I will of course keep an eye on it. See here (scroll down) for the background. Select the subscription plan to continue on to sign up. Bennett 0 1,022 0 14,527 Turner signed the citys agreement Monday, after it was signed by TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. What hes doing is not helping in furtherance of coping with the disaster, Menefee said. I am a bot whose sole purpose is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of responses in this subreddit. The state, represented by Lanora Pettit, a principal deputy solicitor general with the Office of Attorney General, acknowledged in her brief that volunteer deputy registrars are not public officials subject to prosecution; the term solicit does not include merely providing information but instead requires strongly urging a voter to fill out an application that was not requested; and the Attorney General is not a proper official to seek civil penalties. Theres absolutely no justification for this state and federal law are clear, and nothing has changed about them. Design specifics of the future I-45 interchange with Interstate 10 that accommodate Metros planned. Located in downtown Houston, the Harris County Attorneys Office represents Harris County government, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network in all civil matters, including lawsuits. Standards for Court Approval ofAttorney Fees. From the inbox, a press release from Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee: Judge David Peeples will preside over the election contest filed by Republican candidate Erin Lunceford to void the results of her race for the 189th District Court in the November 2022 Harris County General Election. 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. Matthew Dexter is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. The County Attorneys office, however, said it had no information that anyone had attempted to misrepresent themselves as public employees, which would be illegal. And completely out of the blue. Alexander Mealer is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Even at the highest end of the estimate of locations that had issues, more than 90% of them did not. 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. As the motion filed today argues, this provision violates the First Amendment and undermines election officials and election workers ability to perform their duties. 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.. At issue is a new state law passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature,Senate Bill 23, that bars large counties from cutting law enforcement spending without getting approval from voters. Unless you're tempted to ignore a summons/subpoena/etc. Ms. Wyatt is represented by Neal Manne. See here and here for some background. Free Preview Harris County Attorney Letter Description Attorney Vacation Letter Texas This is an official form from the Harris County, Texas District Clerk's Office, which complies with all applicable laws and statutes. That letter must include the following four paragraphs: 1. In the letter to the attorney general's office, Bitter, the general counsel for the secretary of state's office, wrote that an election clerk may effectively have to break state law in order to comply with a request for ballots so soon after an election. For now, at least. See here for the background. In the roughly 20 months since, officials chipped away at the differences,postponing action on the countys lawsuitand awaiting the federal review, while exploring what changes TxDOT could make to appease concerns. Menu I still dont see any mention of a decision being handed down. An accurate and complete description of the vehicle (license plate, VIN number, year, make, model and color) that you own and desire returned. Im going to guess hed run as a Democrat, but I cant say for sure at this time. It would be difficult to overstate our disappointment in the contents of these two (agreements), the closed-door manner in which they were created and signed, the lack of sufficient time for the public to read and respond to them, and the tone with which they were presented, the group said. If not, well take the ones off that are not, and then they update their records.. The office also provides legal advice to county officials and employees. County Attorney > Contact - Harris County, Texas In an interview Tuesday, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee said that about 2,100 provisional ballots cast after 7 p.m. Election Day should be counted. Business Packages, Construction As far as this goes, I dont think anyone is making any new arguments, and there continues to be a large gap between what activists and local governments want out of the project and what TxDOT is willing to give. The San Antonio Report consulted another expert with a similar opinion. Metro is probably as eager as anyone to get this going, as their MetroNext plans depend on various items in the I-45 rebuild. This law was created to combat alleged voter fraud that we know does not exist, and instead hinders the ability to properly encourage seniors and voters with disabilities to exercise their right to vote by mail, saidChristian Menefee, the County Attorney for Harris County, Texas. For individuals who dont have a subscription yet, have a look at our how-guide below to make getting started easier: You can now open up the Texas Attorney Vacation Form sample and fill it out online or print it and get it done yourself. As for Joe Danna, is there ever a time when he isnt running for Sheriff? I figure its just a matter of time before incumbent DA draws a primary challenger or two, so well want to keep an eye on her fundraising totals. 18 Cause No. Guardianship Referral Letter to be filled out with Doctor's Letter File: County Clerk's Office at 201 Caroline, 8th floor, Houston, TX 77002. . Voting, Board Attorneys. Judge Andrews is represented by John Raley. You have separation of powers.. But really, this is all about making noise and trying to cast doubt on the election administrators office and government in general in Harris County. Its actually not clear from the story how many ballots were talking about. Estates, Forms The latest UTP, updated annually by the Texas Department, outlines a record $85.1 billion in transportation spending across the state from 2023 to 2032. The Chron story, from a bit later in the day, has more details. 