Neither party raised concerns. 7 Cause No. & Resolutions, Corporate See here for the background. 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. The investigation will focus on whether the adoption of the amendment and the permitting process is discriminatory, and whether the state agency failed to seek meaningful public comment. County Attorney > Home - Harris County, Texas The lawsuit follows the approval by the Harris County Bail Bond Board to require bondsmen to take in 10 percent or more of the surety bond minimum set by a judge or magistrate to make it more difficult for violent offenders to leave jail and go on to commit more crime. Check out the subscription page by clicking Buy Now. The remedy for having to vote late because of voting location problems is to extend voting hours to accommodate those that were affected. For Houston, more than $6 billion of the plans spending centers on I-45, masking it nearly half of the $12.5 billion Houstons TxDOT district has to spend over the next decade. RECORDING OF ANY PROBATE PROCEEDINGS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITEDAND COULD RESULT IN A FINDING OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. Theres absolutely no justification for this state and federal law are clear, and nothing has changed about them. Their leadership has known about the Countys election day plans for some time, yet they waited until 6 hours before the polls close to now ask a court to throw the plans out the window and put residents votes at risk, Menefee said in a statement. Orange/Osceola State Attorney's Office. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee on Thursday expressed disappointment in the decision by the 5th Circuit, which has blocked a number of court challenges to conservative policies. Were bringing real money to the county to ensure were protecting our youth from e-cigarette use, said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. According to a letter from the District Attorney's Office to the City of Houston, District Attorney Kim Ogg requested "all City of Houston ordinances, codes, or rules that pertain or in any way . Spanish, Localized This website often will provide the arresting agency . One year ago, opponents of the states plan to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston criticized the take it or leave it optionstate officials offered regarding amending plansfor the mega-project. I want to send a message to the Harris County elections administrator, Taylor said. The midnight update had about 98% of ballots counted on the Dem side and about 95% on the GOP side 70,016 of 72,796 Dem votes and 105,486 of 116,100 GOP votes. Still, others have been pleasantly surprised when what was once an existential threat is transformed into a manageable inconvenience. This practice group works closely with The State of Texas in Mental Health commitment. Thats what we need to aim for. Liens, Real If Hegars goal was to make headlines while insulting the basic intelligence of Harris County residents, I guess he achieved that. That would require dividing the short fiscal year by 16 pay periods and multiplying that by 26 to cover the whole year, she said. Attorneys. 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. 2023-00934; Brian Staley v. Judge Monica Singh. Privacy | In a statement Tuesday, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefees office said: The requests for these documents were handled the same as any other requests for documents related to ongoing litigation against the county. While Ingram was on the stand, Rodriguez presented him with hypothetical interactions between Longoria and voters, asking if she could recommend voting by mail to someone who appeared to qualify. State highway officials held fast to their plans for rebuilding Interstate 45 in Houston on Thursday, offering a litany of benefits the project will bring and pressing federal officials to lift a 12-month-and-counting pause on development. Area residents had fought the companys application, which was rejected on the grounds that it didnt adequately study the impacts of pollutants. Highway officials, however, have said since March that the federal review and lawsuit leave them no choice but to stop talking. Another type of letter that can be issued from the United States Attorneys Office is a target letter.. The average attorney charges $500 per hour. About | Erin Lunceford is represented by Andy Taylor. Ballots are kept in secure lock boxes for 60 days, and then transferred to another secure facility for the remainder of the waiting period in order tocomply withthe Civil Rights Act of 1960, a federal law which, in part, requires ballots be securely stored for 22 months. of Incorporation, Shareholders Corporations, 50% Contact, who do court appointed attorney work for in michigan, where file florida department of revenue power of attorney, for power of attorney who is the principal and who is the agent, find out how many cases an attorney has won, how to get an out of state power of attorney for car registration tennessee, texas durable power of attorney form 2019 which statute, what k8nd of registered mail letters come from the state attorney, why would i get a letter from harris county attorney. No one knows this better than the former federal prosecutors at Oberheiden, P.C. The request drew a fast rebuke from Democratic Party leaders and Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. Ignoring the letter forces the opposing partys lawyer to do one thing recommend that his or her client