Disclaimer | To Access County Clerk's Forms: (click here Downloadable Clerk's Office Forms) For suggestions or comments regarding this site please email us at webcomments@hctx.net. Operating Agreements, Employment I was invited to this meeting because of the effort to create and carry out block walking events. Obviously, County Attorney Menefee made up his mind since then. I am disappointed that the Fifth Circuit has undone the preliminary injunction that protected Administrator (Isabel) Longorias First Amendment rights, Menefee said in a written statement. Mark Montgomery is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee gave the following statement in response: "Comptroller Hegar's statement is false. An election judge is the person in charge of running a voting location. The guardian of the estate has all rights and obligations to expend the wards funds, subject to prior court approval. The new rule is at odds with how Claiborne, whose license the board renewed ahead of the most-recent vote, plans to conduct her business, according to the court documents. 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. Pick a favored file format to save the document (.pdf or .docx). This isnt a lawsuit, its an investigation. 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. There are a couple of stories all rolled into this, so my apologies for any confusion. 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. Privacy | The security controls exist for a good reason, he said, and undermining them has serious implications. Gov. Thats how it is for the judges. Rory Olsen is represented by Jared Woodfill. & Resolutions, Corporate of Directors, Bylaws The average attorney charges $500 per hour. Lawyers for the GOP argue the county is ignoring state election laws and breaking the mandatory chain of custody for ballots. These election contests are frivolous attempts to overturn the votes of more than a million residents in the third largest county in the country. With a new election administrator about to come on board, we can revisit the matter and see if theres a consensus to be had. The citys press release is here. Simply put, the party would have a practical strategy on what to do and what not to do. In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. The Harris County Attorney's Office fights for the interests of Harris County through the civil justice system to preserve access to clean air and water; ensure safe, healthy neighborhoods; protect consumers against fraud, exploitation, and other bad acts; and defend voting rights. 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. 2023-01066; Dan Simons v. Judge Sedrick Walker. 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. View Website View Lawyer Profile Email Lawyer. Jack Morman did not have a report filed or Id have included him as well. 2 Cause No. 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. The Real Estate Practice Group handles legal matters regarding the Countys acquisitions and sales of real property. See here and here for the background. Those challenges do not amount to voter suppression, Stein said, but merely suggest that Harris County should operate fewer, better-resourced polling locations. I just was looking and several firms advise against even signing for these things. 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. Mark Goldberg Assistant District Attorney | Harris County District Attorney's Office. Amendments, Corporate See here and here for some background. The Texas Public Information Act gives the public the right to request access to government information. In fact, the first time any concerns were raised occurred during a public meeting May 11 at the Election Committee Hearing by the Secretary of States Office. Their decision was supported by Harris County Commissioners Court and leaders of both political parties, a statement from Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee read. Will, Advanced For suggestions or comments regarding this site please email us at In December, a motion was filed to get a temporary injunction against the provision of that law that makes it a crime for election officials and election workers to encourage voters to vote by mail, whether or not those voters are eligible under Texas law to do so. I've been notified of misdemeanor charges through the mail (not certified) and served by process. Same shit, different year. Center, Small This is an official form from the Harris County, Texas District Clerks Office, which complies with all applicable laws and statutes. The opinion has already impacted elections administrators across the state, who told Votebeat that theyve seen an onslaught of requests since Paxton released it. Not satisfied with the new voting restrictions put in place less than a year ago, the Texas Republican Party is plowing ahead with yet new measures that would reduce the number of early voting days and end the practice of allowing any senior to vote by mail without an excuse. The judge said the law likely violates the First Amendment. 12(lost to Judge Genesis Draper), Brian Staley, former candidate forHarris County Civil County Court at Law No. His comments followed testimony from Longoria and Morgan, who said they feared the civil and criminal penalties that could come from violating the broad prohibition. