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Texas Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 08, 2017 26 Comments
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill to effectively ban sanctuary cities in the state. Thing is, Abbott signed the bill on Facebook Live without giving any notice, which has left his critics with spinning heads. From Fox News:
Abbott took the unusual step of signing the bill on Facebook with no advanced public notice. He said Texas residents expect lawmakers to "keep us safe" and said similar laws have already been tested in federal court, where opponents have already been hinting the bill will be immediately challenged. "Let's face it, the reason why so many people come to America is because we are a nation of laws and Texas is doing its part to keep it that way," Abbott said.

Posted by Taryn O'Neill on May 06, 2017 16 Comments
On Thursday, May 4, 2017, the Texas legislature passed a resolution calling for a Convention of States for the purpose of proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The resolution (SJR2), having a total of 72 co-authors, was passed 217 to 213 as nearly 250 supporters watched from the Gallery. The resolution comes after the Senate passed its own version on February 28, making the Lone Star State the 11th state to call for a convention as outlined in Article V of the Constitution. As Legal Insurrection has explained, Article V details two procedures for amending the U.S. Constitution. The first and most familiar way requires that congress write and propose an amendment that is subsequently sent to the 50 states for ratification. The second process for proposing and passing amendments, however, requires that two-thirds of the state legislatures submit applications for a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments. 

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 04, 2017 15 Comments
The Texas legislature passed a bill Wednesday, banning sanctuary cities in the Lone Star State. Senate Bill 4 requires state law enforcement, including campus cops, to comply with federal immigration law and prohibits municipalities from creating policies or regulations that circumvent established federal laws. The bill specifically prohibits discrimination and allows the state to levy civil penalties on non-compliant entities. After the House approved changes made in the Senate, Senate Bill 4 heads to Governor Abbott's desk. "Banning sanctuary cities is about stopping officials who have sworn to enforce the law from helping people who commit terrible crimes evade immigration detainers. Senate Bill 4 protects all Texans though uniform application of the law without prejudice," said state Sen. Perry.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 03, 2017 12 Comments
The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is a well-financed international movement launched at the anti-Semitic 2001 Durban conference. The BDS movement falsely is portrayed as having launched as a 2005 grassroots call from Palestinian civil society. In fact, as I have proven, BDS  traces its roots back to the anti-Jewish Arab boycotts of the 1920s and 1930s, and is a variation on the Arab League boycott that reached its zenith in the 1970s, The REAL history of the BDS movement. The BDS movement seeks to slam university doors in the faces of Israelis, to prevent cultural exchanges, and to harm Israel economically through economic boycotts.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 02, 2017 7 Comments
San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro announced Monday he will not challenge Sen. Cruz in the upcoming Senate race. Castro has been pushing off his public announcement since February. As of last week, he was reportedly undecided.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on April 24, 2017 6 Comments
Will Rep. Joaquin Castro toss his hat into the upcoming Texas Senate race? Castro first said in February he'd make his announcement in eight weeks, then said he'd it would be the end of April, only to recently move his self-imposed deadline to "a few more weeks" reports the Texas Tribune. Should Castro jump in, he'd first have to beat fellow Democratic Congressman, Beto O'Rourke, who declared his candidacy at the end of March, before squaring off against Sen. Ted Cruz.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on April 19, 2017 8 Comments
Beto O'Rourke, Democratic Congressman from El Paso announced his Senate candidacy just a few weeks ago. He has an impressive $500K in the bank, an amount that pales in comparison to Cruz's $5 million. O'Rourke had a successful first quarter, raising just over $200k. Not bad for a little known Congressman, but he has a long way to go if he wants to catch up with Cruz, who raised $1.7 million in that same timeframe.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 11, 2017 41 Comments
A federal judge has again rejected the 2011 Texas voter ID law, stating that the legislators meant to discriminate against minority voters. U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos made this same ruling in 2014, which forced an appeal. The Fifth Circuit issued a stay against the order. The Supreme Court stepped in and allowed Texas to use the voter ID law. But last July the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans asked the judge "to re-examine the decision" since the judges found that "some of the evidence used by the judge wasn't relevant." The two sides reached a deal for the 2016 election, which allowed a voter to "sign a declaration swearing that he or she has had a reasonable difficulty that prevented obtaining one of the accepted forms of photo identification."

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 20, 2017 2 Comments
Back in 2015, the American Humanist Association (AHA) sued the Birdville School District, located near Fort Worth, TX, because school board members started their meetings with a prayer. The AHA said this violated the First Amendment "through its practicing of promoting Christian prayers." Former student Isaiah Smith brought the case to AHA and claimed "the prayers made him feel unwelcome at the public meetings and that the school board endorsed Christianity." On Monday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the "school board may open its meetings with student-led prayers without violating the U.S. Constitution." From Reuters:
Writing for the appeals court, Circuit Judge Jerry Smith said the matter involved legislative prayer, because a school board was "more like a legislature" than a classroom.

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 20, 2017 9 Comments
Authorities found two Super Bowl jerseys worn by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The lost jerseys were found with a credentialed member of the international media. From KPRC:
Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said that a tip from someone in Houston led investigators to a location in Mexico, where the jerseys were found. "You don't come to Texas and steal when the eyes of the world are upon our state," Acevedo said.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 18, 2017 26 Comments
This is a truly bizarre case. Remember Kurt Eichenwald? The Journalist who claimed he was assaulted by a tweet? Well, the FBI confirmed Friday they've arrested John Rivello, the suspect they believe sent a "seizure-inducing" tweet to Dallas reporter, Kurt Eichenwald. Eichenwald claims the tweet triggered an epileptic seizure. Professor Jacobson covered the case in December. For background, see here.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on March 02, 2017 5 Comments
A year and a half ago, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was arrested and charged with three counts of felony securities fraud violations, namely that he duped investors prior to being elected AG. In 2015 we blogged:
Earlier, a grand jury handed down an indictment addressing Paxton’s July 2011 efforts to sell stocks on behalf of a McKinney, Texas-based corporation while he was still a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 23, 2017 41 Comments
I will never fully understand the irrational fear of inanimate objects that leads people to do things like this. A handful of instructors, mostly grad students, from the University of Texas are holding office hours in a bar after the state implemented campus carry laws. They're hoping gun-free zones will keep them safe. Under the Lone Star State's campus carry laws, only licensed concealed carry permit holders are legally allowed to pack heat on participating college campuses, and even then, only on certain parts of campus.

Posted by Mary Chastain on February 10, 2017 39 Comments
Houston, TX, just hosted another Super Bowl to rave reviews, but it may be the last one for the Lone Star State if the state passes its own bathroom bill. From The Houston Chronicle:
"If a proposal that is discriminatory or inconsistent with our values were to become law (in Texas), that would certainly be a factor considered when thinking about awarding future events," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email response to a Chronicle question about the bill.
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