letter from harris county attorney

Alan Rosen had his eye on the Sheriffs office back when Ed Gonzalez was a nominee for head of ICE, but thats off the table now. In a Nov. 29 letter from FHWA Chief Counsel Andrew Rogers, federal officials said recent discussions represent a good start but set parameters for any design work to proceed. Menefee. The information contained in this site was valid at the time of posting. This is how I learned how little was in their campaign accounts. We all know that Lina received very little in campaign contributions, especially compared to Mealer. The original hearing was in the 269th Civil Court, and the second hearing was to have been on May 6. As the highest-ranking election official in Harris County, Im responsible for enabling the countys millions of voters to exercise their right to cast a lawful ballot, many of whom face obstacles to voting in person due to illness, disability, or age. Looking on the Electronic Filings search, I think this case is number 22-1044. This practice group files lawsuits for collecting fines, taxes, judgments, workers compensation, property damage, contract, and other monies owed to Harris County. Real Estate, Last Throughout the hearing, Rodriguez also pressed for the reasoning behind the anti-solicitation provision, interrupting the states questioning of Ingram in search of an answer. Theres more, go read the whole thing, and add on this tweet thread from story author Jessica Huseman. Around the same time, Harris County sued TxDOT, saying the designs did not adequately address the impacts of noise and pollution in some communities, notably the North Side and Independence Heights. After an evidentiary hearing, the district court granted the plaintiffs motion for a preliminary injunction, enjoining the defendants from enforcing and prosecuting under the provisions. I think Harris County has the right response here. The law is clear that these voted ballots are confidential and its a crime for anyone to access them unless authorized by law.. Politicians at the news conference slammed the state environmental agency for valuing the needs of industryover the health of people. She cited the example of barratry, where lawyers unlawfully solicit clients for profit. All About Bail Bonds owner Sunya Claiborne, plaintiff in the lawsuit, contends that her business is at stake because the minimum charge requirement is classic price fixing and a per se antitrust violation without any grant of state authority to displace competition, according to court documents. 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. Attorney, Terms of I really dont think thats too much to ask. Burgess 940 14,710 5,207 5,403 A-Z, Form 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Its the motion for preliminary injunction, filed on Tuesday the 28th, for which I received a press release from the Harris County Attorneys office, which in turn led me to find the linked article from the Brennan Center (and this Twitter thread), that is trying to make something happen more quickly. 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. They have a goal in mind and this is why they hired a lawyer. That link takes you here, and while the in-person fundraiser mentioned there is now over, the Donate link remains. Verify that the Texas Attorney Vacation Form youre considering is appropriate for your state. See here for the background. Violators are subject to a fine between $300 -$500, can be taken to court, as well as have a warrant issued for their arrest for breaking Chapter 28 of Houston's code of ordinances. 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. This one was filed on December 10, and if there was any news coverage of it I am not able to find it. To put it another way, good luck proving intent. Do NOT delete this post and create a new post with the requested information. services, For Small The letter, addressed to Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan on Nov. 25, concludes the appointment of Isabel Longoria as the county's first election administrator is "unlawful and null and void The Texas Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Harris County can include about 2,100 ballots cast during an extra hour of Election Day voting when officials certify the midterm results. of Directors, Bylaws Longoria has planned to engage in speeches and hold voter-outreach events but has been unable to do so for fear of criminal prosecution and civil penalties, said Tuesdays filing, adding that Longoria also halted plans to promote mail-in voting with fliers and on social media. Change, Waiver Campos and the Texas Signal have more. It represents the publics interest by opposing the issuance and renewal of environmental permits if the permit would be detrimental to public health. Mark Herman, Constable Precinct 4 The Chron has more. If you can do better than I did, or if the webpage eventually fixes itself, let me know. According to the Public Information Act, the attorney generals office has 45 working days from the day after the request to respond. Agreements, Bill Incorporation services, Living Check out the subscription page by clicking Buy Now. 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. The Harris County Attorney and Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonprofit law group, alleged that the state environmental agency discriminated against racial and ethnic minorities and those with limited English proficiency through a revised permitting process to build new concrete batch plants. Forms, Small Skepticism remains high among project opponents that TxDOT can be a willing participant. County Attorney Christian Menefee and Lone Star lawyers alleged in separate complaints to the EPA earlier this year that the state agency discriminated against Black and Latino residents when they didnt adequately ensure communities would be protected and didnt appropriately seek input from people who arent fluent in English. And completely out of the blue. Mark Montgomery is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Attorney Fee Standards effective June 1, 2019. . Standards for Court Approval ofAttorney Fees. There is a deadline of MARCH 8 to raise funds!! Lawyers for the GOP argue the county is ignoring state election laws and breaking the mandatory chain of custody for ballots. In a statement, Longoria said: In April, the EAs Office discussed the May 7 law enforcement and county driver program with the Secretary of States Offices Managing Attorney of the Elections Division, specifically requesting guidance and recommendations. Garcia 33,177 8,498 0 54,177 What is troubling everybodyand apparently troubling the attorney general who wants to give a definition of solicitation that Im not aware existing in any criminal codeis the absurd result that someone could be held criminally liable for encouraging their fellow citizen to vote, Morales-Doyle said. 2504 Rusk St. #110 We expect TxDOT to uphold its end of this historic agreement, and not only to evaluate the impacts over the next year but to agree to and fund real solutions that address concerns about displacement, pollution, flooding and impacts on the public transportation network, said Harris County Pct. