Ms. Wyatt is represented by Neal Manne. That would require dividing the short fiscal year by 16 pay periods and multiplying that by 26 to cover the whole year, she said. I was on several endorsements interviews with some of these judges through a different organization. Doesnt exactly fill you with pride and confidence in our justice system, does it? for Deed, Promissory My Account, Forms in He may or may not seek to run for something else do remember that the minute he says something to that effect hell have to resign, so all we would have before then is speculation but either way I wont be surprised to see some competition for the Precinct 1 slot. The judge in the Lunceford contest was assigned on December 13, I dont know what has happened since then. The injunction applies to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and local county prosecutors in Harris, Travis and Williamson counties. Here @JudgeGenesis Draper. You have separation of powers.. 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. 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. She reasonably fears that, unless she complies with these unlawful rules, her license will be suspended or revoked, the lawsuit reads. However, state law does not prevent the county from providing the records, but rather gives the county discretion to decide. Agreements, LLC Otherwise you could be arrested with no notification. 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. Paxtons office sought input from the secretary of states office prior to issuing the decision, which was requested by state Sen. Kelly Hancock and state Rep. Matt Krause, both Republicans. Highway construction and expansion interrupt lives, displace people from their homes and businesses, and decimate generational wealth, especially in communities of color.. 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. Each of them should be deeply embarrassed and these claims should not be taken seriously by the public, said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. But the Republicans opposed that at every turn. We should be looking for ways to support these public servants rather than constantly undermining the hard work it takes to run an election in the third largest county in the country, added County Attorney Menefee. 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. My penalties read as "punishable by not less than five days nor more than 90 days imprisonment and a fine of not less than $25, nor more than $500". So our perspective is that those provisional ballots are no different than any other provisional ballots they are to be counted.. Disclaimer | Harris County assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of errors, omissions or discrepancies. The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. packages, Easy The county received the second largest settlement for a local government in the nation. 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. 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. Morales-Doyle supported that approach, noting that every criminal solicitation statute that he is aware of applies only to solicitation of criminal conduct. Harris County Commissioners Court on Thursday voted to sueTexas Comptroller GlennHegars office in response to hiscomments accusing the countyof defunding law enforcement. 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. Specifically, Rogers said FHWA is not prepared at this time to allow TxDOT to resume any right-of-way acquisition in Segment 3. TxDOT, he added, could acquire properties from owners who approach it on a case-by-case basis rather than relying on eminent domain.. That has led some community leaders, such as activist and urban planner Abdul Muhammad, to urge federal officials and local opponents to work to find solutions and not reasons to stop the project. 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. Can you imagine what the Republican response to this would be if it were a Democrat complaining about voting location problems? 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. 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. Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 1:54 PM. Thanks! See here for the background. County Attorney > Contact - Harris County, Texas Ron DeSantis is questioning the actions of State Attorney Monique Worrell over how she handled cases involving . I was also told that the settlement amount was $20 million, which was discussed at this weeks Commissioners Court meeting. 2023-01067; Dan Spjut v. Judge Juanita Jackson. And Id bet none of those county judges suffer for any of it politically, either. Even in the case of the loser who lost to DaSean Jones by 449 votes, its extremely hard to imagine there could have been enough people who encountered problems and could not vote anywhere else and would have voted for the loser to make a difference. This one will be heard in a courtroom. Hailed by elected officials as a breakthrough that salvaged a desperately-needed freeway rebuild, the deals surprised critics of the initial design. They asked Biery to rule no later than Feb. 14, noting that to cast a mail-in ballot in the primaries, voters must fill out and return an application between Jan. 1 and Feb. 18. Sometimes if you sign up for trustee (work while in jail) they give you and extra days credit. Menefees office asked the EPA to stop any new standard concrete batch plant permits from being issued until the investigation is finished, he said. Raising this as a First Amendment issue makes sense to me, and maybe it will make sense to the courts as well. Texas Attorney General Website (How to Request Public Information), Harris County Attorneys Office,1019 Congress,15th FloorHouston, TX 77002. I would be very interested in meeting with you to discuss this matter further, and I would appreciate any advice or guidance you can provide. The votes that were cast during that time period pursuant to a court order are still perfectly legal. Youre talking about school districts that are following CDC guidelines on masking. 