proceed to Court. As the Harris County Attorney, Christian D. Menefee is the chief civil lawyer for the largest county in Texas. After spending months at loggerheads, but working on some consensus, the Texas Department of Transportation committed to a handful of concessions, such as increasing the money it will pay the Houston Housing Authority for relocation and development of affordable housing, and assurances to design the project as much within the current freeway footprint as possible. How TxDOT will rebuild Interstate 69 beneath Metropolitan Transit Authoritys Red Line light rail in Midtown while keeping the trains moving as much as possible. Hes playing a tough game with everybody, but if enough people stand up to him and cause enough of an uproar, hell back down, I think, Flores said. Such requests have been used by activists all over the country as a way to audit election results. UPDATE: The Trib story also references 2,000 ballots, which does not help clear up my confusion. You never know. It doesnt make any sense outside of, obviously, cynical partisanship and these targeted actions against Harris County, the most diverse county in the state Mirza said. Im sure theyll say theyre just a bland nonprofit, but to a voter who does not have a law degree, who does not have a background in law enforcement, you are a lot more likely to believe that this is some kind of quasi-official visit, Slattery said. Which, despite this being Montgomery County, and despite it being entirely his show, declined to indict Icsezen on whatever charges Paxton had dreamed up. They couldnt hold out forever theres a lot of pressure to make I-45 renovation and expansion happen and no one gets everything they want in a negotiation. The Statesman has a couple of key bits from the ruling: In his order, Rodriguez rejected Paxtons argument that the solicitation ban targets government speech, which isnt protected by the First Amendment because the state is allowed to regulate how public employees perform official duties. Let me just show you what that second linked file says: The case underlying these certified questions is a pre-enforcement challenge to two recently enacted provisions of the Texas Election Code: section 276.016(a) (the anti-solicitation provision) and section 31.129 (the civil-liability provision) as applied to the anti-solicitation provision. 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. Dockets. Those challenges are awaiting a summer trial. Seems like theres not that much in dispute, but theres always something. I dont see the appeals being successful, but maybe theres some technical point of law on which they can get a rehearing. Records, Annual Astros Week: Michael Brantley, AT&T Sports Southwest's Money Problem and Pitch Clock Chaos, Top Draft Prospect Jalen Carter Charged With Reckless Driving and Racing on Day of NFL Combine. The information contained in this site was valid at the time of posting. The right to free speech and the right to vote are vital to democracy, and S.B. Like flies to garbage, though, you know theyll be back for more. Its a win, at least temporarily, for Harris County officials in a fight against Paxtons attempt to discard thousands of midterm ballots as election results are set to be certified Tuesday. With a new election administrator about to come on board, we can revisit the matter and see if theres a consensus to be had. No one wants all this hard work to go to waste. The original hearing was in the 269th Civil Court, and the second hearing was to have been on May 6. 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. 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. Instead, hes basically taking this power and turning it into a mechanism to tie local officials hands. The Texas Transportation Commission kept I-45 in its funding plans a few months ago, and some design work was allowed to continue, but now theres another federal complaint filed against the project by various opponents. These losing candidates are finally laying bare what we all know to be true for them, its not about improving elections or making sure our elections are secure, its about playing games with our democratic systems and refusing to accept the will of the voters.. They dont know when theyre going to run afoul of this vague [law].. You can read the Chron story here and their explainer about election contests here. Tatum, your day of reckoning has just started.. The Press has more. After closing the polls, election judges will hand off ballots to law enforcement officers and deputized county staffers, who will drive the equipment to the central counting station at NRG Arena on the judges behalf. However, he is leading by 449 votes, so if you threw out all of the E-Day provisionals, he would still be ahead by 89 votes in his race. I was on several endorsements interviews with some of these judges through a different organization. Like a ritual murder involving tomato and cream cheese? 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. Remember, if you are not working you are not getting paid but the office bills continue nevertheless. Regarding the temporary restraining order request getting rejected, Kevin Pennell the plaintiffs lawyer said in an email Friday he had no comment. Im proud of this outcome settling our lawsuit against JUUL. Thats a new statutory deadline for all judicial fundraising it used to be the case that judges who were involved in lawsuits could continue past that deadline, but the law was changed in the last session, so here we are. Why would I receive a letter from Harris County attorney? As a reminder, and as you can see from the report released by the Elections Office on the 18th, DaSean Jones netted 360 votes from the provisional ballots cast on Election Day. The average District Attorney in the US makes $77,118. But no matter the ultimate outcome, Taylor said, Abbotts political standing will likely remain unaffected. 