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg during a press conference Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Houston. The debate over law-enforcement funding in Harris County stems from the countys decision to shift its fiscal year and budgeting schedule to start in October instead of March. Any suggestion that the Harris County Elections Administrators Office lacks transparency is false, it said. 2023-00925; Michelle Fraga v. Judge Christine Weems. Commissioners Court had previously authorized Menefee to file suit. The office also provides legal advice to county officials and employees. Click the Create button below for a Certified Letter of Disposition or enter additional information . 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. & Estates, Corporate - An accurate and complete description of the vehicle (license plate, VIN number, year, make, model and color) that you own and desire returned. The county's position on his determination that the county defunded the Precinct 5 Constable's Office has not changed. There is no perfect design, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Mark Goldberg is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. We wont allow any group to engage in illegal conduct to try and remove registered voters off the rolls.. These are nuisance suits but the Judges and Lina have had to hire attorneys to represent them against the claims. In the letter to the attorney generals office, Bitter, the general counsel for the secretary of states 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. We are ready to move forward together, said Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan. 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. The Texas Secretary of States office agrees with the GOPs assessment. 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. Estates, Forms According to the petition filed Monday night,Wayne Dolcefino, a media consultant and former TV journalist,submitted multiple requests for public information on behalf of the Gallery Furniture owner, who was a major donor supporting Republican candidates including County Judge LinaHidalgos opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. The two new agreements, one between TxDOT and the city and another between TxDOT and Harris County, specify the commitments both sides are making. This case was always about reducing youth nicotine addiction in our communities. 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. The Texas Attorney Generals office is attempting a last-minute intervention to toss out 2,000 provisional ballots before a Harris County Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday to certify the November election. Sometimes if you sign up for trustee (work while in jail) they give you and extra days credit. Judge Williams is represented by Anthony Drumheller. He would almost surely run as a Dem in this heavily Democratic precinct. If that does not happen, the county will resume the suit and well let the courts decide.. The lawyers job is to protect the opposing partys interests Hiring a lawyer after receiving a letter is an excellent option. Carla Wyatt, County Treasurer, Alexandra Mealer, County Judge Hidalgo opened the meeting alternately lambasting Ramsey and Cagles absence and lamenting the potential impacts of the countys inability to approve its proposed tax rate. The letter, a response to a letter sent by seven Houston-area Congressman urging Buttigieg to not impede the project, was drafted by Stop TxDOT I-45, which formed to oppose the project, along with Air Alliance Houston and 14 environmental, community or left-leaning groups. Paxtons opinion, experts say, does not appropriately address the potential criminal exposure. Harris County assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of errors, omissions or discrepancies. As noted recently, the Supreme Court never responded to the initial writ, so I assume this was just a matter of the local GOP deciding it wasnt worth the effort to continue. First of all , the individual will have the guidance and information they need to begin negotiating a settlement rather than immediately preparing for court. Tenant, More Real Judge Singh is represented by Anthony Drumheller. Just to review the timeline a bit, the federal order to halt I-45 construction did indeed come one year ago, a couple of weeks after Harris County sued TxDOT over many of the previously expressed concerns about the project. So, until I hear otherwise, it is my contention that these provisional ballots are not enough to alter any races result, and also that this doesnt matter because all of the ballots should be counted. Feb. 18 is the last day for counties to receive applications for mail-in ballots for the March 1 primary. When it comes to voting by mail, I have to be very careful with my words, Longoria said from the witness stand. Im tentative to overreach at the moment.. Today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and the Harris County Attorneys Office moved for a preliminary injunctioninLongoria v. Paxton, their challenge to the provision in Texass restrictive voting law (S.B. I am writing to request your help with a matter that is very important to me. See here for the background. Name Change, Buy/Sell I want kids across Harris County to go on to live long, healthy lives. For the subject that I wanted to be thinking about yesterday, we start with this. of Incorporation, Shareholders for Deed, Promissory Speak with Oberheiden, P.C. Winning it will be another matter. & Resolutions, Corporate I was on several endorsements interviews with some of these judges through a different organization. Nile Copeland is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. 