letter from harris county attorney

Along those lines, I note two potential future Constable candidates: Don Dinh, a Deputy Constable in Precinct 1 since 2020 who was for 24 years before that a sergeant in the Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Constables office, filed a designation of treasurer to run for Constable in Precinct 5. Its your own damn fault you didnt vote! According to the story, this all took place within a few hours, and according to other members of both groups who the author spoke to, it was no big deal at the time. Oftentimes, federal agents will handle investigative tasks, such as interviewing witnesses or executing search warrants, and then the United States Attorneys Office will rely on those investigative efforts of the federal agents to build a case for trial. This court is a sham and a disgrace, and the only way forward is to pack it with judges that will actually apply the law. My read on this Ive sent some questions to the Harris County Attorneys office to get clarification is that Elections Admin Longoria would like a ruling from the court to settle the question of what exactly she is and is not allowed to do, given that as things stand right now saying the wrong thing could get her arrested. Harris County will pause its lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over the proposed Interstate 45 widening in hopes that it leads to a consensus that has eluded them for more than four years. 55th District Court Judge Latosha Payne ruled Aug. 9 against atemporary injunctionstemmed from civil litigation lodged in April against the Harris County Bail Bond Board that attempted to prevent the premium policy from taking effect. Its a complicated story. At a May 11 hearing with the state House Elections Committee to address delayed election results, Longoria argued the plan utilizing law enforcement officers and deputized staffers is in compliance with Texas law. 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. 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. The Bail Bond Board adopted this rule after hearing directly from the families of victims of violent crimes, community organizers, and law enforcement. Please update the original post to include this information. 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. If you throw out all of the Election Day provisional ballots, DaSean Jones still leads by 89 votes. No results found. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee Tuesday denied Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegars announcement that county officials are attempting to resolve the defunding claims Hegar made earlier this month. If you can do better than I did, or if the webpage eventually fixes itself, let me know. The county's position on his determination that the county defunded the Precinct 5 Constable's Office has not changed. I cant tell if this is just using a round number because exact figures are confusing or if this is the exact figure. RECORDING OF ANY PROBATE PROCEEDINGS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITEDAND COULD RESULT IN A FINDING OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. I dont know when they plan on ruling, but at some point it just doesnt matter. Sometimes if you sign up for trustee (work while in jail) they give you and extra days credit. 18 Cause No. 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 election took countless hours of work not only by county employees, but by election judges and workers from both parties. This is how I learned how little was in their campaign accounts. I will summarize what happened: A Republican poll watcher showed up to observe what the EVBB and SVC were doing. Federal and state law require that ballots be kept secure for 22 months after an election to allow for recounts and challenges a time frame Texas counties have had set in place for decades. i know understandably literally nobody is in the mood to hear about primary runoff election night but i am at NRG arena & feel compelled to tell you that so many people are working very hard (here and across the state) to get votes counted tonight, Jen Rice (@jen_rice_) 10:04 PM 24 May 2022. Hidalgos opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. ; and. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. We use cookies to improve security, personalize the user experience, enhance our marketing activities (including cooperating with our marketing partners) and for other business use. I was all set to have a peaceful weekend when I came across a press release from Commissioner Ellis office on Friday afternoon about this. I have $15 Million in Zimbabwe dollars locked in a safe. 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. Could be anything from a subpoena to an envelope of glitter. The letter, from the law firm Odelson, Sterk, Murphey, Frazer & McGrath is addressed to five of the 11 candidates for ethics board: David Carrabotta, Lisa Emmett Stechman, David Laske, Joy Alfonsi . Lets make it a little less hard for these Dems who clearly and correctly won their races. 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. 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. Seems like a lot of fuss for something that is unlikely to go anywhere, but who knows. We are doing everything we can to move this project forward, James Koch, director of transportation planning and development for TxDOT in Houston, told a North Houston Association luncheon on Wednesday. Amendments, Corporate Attorneys. Directive, Power The citys press release is here. Rory Olsen is represented by Jared Woodfill. I have a hard time believing that this couldnt have been litigated before Tuesday afternoon, however. Looking on the Electronic Filings search, I think this case is number 22-1044. See here and here for the background. In a statement, Menefee confirmed his office will file a lawsuit against Hegar. 2023-00937; Matthew Dexter v. Judge Genesis Draper. About | Theres absolutely no justification for this state and federal law are clear, and nothing has changed about them. See here and here for some background; the story also references the lawsuit filed by Harris County that has been temporarily paused to allow the discussion that led to this agreement. The lawsuit was brought by Harris County election administrator Isabel Longoria and Cathy Morgan, a volunteer deputy registrar who is appointed to help register voters in Travis and Williamson counties. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the subject of an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency following complaints that the state agency violated civil rights laws in its permitting of concrete batch plants. She offered examples of voters she no longer felt she could help navigate the vote-by-mail process. We appreciate your patience and look forward to speaking with you soon. The dispute seems to be more about politics than the law, Martin Renteria, a Republican election judge in Harris County, said. Residents in Aldine recently packed a room to tell TCEQ not to approve another new plant only to find out that the deadline had already passed to ask the state agency to escalate the dispute to the next level. Somebody has to be in the kitchen, or else were all on the menu, he said during a Dec. 8 panel discussion with federal highway officials and local opponents. Name Change, Buy/Sell The Harris County GOPpushed backon the countys plan, arguing only election judges are allowed to transport ballots and instructing Republican election judges to drive ballots themselves. I dont know what legal options the majority has, but I do know that the Speaker of the House has the authority to call upon the Texas Rangers to round up legislative quorum-busters, which is why they always flee the state. The Brennan Center, Weil, and the Harris County Attorneys Office are seeking the injunction on behalf of Isabel Longoria, the Election Administrator for Harris County, Texas; and the Brennan Center and Weil are also representing Cathy Morgan, a volunteer election worker in Texas. The case, Paxton v. Longoria, concerns a First-Amendment issue over how provisions in Senate Bill 1, a 2021 law, could lead to civil penalties and or criminal prosecution of county election administrators and volunteer deputy registrars. January 2022 reports are here, July 2022 reports are here. The only other race that is close enough to be even theoretically affected by the provisional ballots is the County Criminal Court #3 race, where Porsha Brown trails by the even smaller margin of 267 votes. The Department of Justice haschallengedS.B. You could have voted early! The San Antonio Report consulted another expert with a similar opinion. The petition is filed in Harris County, but the case will be heard by a judge from outside the county, according to Menefees office. Houston, Texas, U.S. Kim Ogg is an American lawyer. Maybe you illegally downloaded a movie or song. Voting, Board Hidalgos order requires students, teachers, staff and visitors to K-12 schools and daycare centers to wear face coverings. People near them, concerned for their health, plead for them to go far away. At the same convention where the state GOP adopted the new legislative priorities, more than 8,000 delegates also approved a resolution rejecting the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election and declaring that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States.. The security controls exist for a good reason, he said, and undermining them has serious implications. It could all be a moot point by then anyway.. CIA plans to hold a fundraiser, hopefully on Feb 19. For example, is the definition narrowly limited to seeking application for violative mail-in ballots? The right to free speech and the right to vote are vital to democracy, and S.B. The election code does not speak to the delivery other than the presiding judge must turn over those election records to our election office. They are trying to make it as difficult as possible, and talking people out (of driving ballots themselves) by warning them there will be long lines, Siegel said. Clubs In Action raising legal $ for judges. 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. Raising this as a First Amendment issue makes sense to me, and maybe it will make sense to the courts as well. Last time around, Hegar folded like a cheap suit after Harris County took the matter to court. Contractors, Confidentiality Although the scope of Rodriguezs preliminary injunction is limited, the judge dealt the first legal blow to new elections restrictions and voting changes Republican lawmakers enacted last year. Judges are being sued in their individual capacity. That is why each person named in a suit has to retain their own attorney. For the subject that I wanted to be thinking about yesterday, we start with this. That, coupled with $27 million in affordable housing assistance TxDOT must provide to make up for lost apartments and homes, will allow many residents to stay in the area despite risk of gentrification, said Tanya DeBose, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, in a video about the project produced by TxDOT. Gonzalez 0 4,032 0 9,258 Ogg 161,659 19,356 48,489 242,159 2023-01052; Sartaj Bal v. Judge Toria Finch. 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. An additional $10 collection fee will be added to each invoice referred to collections, as approved by Harris County Commissioners Court in September 2020. See here for the background. Cindy Siegel, chairwoman of the Harris County GOP, said officials are impeding on the democratic process. In the interim, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Garcia, who both were outspoken about the need for changes to the design, were reelected. Life comes at you fast. 14 Cause No. Similarly, Morgan argued in the filing that her work as a voter registrar particularly around the University of Texas in Austin will be hampered if she can no longer proactively suggest that eligible but unaware voters request an application to vote by mail as she has in the past.. As shown by Attorney General . In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. As the motion filed today argues, this provision violates the First Amendment and undermines election officials and election workers ability to perform their duties. The bail board, as the lawsuit points out, is designed to oversee the bonding business in Harris County. You never know. County Judge Lina Hidalgo had little to report after the session but said the county attorneys office is researching options. 2023-00927; Bruce Bain v. Judge Corey Sepolio. 15 Cause No. I maintain as I said yesterday that it is highly unlikely that the 180th Court will be affected. Planning, Wills Another 49 challenges came in after Aug. 10, the 90th day before the election. I dont see a quick path to a resolution here. The motion for a preliminary injunction inLongoria v. Paxtonishere. The anti-solicitation provision makes it unlawful for a public official or election official while acting in an official capacity to knowingly . Instead, the legislature and the Governor have made it a crime to do so.. . 