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. Raising this as a First Amendment issue makes sense to me, and maybe it will make sense to the courts as well. On Feb. 28, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril D. Haines sent a letter to minority and majority leaders of both the House and Senate urging reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), set to expire at the end of this year . After closing the polls, election judges will hand off ballots to law enforcement officers and deputized county staffers, who will drive the equipment to the central counting station at NRG Arena on the judges behalf. Joe Danna, Sheriff . Ron DeSantis is questioning the actions of State Attorney Monique Worrell over how she handled cases involving . Nearly 70% of voters cast their ballots during the early voting period, but Mealer only cites issues on Election Day itself. Burgess 940 14,710 5,207 5,403 To vote by mail in the primary, Texas voters must request mail ballot applications between January 1, 2022, and February 18, 2022. 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. The men gave her an official-looking affidavit form and asked her to sign it attesting to the residents at the address under penalty of perjury.. 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. The clerk told me I had wrote a bad check for $16.00 and with Attorny Fee's it's now $86.00 shocked to hear the charge..I asked for details on the check she said she can't not give me that info only as to the business name who sent check to them. To get the example, log in to your account and click Download. Once again, Comptroller Hegar has abused his authority, the county attorney said. If even one is bounced, Abbott could appoint a replacement for those in the criminal courts. One year ago, opponents of the states plan to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston criticized the take it or leave it optionstate officials offered regarding amending plansfor the mega-project. The Harris County Elections Administrators Office received a flood of affidavits this summer challenging the eligibility of thousands of registered voters throughout the county, accusing them of not living at the addresses listed on registration records. Target letters inform the recipients that they are the target of a federal investigation, which means that the government intends to press civil or , The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. Seems like a lot of fuss for something that is unlikely to go anywhere, but who knows. Looking on the Electronic Filings search, I think this case is number 22-1044. Now, someone wakes up on Election Day and suddenly thinks law enforcement officials and deputized election officers are an issue?. That link takes you here, and while the in-person fundraiser mentioned there is now over, the Donate link remains. . It is highly likely that a lawsuit will result. For the subject that I wanted to be thinking about yesterday, we start with this. Eventually, Will Thompson of the Texas attorney generals office told Rodriguez that the provision was meant to limit official encouragement of voting by mail, indicating the state preferred people vote in person even if they qualify to vote by mail. Judges cant take pro bono help to defend selves. In a handful of cases, no one came to pick up the ballots leading the election judge to take them home or couriers failed to drop them off in a timely manner. Look at how zealously they opposed all of the efforts to expand voting access in the pandemic, including the third week of early voting that Greg Abbott ordered. Mark Montgomery is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. The opinion from Paxton doesnt carry the force of law, but experts say it will almost certainly serve as the basis for a lawsuit by right-wing activists. Hegars claim is a repeat of a fight thatalready played outbetween the comptroller and Harris County last August. Sylvester Turner, Mayor Mayor Sylvester Turner serves as the Executive Officer of the City. The guardian of the person is authorized to make decisions about health care, living arrangements, and similar matters, but has no authority to expend funds. webcomments@hctx.net. Despite the GOPs criticism, at least 40 Republican judges are choosing to participate in the countys plan. Cindy Siegel, chairwoman of the Harris County GOP, said officials are impeding on the democratic process. Forms, Independent Under S.B. Texas law says that if the ballots legal custodian, typically a local election official, makes unauthorized entry into the secure container containing the voting ballots during the preservation period, or fails to prevent another person from making an unauthorized entry, the custodian has committed a Class A misdemeanor, Bitter wrote. 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. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Harris County can include about 2,100 ballots cast during an extra hour of Election Day voting when officials certify the midterm results. . 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. 2023-00958; Rory Olsen v. Judge Jason Cox. Thats what I, a non-lawyer who has no responsibilities in these matters, would have done. In the 18-page filing to the Texas Supreme Court around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the local Republican party says despite assurances that election officials have it under control, state election law and past experience make them wary to hand over ballots to emissaries so they can ferry to a central location. Good luck with that. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, the lone Republican on the court, voted against the measure. We certainly didnt for Uvalde, or Santa Fe, or El Paso, or any of too many other places to name. Target letters inform the recipients that they are the target of a federal investigation, which means that the government intends to press civil or criminal charges against that person. 