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg during a press conference Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Houston. University of Texas - Austin Texas A&M University - College Station Texas Super Lawyers, Avvo and Board Certification - Family Law (2003-8) Texas State Bar A Guide to Texas Child Support Law. The move came at the end of a whirlwind day where local officials in Dallas and San Antonio prevailed at least temporarily in their own legal challenges to the governors order. Its not clear to me where things are procedurally with this litigation and remember, there are a bunch of other cases as well but in this matter the Fifth Circuit wanted to get some clarity on state law before doing whatever it has on its docket to do. Federal officials have lifted their pause on a small piece of the planned Interstate 45 mega-project that will remake downtown Houstons freeway system and has divided state transportation planners, community groups and local politicians. I stop mid-sentence sometimes at town halls. Its deeply annoying that we have to do this as a reminder, these cases are stinking piles of nothing and the losers pursuing them damn well know it but its where we are. Their complaints, filed with the EPA earlier this year, said TCEQ failed to provide information in Spanish and insufficiently protected communities of color who live in areas where concrete facilities are predominantly located. Determining how a proposed downtown connection for the Hardy Toll Road will enter the area near Buffalo Bayou and cross a remade I-10. But boy it sure would be nice to have a state government that wasnt a constant threat to our local matters? & Resolutions, Corporate Berrys office said Heap actually received $48.5 million. 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. 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. But the Republicans opposed that at every turn. On January 7, 2021, I filed with the Harris County Clerk's Office an affidavit disclosing my . Not that Im complaining. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. One week later, just six days from election day, the Harris County Republican Party notified us that its judges would not participate in the program.. Hidalgo 612,111 1,095,479 101,400 36,568 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. The bottom line is that the plaintiffs have asked for a temporary injunction against the provision of that law that makes it a crime for election officials and election workers to encourage voters to vote by mail, whether or not those voters are eligible under Texas law to do so. 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.. Harris County assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly as a result of errors, omissions or discrepancies. By the time this runs in the morning well know what the official canvass says, and from there well see if an election challenge will follow. For the subject that I wanted to be thinking about yesterday, we start with this. I dont expect that to be any more successful, but well see. Free Preview Harris County Attorney Letter Description Attorney Vacation Letter Texas This is an official form from the Harris County, Texas District Clerk's Office, which complies with all applicable laws and statutes. (*) I did search on the Supreme Court webpage for Paxtons mandamus filing, which might have been more specific and thus answered my questions. Taylor alleged 80 percent of polling places with paper shortages on Nov. 8 were in areas considered Republican strongholds. Seriously, this was a fine performance by the Elections Office. Im proud of this outcome settling our lawsuit against JUUL. 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. A Republican is going to win during the primary election. 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. Proper: For each employer for whom you have worked within the past five years, documents evidencing the name and address of each officer, director, or manager of those employers and documents evidencing each persons position. UPDATE: The HISD Board approved the mask mandate that Superintendent House requested. My school is a party school but I'm a commuter student, from a different state in fact. With fewer people needing bail bonds because fewer people were being assessed bail, bail bond companies saw their revenues decline and so they looked for new customers by lowering their fees so as to entice those who were still being required to pay bail but couldnt afford their fees. If you make a mistake, print out and complete application again (once youve registered an account every document you download is reusable). For example, is the definition narrowly limited to seeking application for violative mail-in ballots? Hailed by elected officials as a breakthrough that salvaged a desperately-needed freeway rebuild, the deals surprised critics of the initial design. See here and here for the background. If you are appointed a Power of Attorney, you have a duty to act in the best interest of the person in question, ensuring their financial security and prevent undoing the original agreement.Jul 14, 2017. Federal law limits the types of requests that the U.S. Attorneys Office can make and the scope of the documentation that it can request. And every voter who might have been discouraged by issues at one location could have gone to another one, which would have been at most a couple of minutes away by car. Menefee. 