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. I for one dont see any difference between the two. Just for the comedy value, Id like to see this scenario play out. I have $15 Million in Zimbabwe dollars locked in a safe. Hidalgos order requires students, teachers, staff and visitors to K-12 schools and daycare centers to wear face coverings. I suppose if this happens the next thing well hear about is Angela Paxton driving them away, probably as they hunch down in the back seat of her SUV, for the safety of the suburbs. UPDATE: The Trib story also references 2,000 ballots, which does not help clear up my confusion. I still dont see any mention of a decision being handed down. The General Counsel Practice Group provides legal advice to the Countys elected and appointed officials, and employees. 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. Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to be a drug den.Jun 21, 2021 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.. Theft, Personal In at least one race, the provisional ballots could impact the outcome. 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. This anti-solicitation provision of SB 1 not only makes it harder for these folks vote, but it criminalizes the constitutionally protected free speech of the Harris County Elections Administrator and violates the First Amendment., S.B. of Incorporation, Shareholders Don't read that if you're having a good day. 2022-79328; Erin Lunceford v. Judge Tami Craft. Ogg 161,659 19,356 48,489 242,159 The concrete plants are subject to permits that aim to limit pollution in the form of particulate matter and crystalline silica which have been linked to respiratory diseases and cancer but independent testing of concrete facilities by the complaints authors indicate that pollution levels exceed health-based limits. We have never agreed that these ballots can be part of the final election results, and this afternoon were going to ask that the Texas Supreme Court rule that these late-cast votes should be excluded as Texas law requires.. I really do believe they did the best they could and that were overall in a much better place than when we started and that we worked hard for it. Paxton and one of the district attorneys (Shawn Dick of Williamson County) appealed. Operating Agreements, Employment Customer Service. As the district court already determined, this law is unconstitutional and prevents election officials from encouraging people to vote by mail, including our seniors, our neighbors with disabilities, and our active-duty service members. See here for the background. See the sample using the Preview function and read its description. Feb. 18 is the last day for counties to receive applications for mail-in ballots for the March 1 primary. If the name sounds familiar, it may be because Judge Peeples was the jurist who ruled that the abortion bounty hunter law SB8 violated the state constitution last December, though he did not issue a statewide injunction against it. A county attorney tried to send me mail through USPS the other day when I wasn't home. Sandlin 38,580 28,502 0 79,998 Claim your certified mail. As the Harris County Attorney, Christian D. Menefee is the chief civil lawyer for the largest county in Texas. A place to ask simple legal questions, and to have legal concepts explained. The Harris County Democratic Party is NOT doing anything to assist the 22 electeds. Agreements, Letter Reconsidering how the project will incorporate, Mark Montgomery, former candidate forHarris County Criminal Court at Law No. Others rub shoulders with business leaders, politicians, sports figures, and even celebrities. Seriously, this was a fine performance by the Elections Office. 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. See here for the background, and here for a copy of the ruling. Existing law said poll watchers were allowed at the former, but said nothing about the latter. And for all of the fuss, final results were posted at 1:26 AM, which seems pretty damn reasonable to me. Hopefully, well find out soon. Commissioners Court had previously authorized Menefee to file suit. Determining how a proposed downtown connection for the Hardy Toll Road will enter the area near Buffalo Bayou and cross a remade I-10. Judge Peeples is based in San Antonio, and was appointed by the Honorable Susan Brown, the Presiding Judge of the Eleventh Administrative Judicial Region of Texas. The EPAs civil rights compliance arm announced the investigation last Wednesday. Still, others have been pleasantly surprised when what was once an existential threat is transformed into a manageable inconvenience. Harris County voters are in for a long election night, with full election results in primary runoff races not expected until well into Wednesday. See here for the background. The amount of evidence theyd need to provide to come close to justifying such an ask, I cant even begin to comprehend. Kyle Scott is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. The County will participate in the case, and we plan to make clear that it would be a grave injustice to throw out more than a million legally cast votes, especially given Ms. Luncefords completely baseless theories. Lets make it a little less hard for these Dems who clearly and correctly won their races.