20 Cause No. Doing nothing is identical to telling the other lawyer take me to court.. Order Specials, Start Under Hegars calculations, Heaps annualized budget would have been about $48.9 million over 12 months nearly $2.3 million off from the $46.7 million figure calculated by the county. The Harris County Elections Administrators office maintains the Secretary of States office knew about the strategy and raised no objections when they implemented the ballot delivery plan during the May 7 election. It comes as no surprise, then, to discover that most lawyers (58 per cent) get between 20 and 25 days of paid holiday (excluding bank holidays) a year, while the bulk of the rest (33 per cent) get between 26 and 30 days. Nile Copeland is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. 1 went into effect on December 2, 2021. Were evaluating the lawsuit and will let the courts sort it out.. The decision prompted the three Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court to go into an executive session to discuss with the county attorneys office whether they have legal options to compel the two missing commissioners to attend. Those details are not the only obstacles to construction, which officials will consider moving from 2024 to 2027 later this month in the regions four-year transportation plan. Phil Sandlin, Constable Precinct 8, Teneshia Hudspeth, County Clerk The resulting ability to anticipate the governments case strategy gives us a critical edge over firms that lack this capability. UPDATE: The Trib story also references 2,000 ballots, which does not help clear up my confusion. services, For Small According to emails shared with Chronicle, parties including the Texas Attorney Generals office, Harris County Attorneys office, Texas Civil Rights Project, Harris County Republican Party and Harris County Democratic Party all signed off an agreement on Nov. 11 for processing the provisional ballots. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg during a press conference Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Houston. That included an 88-year-old voter whom Morgan would typically call at the start of every year to remind her that she has to reapply for mail-in ballots. Sean Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law submitted a brief that was in line with Pettit on the first and third questions, but had a nuanced distinction on the question of solicitations meaning. & Resolutions, Corporate Judge Weems is represented by John Raley. That came one day after Paxton petitioned the Supreme Court to toss the late-cast ballots. As the City's chief administrator and official representative, the Mayor is responsible for the general management of the City and for seeing that all laws and ordinances are enforced. Harris County officials argued as much in a filing to the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday. solicit[] the submission of an application to vote by mail from a person who did not request an application. The civil-liability provision creates a civil penalty for an election official who is employed by or an office of the state and who violates a provision of the election code. See here for the background. It could all be a moot point by then anyway.. A target letter is another type of letter that can be issued from the United States Attorneys Office. Handbook, DUI Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The law is clear that these voted ballots are confidential and its a crime for anyone to access them unless authorized by law.. 4 Cause No. 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. For a demand letter in Harris County, call on the attorneys at The Dushkin Law Firm. Same shit, different year. Thats a somewhat complicated headline for this. The first lawsuits filed against SB1 were filed in September, with Isabel Longoria a plaintiff in a complaint filed by MALDEF on behalf of a large group. The poll watcher complained to the Harris County GOP, who called the Secretary of State, who called Icsezen and said he was wrong, the poll watcher needed to be allowed in to observe the SVC. Guide, Incorporation Each affidavit alleges that numerous registered voters in Harris County do not reside at the addresses listed on their voter registration records, as required by state election law. Hopefully we will hear more about how this is progressing quickly. Judge Draper is represented by John Raley. So Paxton, ever the coward, convened a grand jury in Montgomery County not Harris, where this alleged crime took place, but the very friendly confines of Montgomery County and presented his case. As of today, the office has not received an opinion on how to proceed with these particular public information requests. These are nuisance suits but the Judges and Lina have had to hire attorneys to represent them against the claims. Business Packages, Construction Because the Harris and Travis County district attorneys did not appeal, only Longorias challenge to the civil penalty permitted by the civil-liability provision and the Volunteer Deputy Registrars challenge to the criminal liability imposed under the anti-solicitation provision were at issue in the appeal. The county's position on his determination that the county defunded the Precinct 5 Constable's Office has not changed. Though not a guarantee of funding or a commitment to build the projects listed, it details what the state plans to do. It is scary to receive a letter from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Employment law attorneys advise the county, its departments, and its officials regarding proposed policies, procedures, and legal obligations and provide training for management and newly elected officials. 1 priority for the next legislative session that begins in January. Name Change, Buy/Sell A judgerejecteda second attempt by a bail bondingbusiness to put an end to a Harris County rule requiring defendants accused of violent offenses to pay aminimum 10 percent feeto secure their release from jail, officials said Monday. 2023-00955; James Lombardino v. Judge Audrie Lawton-Evans. Rodriguez also rejected Paxtons claim that granting the injunction would interfere with the orderly operation of Texas elections. Gonna give talking a try. 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. I wish I felt more optimistic, but its not like the Fifth Circuit will care. 