Tag Archives: Ken Paxton

Texoblogosphere: Week of March 21st

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes your brackets are in better shape than its own as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff looked at the legislative and judicial primary runoffs for Harris County.

When Libby Shaw learned some of the drinking water supplies in the state well exceed the federal standard for arsenic, she asked how will small government, government loathing lawmakers react? What will they do? Nothing, of course. Pretend the problem does not exist. No Worries Texas. We Can Shoot the Arsenic Out of the Water.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is disgusted to see Greg Abbott leading the charge against legal voters in Texas, but, he is not the only one. The wrongly named American Civil Rights Union wants to disenfranchise voters, too.

Socratic Gadfly, with new news about it, updates a major blog piece from last fall about the First Amendment, politicization of academics, academic freedom, and fired professor Melissa Click.

Hillary Clinton admitted to Chris Matthews that she sold her vote to invade Iraq for $20 billion, to George W. Bush. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is glad that’s finally cleared up.

Neil at All People Have Value said that people in the Houston area should stop doing dumb things that cause wildfires. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

The Texas Election Law Blog highlights what President Obama said about innovation in civic technological engagement.

Juanita contemplates the sheer awesomeness of a Trump/Carson ticket.

Grits for Breakfast wants to know why the Texas Rangers seem incapable of rooting out local corruption when they are called upon to investigate it.

Ty Clevenger complains about the State Bar of Texas’ refusal to take action against Ken Paxton.

Lone Star Ma focuses on the 9th of the United Nations’ new sustainable development goals: “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.”

Dan Solomon talks to Wendy Davis about Dawn Porter’s abortion law documentary Trapped, among other things.

The Makeshift Academic reminds us that Merrick Garland has a lot of company in the confirmation process.

 

Galv Bay

Today’s feature photo is from the beautiful Harris County Coastline.  Yes!  Though we sometimes forget, the same Harris County which houses Houston is actually on the Texas Coast.  This is taken from Sylvan Beach in the city of La Porte.  Formerly known as The Grove, the historic beach front park has been in operation since 1893.

 

 

Texoblogosphere: Week of August 10th

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that big GOP candidate debate needed more balloon animals and seltzer bottles as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff gives his campaign strategy for defending Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance.

Harold Cook presents the GOP Presidential Debate Drinking Game, which will come in handy for the next debate, if you ever recover from the first one.

Socratic Gadfly looks at the hoo-hah over Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments and his eventual $70,000 salary for employees, and has a mix of cautious applause and skeptical concerns.

A blogger started a petition to have the NFL relocate the 2017 Super Bowl away from Houston if the HERO is defeated by the voters in November. And then a Houston television station picked up the story. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is in wonderment at how things can snowball — or go viral, as the kids say these days — so quickly.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants everyone to know that Texas Republicans are denying birth certificates for Hispanic babies born in Texas.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. More GOP mug shots this week, That Ken Paxton Is Attorney General Proves Our Political System Has Failed and Wilco DA Jana Duty.

Neil at All People Have Value spent the past week in Chicago and the Chicago area. Neil’s blog has interesting pictures of that great American city.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Texas Clean Air Matters urges state leaders to meet the Clean Power Plan with innovation and not resistance.

The TSTA Blog reminds us that long before he was indicted on felony charges, Ken Paxton was bad news for public education.

Media Matters captures video of Houston LGBT activist Noel Freeman shooting down lies about the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

Lone Star Ma celebrates World Breastfeeding Week 2015.

Kevin Walker says Dallas needs a 21st century blueprint for building a better city.

Rafael McDonnell reports on a training program he attended for LGBTQ people running for political office.

The Houston Justice Coalition lays out its goals for addressing police brutality at the root.

Honorary Texan The Slactivist advises Texas politicians on the best way to pose for their future mug shot.

HouToyota

This week’s feature photo is of Downtown Houston looking towards the Southwest of the city.  Photo credit:  L. Wayne Ashley

Texoblogosphere: Week of August 3rd

The Texas Progressive Alliance prefers Attorneys General who aren’t themselves lawbreakers as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff is dismayed but not surprised by the business community’s apathy about the coming effects of climate change in Texas.

Ken Paxton’s indictments broke news on Saturday afternoon, about 24 hours later than PDiddie at Brains and Eggs predicted. The one remaining question is: how long does our lazy-eyed attorney general twist in the wind before Gov. Greg Abbott cuts down his stinking carcass?

Nonsequiteuse is concerned we may never get back through the looking glass. She realizes that facts are a quaint vestige of simpler times, but cannot resist offering not one but five of them, plus a conclusion, an opinion, and even a bonus prediction about Ken Paxton’s pending felony indictment, words that give her great delight to type over and over and over again.