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. On the other hand, I and others who live close to I-45 and will be directly affected by whatever does happen in some way and lets be clear, lots of people will be much more directly affected than I will are under no obligation to like this agreement, no matter how reasonable it may be and no matter how unprecedented it may be for TxDOT to bend as much as they apparently did. right-of-way is an excellent plan but we can't even fix the existing bike trail along White Oak Bayou which the Harris County . Planning Pack, Home Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Erin Lunceford is represented by Andy Taylor. We have never agreed that these ballots can be part of the final election results, and this afternoon were going to ask that the Texas Supreme Court rule that these late-cast votes should be excluded as Texas law requires.. Notes, Premarital Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. There may be an opinion in the future that addresses that question.. 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. Maybe you illegally downloaded a movie or song. Harris County Attorneys Office1019 Congress, 15th FloorHouston, TX 77002, Harris County Attorney's Office Staff Directory. Filing this suit, in the same manner as several other jurisdictions, was I think a straightforward choice. I would quibble with the assertion that Abbott took swift action as you know, Ive been marveling at how long it took him to respond. Who Should T.H. I cannot begin to fathom the pain and loss they are experiencing. They noted many of the details give TxDOT room to renege while others fall short of the changes some neighborhood advocates had sought. I didnt look closely at new Commissioner Briones report, but Id bet a nice lunch that a substantial chunk of her cash arrived after the election. Ignoring the letter forces the opposing partys lawyer to do one thing recommend that his or her client proceed to Court. Last time around, Hegar folded like a cheap suit after Harris County took the matter to court. A William Wagner, about whom I could find nothing, filed the same for Constable in Precinct 7. Hopefully, well find out soon. Works with law enforcement officers in the investigation of criminal cases. I guess its theoretically possible that of the provisional E-Day ballots that were specifically cast by people who got in line after 7 PM (because if you were already in line you were always allowed to vote), Jones had a net advantage of at least 450 over Pierce. Under state law, ballots should be delivered by either the election judge or an election clerk designated by that judge. 13 Cause No. Premiums are, in some cases, documented in the public record. It could all be a moot point by then anyway.. Metro is probably as eager as anyone to get this going, as their MetroNext plans depend on various items in the I-45 rebuild. I dont know if we will get Constable/JP redistricting, but there are always some interesting primary contests here, and even with the same maps we could have interesting November races in Precincts 4 and 5. His math is wrong. Speaking Engagement- Use this link to request the County Attorney speak to an audience at an event. She said she was shocked by the opinion. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said the county would challenge Hegars finding in court if necessary. Hidalgos order requires students, teachers, staff and visitors to K-12 schools and daycare centers to wear face coverings. Judge Peeples has set an initial status conference for today, Tuesday December 13, at 3:00 p.m. This will be an important case, and Im glad to see its progressing, said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. 7 Cause No. Too bad! Theres more, go read the whole thing, and add on this tweet thread from story author Jessica Huseman. Political science and law experts agree that the local governments mask mandates have an unfavorable path forward, ending with the Texas Supreme Court; all nine justices are Republicans and have shown little appetite for ruling against the governor. Mealer 356,684 621,482 0 188,512 2023-01052; Sartaj Bal v. Judge Toria Finch. Im going to guess hed run as a Democrat, but I cant say for sure at this time. Herman 0 96,574 0 518,009 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 . If even one is bounced, Abbott could appoint a replacement for those in the criminal courts. And now you know what I know. for Deed, Promissory She offered examples of voters she no longer felt she could help navigate the vote-by-mail process. 2. I wish the stories that have been published about this would go into more detail about this as I have done yes, I know, math is hard, but you could at least use highly unlikely language to offer some context. Arturo G. MichelDecember 3, 2020 -- Mayor Sylvester Turner has selected a familiar name and a well-respected attorney to join the administration as the City's chief legal counsel and advisor. The initial request for a temporary restraining order was denied on Friday, and there will be a hearing for a temporary injunction on May 6. I am taking the following steps to comply with the letter and spirit of Section 171.004. Judge Peeples is based in San Antonio, and was appointed by the Honorable Susan Brown, the Presiding Judge of the Eleventh Administrative Judicial Region of Texas. The Texas Secretary of States office has disagreed with her interpretation and urged the county to change its plan. Thats the best I can do. As the story notes, Bell County had similar issues with some polling locations and also got a court order allowing locations to remain open until 8 PM, which the AGs office has not opposed. 