Voter ID: Plaintiffs have asked the full Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear and overturn a three-judge panel’s decision staying a lower court’s Voter ID ruling. Earlier this week, a divided Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals panel stayed District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos’s ruling that recently passed legislation did not cure the discriminatory effects of the state’s Voter ID law. Her ruling barred the state from enforcing it. The appellate panel ruled that the state may continue to use the Voter ID law, including the new amendments, for elections through this November’s general election.
HD14: College Station transit business owner Sarah Laningham formed a campaign committee for a potential challenge of Rep. John Raney (R-College Station). Laningham was the guest speaker at a Bryan/College Station Tea Party meeting last month to discuss her CD17 campaign. A web site exists for the congressional campaign, but it is blank, and Laningham has not, as far as we can tell, ever filed a statement of candidacy for that race.
HD46: Austin regulatory affairs consultant Casey McKinney formed a campaign committee for a potential primary challenge of Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin). She is at least the eighth Democrat to take a formal step toward challenging Dukes, who faces felony charges of tampering with a government record and misdemeanor charges of abuse of official capacity. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
CD27: A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Corpus Christi) said he would seek re-election.
Lubbock Co.: Two-term Lubbock council member Karen Gibson announced she would seek the Republican nomination for Lubbock County Judge. Five-term incumbent Tom Head is not seeking re-election.
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