5th Circuit Affirms Voter ID Law

A split panel of the federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s revised Voter ID law can take effect, reversing a lower court’s ruling that had invalidated it. “Because the district court’s permanent injunction and order for further relief abused its...

Candidate Filing and Election News for October 25

The big news – the retirements of Speaker Straus and Chairman Cook – is covered here. HD127: Humble construction company executive Kyle Stephenson announced he would challenge Rep. Dan Huberty (R-Humble) in the Republican primary. Stephenson established a campaign...

Election News for September 8

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...

Election News for September 6

Voter ID: Oral arguments before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals have been scheduled for the first week of December. The state has appealed a lower court decision ruling that invalidated the state’s Voter ID law and determined that legislation passed during the...

Voter ID Stay and Other Election News for September 5

Voter ID: A divided Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals panel has stayed a lower court ruling that prevented the state from implementing its revised Voter ID law. The panel ruled that the state may implement Senate Bill 5, which was passed during the regular session, for...

Laubenberg Retiring and Other Election News for August 31

Redistricting: As expected, the state has requested the U.S. Supreme Court stay a lower court ruling invalidating nine Texas House districts pending appeal. The high court has already granted a similar stay of a decision made by the same three-judge panel invalidating...

State Seeks Stays of Redistricting, Voter ID Rulings

The state filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a stay of last week’s ruling striking down two Texas congressional districts while it appeals the decision. “This is not déjà vu all over again,” the state argued. “This time around the map...

Voter ID Law Ruled Unconstitutional

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has struck down the state’s Voter ID law, ruling that legislation passed during the regular legislative session (Senate Bill 5) did not cure the discriminatory effect of the original law (Senate Bill 14). She issued a permanent...

Election News for July 6

Voter ID: The U.S. Dept. of Justice has asked the federal court overseeing Voter ID litigation to “decline any further remedies” following the Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 5. The brief completes the federal government’s reversal of its position during the...

Voter ID Schedule and Other Election News for June 22

Voter ID: U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered parties in the ongoing Voter ID suit to file briefs by July 5 discussing “the propriety and nature of relief” entitled by the plaintiffs and reply briefs by July 17. The court will not hold any new hearings on...