9 Cause No. However, a handful of candidates in tight races may consider legal challenges over election results. Not to my knowledge anyways. No results found. Wider highways are not an appropriate or effective intervention to expand commerce opportunities, and they do not expand opportunities for those bearing the greatest burdens of the expansion, more than 15 groups wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, released Tuesday. They also collaborate with the Harris County Senior Justice Assessment Center, a consortium of state and county agencies that review cases/offer services for elderly victims of abuse and exploitation. Im extremely doubtful that there is a legitimate legal challenge here, Stein said. 1) that makes it a crime for election officials and election workers to encourage voters to vote by mail, whether or not those voters are eligible under Texas law to do so. As to who might file a contest, again well have to see. Harris County officials argued as much in a filing to the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday. Judge Cox is represented by Cris Feldman. I will of course keep an eye on it. Target letters inform the recipients that they are the target of a federal investigation, which means that the government intends to press civil or , The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. Ted Heap, Constable Precinct 5 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.. Our hospital system will operate at a $45 million deficit, Hidalgo said. Agreements, Bill of 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. 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. services, For Small Hiring a lawyer after receiving a letter is an excellent option. Agreements, Sale Theres some risk here for Harris County as well, as the opponents of this project arent likely to be happy with half a loaf. Such requests have been used by activists all over the country as a way to audit election results. Federal and state laws requires ballots be securely stored for 22 months after an election, in part to preserve them for recounts or challenges to election 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. I figure its just a matter of time before incumbent DA draws a primary challenger or two, so well want to keep an eye on her fundraising totals. In video footage recorded Sunday and reviewed by the Houston Chronicle Thursday, a man carrying the clipboard explains to the resident: What they told us to do is get a yes or no to confirm whether everybody is here. Will do! Trust, Living Generally, lawyers won't have much free time if they're on a busy deal or busy case and will sacrifice many weekends and evenings during those times, but there will also be times (entire weeks or months) where there are no busy deals or cases--times when you get out of the office in the mid-afternoon or have long. RECORDING OF ANY PROBATE PROCEEDINGS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITEDAND COULD RESULT IN A FINDING OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. Im pretty sure this is not what antitrust law was intended for, but what do I know? The original hearing was in the 269th Civil Court, and the second hearing was to have been on May 6. I didnt write about the initial failure of the board to pass a rule requiring that bail bond companies must charge a minimum of ten percent of whatever bail had been set. Still, others have been pleasantly surprised when what was once an existential threat is transformed into a manageable inconvenience. The Press has more. 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. 17 Cause No. That means the ball is in the state governments court, he said, which will have to make a move if it wants to change the status quo before Monday.. I am willing to consider a pause, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said. Its just illogical to me, and this is a part of the story that nobody talks about.. Agreements, Letter Elizabeth Buss is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. The San Antonio Report consulted another expert with a similar opinion. Doesnt exactly fill you with pride and confidence in our justice system, does it? See the sample using the Preview function and read its description. If Hegars goal was to make headlines while insulting the basic intelligence of Harris County residents, I guess he achieved that. Litigators travel more than corporate attorneys. Mirza said in the case four years ago, Paxtons office did not ask the Texas Supreme Court to intervene. Itll become too much of a political annoyance for him, and it could end up costing him dearly. These are nuisance suits but the Judges and Lina have had to hire attorneys to represent them against the claims. WHD knocked on about 1500. Judge Walker is represented by John Raley. . You never know. 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. Pay by card or PayPal to finish making an account. The main takeaway here is that not only can you not trust anything Paxton says, you also cant trust anything his office says, even if they sign their names to it. About | 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 Elections Administrators Office received a flood of affidavits this summer challenging the eligibility of thousands of registered voters throughout the county, accusing them of not living at the addresses listed on registration records. Eventually, Will Thompson of the Texas attorney generals office told Rodriguez that the provision was meant to limit official encouragement of voting by mail, indicating the state preferred people vote in person even if they qualify to vote by mail. Ron DeSantis' office sent a letter to State Attorney Monique Worrell demanding answers after an alleged shooter with a criminal history was allowed to stay on the streets prior to a shooting spree in Pine Hills last week.. Keith Melvin Moses allegedly shot five people in Pine Hills, killing three, which included a television reporter and a 9-year-old on Feb. 22. 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.
letter from harris county attorney