2 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. The amended complaint was filed on Monday, December 27. Todays decision allows the threat of criminal prosecution to loom over officials trying to help voters. Elizabeth Buss is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. You have separation of powers.. The information contained in this site was valid at the time of posting. Us, Delete This website often will provide the arresting agency . If I trusted them before I have no reason not to trust them now. Though there is concern about the projects impacts in Midtown, Third Ward and Eado, the most vocal opposition to the project emanates from north of downtown where TxDOT proposes to add two managed lanes in each direction to I-45. See here for the background. The article is paywalled, but I got to see a Google doc copy of it. His application of state law is wrong. The bondsmen would also have to report how the premium was paid and who paid it. They saw it as a chance to win long-sought relief for people who have suffered from batch plants. 1 Cause No. The voted ballots are the core of the election process and the prohibition on disturbing the ballots (except in limited circumstances as permitted by the Election Code) preserves the integrity of the election itself, wrote Adam Bitter, general counsel for the office,in a letter obtained by Votebeatthrough a public records request. On rebuttal, Pettit argued that sanctionable solicitation is not limited to criminal inducement. Planning Pack, Home A court of law ordered Harris County to keep the polls to open for an additional hour on Election Day and people across our county cast their ballots during that time, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement. Marilyn Burgess, District Clerk 2023-01103; Kyle Scott v. Carla Wyatt. During a Wednesday hearing before the court, the foremost issue that appeared to concern the justices was whether they should provide an advisory opinion to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals at all. 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. Templates, Name But I will send out word when I learn more. Harris County Attorney said Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar's claims that Harris County officials are finding a resolution to defunding law enforcement complaints are false. Dockets. A legal opinion released by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week will almost certainly throw county elections offices into chaos after November, experts say, exposing election clerks to possible criminal charges and materially reducing the security of every ballot cast in the state. There will be a lot more litigation over the rest of that law to come. Thats one of many reasons why I plan to do everything I can to protect public health.. Houston, Texas (October 20, 2022) Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner sent a joint letter to the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division requesting that federal monitors be sent to Harris County for the November 2022 election. The Real Estate Practice Group handles legal matters regarding the Countys acquisitions and sales of real property. Menefee 36,826 30,700 0 193,291 The opinion has already impacted elections administrators across the state, who told Votebeat that theyve seen an onslaught of requests since Paxton released it. Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to be a drug den.Jun 21, 2021. Usually, federal agents will handle investigative tasks, such as interviewing witnesses or executing search warrants, and then the United States Attorneys Office will rely on those investigative efforts of the federal agents to build a case for trial. We need more Barbara Jordans in politics (Opinion) 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. But they could if they are willing to do so.. I wish I felt more optimistic, but its not like the Fifth Circuit will care. Is it limited to demanding submission of an application for mail-in ballots (whether or not the applicant qualifies) or does it broadly cover the kinds of comments Plaintiffs stated that they wish to make: telling those who are elderly or disabled, for example, that they have the opportunity to apply for mail-in ballots? The reality is that if communication is ignored, the party who received the letter can be fairly certain that they will end up in court. Steve Radack. Harris County Commissioners Court on Thursday voted to sueTexas Comptroller GlennHegars office in response to hiscomments accusing the countyof defunding law enforcement. From what Ive gathered from talking to people, the multiple-dropoff-locations idea, which had been Diane Trautmans original plan, is probably the best way to go. Burgess 940 14,710 5,207 5,403 You could have voted elsewhere! I dont know how likely that is, but it never hurts to talk. People also can comment online, via phone or at local TxDOT offices. 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. Do NOT delete this post and create a new post with the requested information. Longoria is employed by Harris County, and Morgan is a volunteer registrar. People accused of violent crimes should not get any discounts while they await trial, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who proposed the fee minimum to county commissioners, said in a statement. I've been notified of misdemeanor charges through the mail (not certified) and served by process. Standards for Court Approval ofAttorney Fees, - Automatic Continuance for Care of New Chil. So lets think about this instead: . See here for the background, and here for a copy of the ruling. 2023-00930; Mark Goldberg v. Judge Erika Ramirez. Were here today because the TCEQ failed to address these issues when it had the chance.. All public comments received by Aug. 8 will be submitted to the commission, including comments fromTuesdays midday virtual public hearing. 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. Divorce, Separation The Supreme Court is occasionally solicitous of the First Amendment, if it approves of the speech in question, so who knows what they might do. Agreements, Bill of 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. She is 1 of 17 elected Harris County Dem. 2023-00924; Elizabeth Buss v. Judge David Fleischer. Still, others have been pleasantly surprised when what was once an existential threat is transformed into a manageable inconvenience. Judge Finch is represented by Anthony Drumheller. Texas Attorney General Website (How to Request Public Information), Harris County Attorneys Office,1019 Congress,15th FloorHouston, TX 77002.