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. See here for the background. Icsezen did so. Judge Jones is represented by Oliver Brown. Have I got that right? 1 went into effect on December 2, 2021. 4 Cause No. HCTRA Harris County Toll Road Authority Theres no reason, just because youve turned 65, that you cant show up to vote, Hall said in promoting the changes during the June GOP Convention in Houston. it will not end well for you in the long run. The root cause of that debate, however, remains unresolved, Hegar said in the statement, referring to the defunding spat from last fall. Icsezen interpreted this to mean that they werent allowed to observe the SVC, checked his interpretation with the Harris County Attorney, which approved his decision, and turned the poll watcher away. Respondents are ordered to provide the Court with a copy of the canvass results, including the separately tabulated later cast votes, as soon as they are available. Disclaimer | Divorce, Separation 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. Googling around, I saw a news item from September about Juul settling with the state of Texas, which was part of a larger class action settlement, and a news item from December about a $1.7 billion settlement of over 5000 lawsuits nationwide. Phil Sandlin, Constable Precinct 8, Teneshia Hudspeth, County Clerk Texas should be encouraging election officials to provide voters all the information they need to participate in elections. That would include increasing penalties for those who violate election laws even inadvertently, reducing early voting days and restricting mail-in balloting to only the military, the disabled and people who will be out of the county during the entirety of early voting. It could also ask voters to approve the funding reduction in a referendum, Hegar said. If that does not happen, the county will resume the suit and well let the courts decide.. 1 makes it a crime for public officials or election officials to encourage voters to request a mail ballot application, even if the person would be eligible to vote by mail. Specialist legal advice should be taken in relation to specific circumstances. S.B. By signing the Business Records Affidavit and having it notarized, the recipient attests that the documents provided are true and correct copies of the original documents and that the documents are kept in the normal course of business. Another 49 challenges came in after Aug. 10, the 90th day before the election. of Incorporation, Shareholders We are excited to remain an active partner in this planning and development process.. There must be a hearing after notice within ten Attorneys Office, you should contact the former state and federal prosecutors at Oberheiden, P.C. For months, election administrators in Texas and across the country have been fielding records requests from activists intent on re-examining every ballot cast in every election since November 2020 or, in some cases, even earlier. webcomments@hctx.net. It does not make the records confidential (where it would be illegal to disclose the information); it just means the government is not required to disclose the information, Aleshire said. Judge Jackson is represented by John Raley. Those against the project often note it will result in the demolition of more than 1,000 residences, nearly 350 businesses and a handful of schools and churches. The mayor announced Thursday that Arturo G. Michel is returning to government as City Attorney for the City of Houston. I was also told that the settlement amount was $20 million, which was discussed at this weeks Commissioners Court meeting. Im extremely doubtful that there is a legitimate legal challenge here, Stein said. She said Republican judges only learned the day before that election that they would have to hand ballots over at polling sites, rather than drive them downtown themselves. Free preview Harris County Attorney Letter, Why Would You Get A Letter From The County Attorney, Harris County District Court Vacation Letter, Living A temporary guardianship may be created without notice to the ward if the court has probable cause to believe that the incapacitated minor or adult person requires the immediate appointment of a guardian, without a formal doctors letter or hearing. 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. Im sure this group is totally on the up-and-up and will spend an equivalent amount of time canvassing in Baytown and Kingwood and the Villages. 2022-79328; Erin Lunceford v. Judge Tami Craft. The Harris County Attorneys Office whose attorneys were unaware of the judges ruling until the order was uploaded Monday to the Harris County District Clerks Office defended the Bail Bond Board against the lawsuit. This group also litigates matters regarding real property, which includes the Countys acquisition of property through the power of eminent domain, declaratory judgments and inverse condemnations. We have the knowledge and skills to get results. Theres clearly a difference of interpretation of the law here, and if that cant be resolved on its own then a courtroom is the proper venue. After weeks of meetings between state and federal highway officials, the Texas Department of Transportation can proceed with detailed design work of the southernmost stretches of the project, portions of the downtown redesign called Segment 3, removing them from the development pause put in place by federal highway officials in June. Some of the projects cost comes from other non-TxDOT sources, while some of the money dedicated on the project will not be spent until later parts of the construction, likely to stretch beyond 2032. 