Socratic Gadfly talks about the initial rollout of Congress’ “new” energy plan and how so little of it is new.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme say you can thank Ronald Reagan and his greedy friends for all of the mentally ill people out on the streets. An Edinburg woman is a widow thanks to Ronnie and the new, militarized police.

Neil at All People Have Value made note of former President Carter referring to the U.S. as an oligarchy. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Scott Braddock analyzes the Donald Trump-inspired proxy war between Rick Perry and Ted Cruz.

Lone Star Ma prays for peace and justice.

David Ortez explains what the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance is and why it matters.

Street Smart shows how sacrificing the local street grid for highways can be devastating to the surrounding area.

The Texas Election Law Blog has some hope for restoring regulatory balance to the voting rights process.

Could Texas Attorney General Face Indictment?

One thing you can say for Texas… we sure like to stay in legal trouble.
Whether it’s picking constant fights with the Obama Administration, being a thorn in the side of the EPA, or spawning lawsuits from severe funding cuts to public schools, the Republican-dominated state government cannot seem to stay out of court.
That long list of woes does not exclude the person elected to defend the state n court matters either.  Besides his work issues, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s personal affairs are soon to become much more complicated. Here’s the story from Lauren McGaughy of the Houston Chronicle
AUSTIN – A Collin County judge has expanded the probe into Attorney General Ken Paxton’s alleged securities violations, by widening the scope of possible offenses under investigation by two special prosecutors.

In late April, Judge Scott Becker appointed Houston criminal defense attorneys Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer as special prosecutors to assist in the “investigation and, if warranted, the prosecution of Ken Paxton for the securities law complaints currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers.”

In an amended order issued May 20, however, it was expanded to “any and all offenses arising out of Ken Paxton’s alleged violations of the Texas Securities Act.”

“I requested the scope of our investigation be expanded because of things that were uncovered in the course of the investigation,” Schaffer told the Chronicle Thursday. “We wanted to make sure the scope of our investigation was not limited by the original order. We were simply going where the evidence took us.”

By expanding the scope of Paxton’s possible offenses, it also increases the possibility that he will be formally indicted on charges in the coming weeks.

Texans should be shocked at this.  It’s an insult to the state that our Attorney General… the person responsible for defending the government in legal matters, has so little disregard for the law himself.  An indictment could spell great difficulty for state legal affairs, as the Attorney General will almost surely face pressure to resign.  We can’t have our state’s top cop not doing his or her job effectively because they themselves are the subject of a court case.

Off the Kuff has more.

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(Photo credit:  the Dallas Morning News)

 

 

Ken Paxton Tries to VOID Texas’ 1st Same-Sex Marriage

For our state’s top legal counsel, Ken Paxton sure seems to have some issues interpreting legal actions.

After an yesterday’s historic event which saw the first ever same-sex marriage in the state of Texas, it comes as no surprise that the Attorney General decided to move swiftly to prevent others from occurring, as that was to be expected.  But what Texans didn’t necessarily count on?  That the Attorney General would need to stretch the truth in order to even do that.

Here’s an official statement from the AG’s website regarding the events…

“The Court’s action upholds our state constitution and stays these rulings by activist judges in Travis County. The same-sex marriage license issued by the Travis County Clerk is void, just as any license issued in violation of state law would be. I will continue to defend the will of the people of Texas, who have defined marriage as between one man and one woman, against any judicial activism or overreach.”

KPFalse

 

But there is a problem with Paxton’s finding here.  The Texas Supreme Court issued a stay to prevent any other same-sex marriages from occurring in the state.  However, they did not issue the stay in time to effect the marriage of Goodfriend and Bryant.  The injunctions requested affect any marriage attempts occurring from that point forward, with Writ of Mandamus pending…

TXScotus

One doesn’t have to be a legal scholar to see the inherent issues with Paxton’s statement.  AG Ken Paxton cannot invalidate the couple’s marriage unless he takes them to court in a lawsuit. His declaration is certainly a bold move, but will easily be found erroneous in any higher court.

It’s also worth wondering why this is such a high priority in the first place.  Like Greg Abbott before him, Ken Paxton considers stopping loving couples from getting married as a priority of the highest order for the state… literally less than 48 hours from the initial Travis County judge’s ruling.  Yet “preventing same-sex marriage” isn’t listed anywhere on the Attorney General’s list of priorities.  Is the A.G.’s office acting as quickly to aid ailing veterans or to stop child abusers and murderers from roaming our streets as they have to stop Texans from marrying?  The immediate guess would be absolutely not.

The legal wrangling may be frustrating, but at least it has now begun for the state of Texas.  We can’t win the war without first fighting the battle.

