in each direction from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8, along with various frontage road and interchange alterations. Dont ask me when that is likely to happen. If you are appointed a Power of Attorney, you have a duty to act in the best interest of the person in question, ensuring their financial security and prevent undoing the original agreement.Jul 14, 2017. Fortunately, we know how to handle these types in fact, many of our clients have been shocked to learn that their investigations have been closed with zero civil or criminal liability. If the state cut early voting to just one week, as Hall has proposed, it would affect up to 6.5 million Texans thats how many voted in the first two weeks in 2020. 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. No wonder hes having a hard time retaining staff. Specials, Start Hidalgos order requires students, teachers, staff and visitors to K-12 schools and daycare centers to wear face coverings. 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. Judge Andrews is represented by John Raley. If you need to write a similar letter. Yet, the way the (Texas Public Information Act) is written, no one except those involved in the underlying lawsuit can get access to the public information..