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. Icsezen did so. 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. 21. As a reminder and a general principle, never believe a word Andy Taylor says. 9 Cause No. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee Responds to Texas 2023-301111; Will Archer v. Judge James Horwitz. Menefee 36,826 30,700 0 193,291 This action was taken in response to the Office of the Texas . Divorce, Separation 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. Think about sending the document to your legal counsel to make certain all things are completed properly. Just like what happened in Bell County (won by Greg Abbott 59.04% to 39.52%, in case you were curious), which the AG has accepted as fact. The Harris County Attorney and Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonprofit law group, alleged that the state environmental agency discriminated against racial and ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency through a revised permitting process to build new concrete batch plants. 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. Tami Pierce is representing herself with co-counsel, Paul Simpson. His application of state law is wrong. 1 subjects me to criminal prosecution for encouraging eligible voters to vote by mail so they may participate in our democracy an option they have under Texas law.. My Account, Forms in This includes legal research and drafting of legal documents for the purchase, sale, lease and operation of real estate including land title examinations, contracts, leases and concession agreements for parks and county buildings, roads and other public purposes. 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. Instead, commissioners complained Thursday that the lack of progress is having undue effects on their ability to remedy what almost everyone in Houston agrees is an outdated, congested, dangerous freeway corridor. The Chron has more. Christian Menefee, Harris County Attorney Nationwide Federal Defense, Compliance and Litigation. The Harris County GOP reacted angrily to this and sent a letter to Ken Paxton demanding he take action or else we have no confidence that the Attorney General will uphold any of our election laws. This is the state house district in which I ran back in 2018 and 2020. Thus far, the Harris County Attorneys Office has identified filings by (and we expect more filings to be made today): These filings are in addition to previously announced contests by: Below is the statement from the County Attorney released this morning: This is a shameful attempt by a group of losing candidates who couldnt win the hearts and minds of Harris County voters and are now throwing nonsensical legal theories at the wall to see what sticks. You can help Democrats being sued by election losers, these cases are stinking piles of nothing and the losers pursuing them damn well know it, Here we go again with the defunding baloney, January 2023 campaign finance reports: Harris County, agreed path forward for rebuilding Interstate 45, Metros plans for bus rapid transit into its overall design, Agreement reached on I-45 expansion plans, Federal Highway Administration placed on the project in March 2021, postponing action on the countys lawsuit, Judge assigned to hear election loser contest, ruled that the abortion bounty hunter law SB8 violated the state constitution, And now we have a judicial loser contesting the election, The Republicans did warn us theyd be sore losers, ridiculous election contest filed in HD135, SCOTx allows provisional votes to be counted, Paxton sues to prevent some provisional votes from being counted, report released by the Elections Office on the 18th, At least one local voter purge effort has been thwarted, attempted to get Sunnyside residents to sign forms, Paxton issues deranged opinion on access to ballots, EPA to investigate TCEQ over concrete plant permits, If the only choices are take it or leave it, well, state officials offered regarding amending plans, argue highway officials should focus more on improving transit, The continued Republican threat to voting, reduced early voting hours in places like Harris County, Harris County GOP drops its lawsuit over election night vote dropoffs, break with the countys ballot delivery plan, wary to hand over ballots to emissaries so they can ferry to a central location, the county did not complete its count until Sunday morning, I didnt have a problem with the May 7 reporting, SCOTx ponders the questions the Fifth Circuit asked it about SB1, Seems like theres not that much in dispute, New bail bond rules survive initial court challenge, Fifth Circuit asks SCOTx for help on some SB1 issues, Of course the Fifth Circuit put a hold on the SB1 injunction, the Fifth Circuit giving Republicans everything they ask for, Injunction granted in lawsuit over criminal penalties for election officials who encourage voting by mail, Rob Icsezen and Dana DeBeauvoir would like to have a word with you, Ken Paxton cannot be trusted to prosecute anyone, indict Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, sending out the howler monkeys against the Court of Criminal Appeals, Preliminary injunction sought against mail ballot restrictions, Biden administrations Justice Department, wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, letter sent by seven Houston-area Congressman urging Buttigieg to not impede the project, arent likely to be happy with half a loaf, Harris County sues Abbott and issues a mask mandate, mask mandate case involving El Paso County, Superintendant House speaks about the looming TEA takeover. The county received the second largest settlement for a local government in the nation. The Justice Department lawsuit was filed in November, and there were three others filed in between. I have no interest in prioritizing those needs over anyone elses. 2023-00925; Michelle Fraga v. Judge Christine Weems. Customer Service. A ruling by a Harris County judge Friday will allow a recently-approved policy requiring bail bond agents to charge some defendants a 10 percent minimum to start Saturday after a last-minute lawsuit tried to stop it from happening. 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.