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. As things stand now, a whole lot of people will be mad at the outcome, whatever it is. I think the Fifth Circuit is evaluating whether to put the injunction back in place while the rest of the initial lawsuit is litigated, but we are in the weeds here and I dont have certainty about that. According to emails shared with Chronicle, parties including the Texas Attorney Generals office, Harris County Attorneys office, Texas Civil Rights Project, Harris County Republican Party and Harris County Democratic Party all signed off an agreement on Nov. 11 for processing the provisional ballots. The petition, which names Lunceford as the contestant and Craft as contestee, claims numerous violations of the Texas Election Code, including a failure to provide a sufficient amount of ballot paper to 25 polling locations. January 2022 reports are here, July 2022 reports are here. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee announced a settlement of the countys lawsuit against e-cigarette company JUUL Labs, Inc. over claims that JUUL deceptively marketed its products to children. Heres a Twitter thread from Chron reporter Emily Foxhall with more quotes. This practice group provides general legal services covering law enforcement, public works, community services, road and building construction, park site planning and development, vendor selection and contract development, agreement preparation for design and engineering services, real property transactions, inter-local agreements with other governmental jurisdictions, Public Information Act requirements, open meetings requirements, and the application of state and federal laws and regulations related to HIV/AIDS programs, the medical examiner, parks and library operations, disaster planning, and emergency management services. She is the Harris County District Attorney in Texas and assumed office in 2017. Regardless of the contents, if you're going to attempt to evade service of process, it will not end well for you in the long run. A hearing is scheduled Monday morning; lawyers representing San Antonio, Bexar County, will ask to extend the temporary restraining order into a temporary injunction. , New! Judges cant take pro bono help to defend selves. 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. Additionally, many letters from the U.S. Attorneys Office will include a blank Business Records Affidavit for the recipient to fill out and have notarized. Longoria is employed by Harris County, and Morgan is a volunteer registrar. Todays decision allows the threat of criminal prosecution to loom over election officials trying to help voters.. Which is what the Chron editorial board concluded a few days ago. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee says the county is not releasing the ballots, arguing the opinion Paxton issued in the name of election integrity last week runs afoul of the law. Rory Olsen is represented by Jared Woodfill. The Department of Justice haschallengedS.B. In fact, when something controversial enough happens to be the subject of a lawsuit, that is exactly when the public most needs to know what the record shows. Once it has a foothold, the momentum only goes in one direction. A judgerejecteda second attempt by a bail bondingbusiness to put an end to a Harris County rule requiring defendants accused of violent offenses to pay aminimum 10 percent feeto secure their release from jail, officials said Monday. 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. TCEQ later passed the amendment and approved the companys application after what it called a clerical error.. Call 888-680-1745 for Central Intake with Dr. Nick Oberheiden Letters From The U.S. Attorney's Office Last Updated: 2023-02-04 Oberheiden, P.C. The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. Look at how zealously they opposed all of the efforts to expand voting access in the pandemic, including the third week of early voting that Greg Abbott ordered. Judge Hidalgo is represented by Neal Manne. 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. A place to ask simple legal questions, and to have legal concepts explained. Public servants have moved on. Existing law said poll watchers were allowed at the former, but said nothing about the latter. There is no reason for them to bluff. Eagleton 51,665 23,158 119,650 59,159 Hopefully, well find out soon. This event transpired months ago and the officers who came to my house had me believe that I would be aware of any charges that evening by phone, however, I did not receive a call. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. If you need to write a similar letter. 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. The Harris County Attorneys Office determined that the board can do more than that and Commissioners Court passed a resolution urging its members to adopt rules regulating the minimum that a bondsman must collect to secure a defendants release from jail. Dan Spjut is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. At aMay 11 hearingwith the state House Elections Committee, Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria argued the countys ballot delivery plan utilizing law enforcement officers and deputized staffers is in compliance with Texas law. The Harris County Bail Bond Board, on its second attempt, passed a rule that made the ten percent minimum a requirement, and in response a bail bond company owner filed a lawsuit to stop it. Turner signed the citys agreement Monday, after it was signed by TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. Judge Lina Hidalgo is the head of Harris County's governing body. 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.. Sales, Landlord S.B. Menefee said he is undecided but leaning toward filing suit; he said the county would seek a temporary restraining order preventing the state from enforcing Abbotts July 29 executive order prohibiting local governments from issuing local COVID-19 restrictions. 2023-00955; James Lombardino v. Judge Audrie Lawton-Evans. They noted many of the details give TxDOT room to renege while others fall short of the changes some neighborhood advocates had sought. Taylor accused Harris County Elections Administrator Cliff Tatum, who took over the office starting in August, of intentionally causing ballot paper shortages in Republican-leaning neighborhoods. One thing thats clear from the high % of mail ballot app rejections weve seen is officials should be empowered to explain the process and encourage folks to vote by mail. 1 subjects me to criminal prosecution for encouraging eligible voters to vote by mail so they may participate in our democracy an option they have under Texas law..

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