letter from harris county attorneynicole alexander bio

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. 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. FDAMS User Guide . 1 and, many other entities, including the Brennan Center (inLUPE v. Abbott), have also filed suit against various parts of the law. Premiums are, in some cases, documented in the public record. Adding sidewalks and bike amenities to areas where TxDOThas committed to trying to reduce the number of properties it will take. And in their lawsuit, they flat out misrepresent the countys plans to the court, making several statements that they know are demonstrably false., (Longorias) office successfully used constables in the May 7 election, and the GOP had no problem at that time, said Odus Evbagharu, chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party. 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 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. In a primary election, each polling location has one judge from each party overseeing their own partys voting process. Harris County Community Supervision & Corrections Department; Harris County Pretrial Services ; HC AZ; Court Agenda; County Directory; Im going to guess hed run as a Democrat, but I cant say for sure at this time. Though planned for nearly 20 years, concerns intensified five years ago, when groups such as Air Alliance Houston, LINKHouston and Stop TxDOT I-45 organized toargue highway officials should focus more on improving transitand avoid any additional freeway widening. of Attorney, Personal 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. Tatum, your day of reckoning has just started.. I appreciate that Mayor Turner, Congresswoman Jackson Lee, Judge Hidalgo, Commissioners Ellis and Garcia, County Attorney Menefee, and everyone Im forgetting eventually had to say Yes to a sincere and meaningful counteroffer. However, given that the provisional votes cast on Election Day favored Democrats, its even less likely for that race to be affected, and it would be impossible for both of them to be in a position to change. That has led some community leaders, such as activist and urban planner Abdul Muhammad, to urge federal officials and local opponents to work to find solutions and not reasons to stop the project. When it comes to voting by mail, I have to be very careful with my words, Longoria said from the witness stand. Abbott is exceeding his authority under the state Disaster Act of 1975, Menefee argued, which the county attorney said allows the governor to suspend laws in only narrow circumstances. 2 Cause No. Because I have nothing better to say, here are a couple of tweets from Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee: . She said she was shocked by the opinion. This one will be heard in a courtroom. 9 Cause No. I hope that as long as things are still being worked out theres still room to get assurances and confirmations about the things that Metro has agreed to. The Chron has more. Im pleased with the courts decision today to reject the request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked this rule from being implemented.. Later in the day, we got this. I was invited to this meeting because of the effort to create and carry out block walking events. Instead, the court did not issue an opinion and election night ballot countingproceeded uneventfullyat NRG Arena. . I would retain a lawyer and do not talk to any police officers. 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. The EPAs civil rights compliance arm announced the investigation last Wednesday. I am taking the following steps to comply with the letter and spirit of Section 171.004. Lawyers, please feel free to correct me as needed. Texas Republicans rightly have no faith in the 2020 election results and we dont care how many times the elites tell us we have to, said Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi, who was elected the leader of the party with no opposition. I have a hard time believing that this couldnt have been litigated before Tuesday afternoon, however. If the case moves quickly, and the Texas Supreme Court vacates the temporary restraining order, chaos could ensue, Taylor said. On balance, with the improvements I think you have an excellent project that will move forward and move the greater good.. I suppose if this happens the next thing well hear about is Angela Paxton driving them away, probably as they hunch down in the back seat of her SUV, for the safety of the suburbs. 2023-00932; Chris Daniel v. Marilyn Burgess. Verify that the Texas Attorney Vacation Form youre considering is appropriate for your state. Todays decision allows the threat of criminal prosecution to loom over election officials trying to help voters.. Even at the highest end of the estimate of locations that had issues, more than 90% of them did not. County election officials around the state are already reporting getting a bunch of requests, some of which appear to be part of a coordinated effort. 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. 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. On defining solicitation, because a felony criminal prosecution is possible, Justice Jane Bland asked if the state should limit its meaning to the penal codes definition, which would restrict the term to situations where a public official induces someone to commit a criminal act. "Hello Freind, My name is John Odagu, County Attorney for your county. This is not some sort of radical rebellion, he said. 2023-00927; Bruce Bain v. Judge Corey Sepolio. The poll watcher complained to the Harris County GOP, who called the Secretary of State, who called Icsezen and said he was wrong, the poll watcher needed to be allowed in to observe the SVC. So there you have it. Burgess 940 14,710 5,207 5,403 Business Packages, Construction This practice group files lawsuits for collecting fines, taxes, judgments, workers compensation, property damage, contract, and other monies owed to Harris County. Not a dismissal, but I hope that will demonstrate our commitment., Menefee said he will ask the court for a stay of 30 days, and then potentially extend that for an additional 30 days if the discussions are fruitful., The pause is a show of good faith by the county to remind TxDOT that were in this to find solutions and address community concerns, Menefee said in a statement. Jack Cagle (SPAC), County Commissioner, Precinct 4 Lets see what happens in May. Conduct research and analysis of legal problems. Privacy Policy and our Accessibility Statement. Thats how it is for the judges. So if I understand this correctly, the Elections Office could provide these documents on demand, but legally they dont have to until they get an opinion on it from the AGs office. Nevertheless, the requests contained in civil investigative demands and grand jury subpoenas often exceed the appropriate boundaries of what can be asked for. The mayor announced Thursday that Arturo G. Michel is returning to government as City Attorney for the City of Houston. an LLC, Incorporate Target letters inform the recipients that they are the target of a federal investigation, which means that the government intends to press civil or criminal charges against that person. Press J to jump to the feed. Estimated tocost at least $9.7 billion, the project would rebuild I-45 from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8, adding two managed lanes in each direction. As the project has lingered, and faced opposition, some have argued it is forcing TxDOT to take a harder line, jeopardizing some of the gains. Judge Draper is represented by John Raley. Click the Create button below for a Certified Letter of Disposition or enter additional information . 