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. Be that as it may, the point about the counties just not moving to undo what they have ordered is an interesting point. 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. Texas has a primary election on March 1, 2022. Hiring or retaining a lawyer is simply too expensive. Dan Simons is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. 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. 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. They are scaring people into creating this system that isnt even legal.. 2023-00925; Michelle Fraga v. Judge Christine Weems. 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. . And Id bet none of those county judges suffer for any of it politically, either. Thank you for your help! The project also connects to trails for running and biking, adds air monitoring in certain areas, adds features aimed at encouraging transit use and commits to stormwater design changes sought by the Harris County Flood Control District. 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. Well see him in court.. But due to a change in state law, you only have until March 8 to make a contribution. Theft, Personal I have personally been told by persons actually residing at these addresses that the challenged voter does not reside at that address and is not only temporarily absent from that address with an intent to return, the affidavits read. 6 Cause No. Ingram said he didnt know the purpose of the provision. 2023-01067; Dan Spjut v. Judge Juanita Jackson. Oftentimes, a demand letter outlining your debts owed is enough to get debtors to pay up. From the inbox, a press release from Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee: Judge David Peeples will preside over the election contest filed by Republican candidate Erin Lunceford to void the results of her race for the 189th District Court in the November 2022 Harris County General Election. 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? Harris County will continue to follow Texas law, not the Attorney Generals opinion.. However, a handful of candidates in tight races may consider legal challenges over election results. Once again, Comptroller Hegar has abused his authority, the county attorney said. JBCC Criminal Background Check, Training and Registration for Guardians, Houston Bar Association 2019-2020 Elder Law Handbook, Houston Bar Association Elder-Law-Handbook_in Spanish - Espanol, Personal Representative General Information Sheet, COVID-19 (CORONA VIRUS INFO) Probate Courts, First Emergency Order Regarding(COVID-19) State of Disaster2020, Harris County JudiciaryProbate Courts 2020, Harris County Judiciary Probate Courts 2021, Fifty-Fifth Emergency Order Regarding (COVID-19) State of Disaster 2022. All public comments received by Aug. 8 will be submitted to the commission, including comments fromTuesdays midday virtual public hearing. 5:00AM. Please help. Morgan testified that she was concerned the law applied even to volunteers like her, given that her role is formally certified by county election offices. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Interpret laws, rulings, and regulations for individuals and businesses. WHD knocked on about 1500. 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. Don't read that if you're having a good day. I am requesting that the Harris County Elections Administrator take the actions required by the Texas Election Code.. Even at the highest end of the estimate of locations that had issues, more than 90% of them did not. We made a good step the last time, but we are not there yet, State Sen. Bob Hall, a Republican from Edgewood, said about last years election reforms packages that reduced early voting hours in places like Harris County and put new restrictions on mail-in voting. Expect a response from the team within48 hoursof your requested date. Please give a few bucks if you can and help them all out. 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. Its your own damn fault you didnt vote! Did you witness something? That sort of addresses my question above about the last line in the SCOTx order. Im fine with this approach if theres a path to meeting the needs of the many people and groups that have been objecting to the design of this project, then sure, lets go for it but I wouldnt get my hopes up too much. The General Counsel Practice Group provides legal advice to the Countys elected and appointed officials, and employees. The Bell County attorney confirmed last week that a court order there had not been challenged by the Attorney Generals Office or another party. 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. The stay and pause, officials said, would give an opening to officials to work out details of the planned freeway widening without backing off their opposition to what TxDOT is proposing. It created a 20-day window of early voting in the late 1980s and expanded it dramatically in the early 1990s to include more locations like shopping malls and grocery stores.