 

 

Texoblogosphere: Week of October 13th

The Texas Progressive Alliance celebrates the advance of marriage equality and looks forward to the day when it comes to our state as we bring you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff published his interview with Mike Collier, Democratic candidate for Comptroller.

Libby Shaw writing for Texas Kaos and Daily Kos wants to make sure Texas women voters remember in November. TX Greg Abbott’s War on Poor Women is Real and it is Mean.

So there was this ad about a guy in a wheelchair on teevee last week. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs thinks that people observing Texas politics that don’t live in Texas just don’t get it.

As crunch time arrives, Texas Leftist wants voters to know just how far out in the political fringe we have to put Republican Dan Patrick. So far out, this week he started running against Rick Perry. Plus, don’t miss my interview with the only sensible candidate in the Lt. Gov. race, Democrat Leticia Van de Putte.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. Of all the bad GOP statewide candidates, and there are many to choose from, Ken Paxton may be the worst, GOP AG Candidate Ken Paxton’s Legal Predicament, Will He Be indicted?

Vote this November with CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme if you want Latinas treated with dignity, people of African descent given life-saving efforts when ill, and Texas women to have proper health services.

Neil at Blog About Our Failing Money Owned Political System wrote about the two ebola cases in the United States. BAOFMOPS is one of many worthy pages to review at NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Unfair Park tallies the cost of assuaging irrational fears about Ebola.

Mark Phariss, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Texas’ ban on same sex marriage, urges the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to schedule oral arguments in that case already.

Nonsequiteuse reminds us that sneakers are made for blockwalking as well as filibustering. Pink is optional.

Christopher Hooks provides another example of Breitbart Texas being stark raving loony.

The Lunch Tray wrote a piece for the New York Times on the ongoing school lunch wars.

The TSTA Blog highlights another education cutter seeking to get back into office.

Greg Wythe teases his return with a promised look at how the early vote is going.

Mustafa Tameez condemns Dan Patrick’s “irresponsible” border ad.

Juanita speaks as a person with disabilities about that Wendy Davis ad.

Finally, the TPA congratulates Grits for Breakfast on its tenth anniversary of blogging.

Coryell County courthouse

 

Coyell County Courthouse in Gatesville, Texas (photo credit: Kevin Stewart on Flickr)

Sam Houston Challenges ‘Invisible’ GOP Opponent To Debate

In most statewide election cycles, the typical focus is going to be on some key races… the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and state legislature.  The first two because they are the highest elected officials in the state, and the legislature because they are the ones who represent constituents at capitol, and those who make the laws.

But in Texas, there is another race that sometimes matters more than any of these others, especially for citizens that have to deal with a court of law.  Once elected, the Attorney General set important and far-ranging legal procedures that have a huge effect across the state.  It’s an Attorney General that chooses how and to what extent that punishment for law breakers (or convicted of being a law breaker) will be pursued.  Will the person caught with an ounce of hash have to pay a fine not unlike that associated with a traffic ticket, or will that ounce mean that they have to lose their job, their home, and completely change the trajectory of their life after serving a prison sentence?  More often than not, these life-altering decisions are made by attorneys, and the Attorney General is the most powerful amongst that group.

For all of those listed reasons, it is imperative that Texans know their candidates for the state’s highest legal official.  But as Democratic candidate for Attorney General Sam Houston points out, it’s been quite difficult to locate his Republican opponent Ken Paxton in 2014. Here’s more from Lauren McGaughy of the Houston Chronicle

Democratic candidate for attorney general Sam Houston wants his opponent, state Sen. Ken Paxton, to agree to a debate ahead of the November general election.

Houston is expected to issue the challenge Wednesday at a news conference in Austin, demanding his Republican opponent “quit hiding from the media and the voters,” spokeswoman Sue Davis confirmed.

“To me, this is fair. He’s either going to debate me or explain to somebody why he hasn’t,” Houston said Friday. “How is this guy going to be attorney general if he won’t even address the issues?”

Houston contends his opponent hasn’t made a public appearance in months, ever since Paxton admitted to repeatedly soliciting investment clients over the last decade – a service for which he pocketed up to a 30 percent in commission – without being properly registered with the state as an investment adviser representative.

Paxton’s campaign called Houston’s demand for a debate “desperate”.  But what is so desperate about wanting Texans to know your views on particular issues?  Just like Greg Abbott last week, Ken Paxton’s excuse to avoid a debate sounds like it’s motivated purely out of fear that if Texans learn the truth about him and his views, they won’t agree.

The art of debate and argument is critical to being a lawyer.  If Ken Paxton can’t agree to one debate, then he doesn’t deserve to be the state’s top lawyer. Let’s hope the Sam Houston campaign and Texas Democrats keep up the pressure.