1 makes it a crime for me to do a critical part of my job, and it hurts the most vulnerable voters, saidIsabel Longoria, Harris County Election Administrator. Trust, Living Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The Environmental Practice Group enforces environmental laws and related County development regulations. Oh, and if this is one of the final straws that leads to Constable precinct redistricting, I wont complain. The challenges were first reported by The New York Times, which found the affidavits disputed the eligibility of more than 6,000 voters. I will pass along information about the fundraiser when I have it. All requests must be in writing. Hegar, responding to a fresh complaint from Harris County Constable Ted Heap, said county officials had reduced the budget for Heaps Precinct 5 office by some $2.4 million in their most recent budget. See here and here for the background. One thing thats clear from the high number of mail-in ballot applications being rejected is that our election officials should be empowered to explain the process and encourage folks to apply to vote by mail if eligible. Thats one of many reasons why I plan to do everything I can to protect public health.. The resulting ability to anticipate the governments case strategy gives us a critical edge over firms that lack this capability. Theft, Personal Check out how to write a Harris County attorney letter. 10-DAY DEMAND LETTER PROCEDURES The District Attorney requires that you write a letter to the person in possession of your vehicle. Its just one page long, and the gist of it is this: In this mandamus proceeding, which challenges Harris County election officials processing of the later cast votes, we grant the following temporary relief under Rule of Appellate Procedure 52.10(b): The petition for writ of mandamus remains pending before this Court. Standards for Court Approval ofAttorney Fees. Do NOT delete this post and create a new post with the requested information. Greg Abbott recommended keeping the current waiting period. 2023-00924; Elizabeth Buss v. Judge David Fleischer. Marilyn Burgess, District Clerk Harris County voters are in for a long election night, with full election results in primary runoff races not expected until well into Wednesday. 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. 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. I do know that at least one more loser has filed a losers contest, but I dont care to give any of this any more validity. Be that as it may, the point about the counties just not moving to undo what they have ordered is an interesting point. 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. Bennett 0 1,022 0 14,527 Unless you're tempted to ignore a summons/subpoena/etc. 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. Bail band companies had been lowering that percentage from what had once been seen as a de facto standard of ten percent because of the misdemeanor bail reform. Ingram said he didnt know the purpose of the provision. 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. Either we win enough power to hold them off, or we are left with nothing but the hope that the likes of Bryan Hughes is unwilling to go that far. The Republicans picked the judges with some of the smallest accounts. . Judge Lina Hidalgo and the Harris County Commissioners Court are defunding the police.. The plaintiffs are Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria and Cathy Morgan, a volunteer deputy registrar who assists people with mail-in ballots in Travis and Williamson counties. 5:00AM. That short fiscal year has made it difficult to make year-to-year funding comparisons, and has resulted in the county and the comptrollers office using different methods to analyze whether the constables funding has increased or decreased. The County will participate in the case, and we plan to make clear that it would be a grave injustice to throw out more than a million legally cast votes, especially given Ms. Luncefords completely baseless theories. 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. Gonzalez 0 4,032 0 9,258 Andy Taylor, general counsel for the Harris County GOP, is representing Lunceford. January 2022 reports are here, July 2022 reports are here. Attorneys. 20 Cause No. Erin Lunceford is represented by Andy Taylor. 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. Templates, Name But due to a change in state law, you only have until March 8 to make a contribution. 2. I dont know if the drafters of this opinion have a firm grasp on how ballot security and ballot processing is done at the county level, he said. 2023-00937; Matthew Dexter v. Judge Genesis Draper. Standards for Court Approval ofAttorney Fees, - Automatic Continuance for Care of New Chil. Hiring a lawyer is expensive, but if a party is holding off on retaining one because they cant afford the costs, there are options they should pursue. I did not see any news items related to this, so what you see here is all I know. Agreements, Bill of 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. 2023-00952; Nile Copeland v. Judge Latosha Lewis Payne. There is no reason for them to bluff. It has a chilling effect, Rodriguez said while questioning a state attorney Friday morning. Meeting Request Use this link to request a meeting with the County Attorney. We are investigating this issue and exploring legal options to protect residents and prevent this from happening again, the County Attorneys office said in a statement, adding it is working closely with the Harris County Elections Administrators office to fully understand what happened. That doesnt mean the Legislature wants resources to be used toward nudging people toward voting by mail.. Privacy | This is all bullshit and should be seen as such. Records, Annual Hegar,a Republican,said he hopes Heap and county officials can resolve the situation themselves long before Harris County begins budget deliberations for fiscal year 2024. He also predicted that county officials would once again use a convoluted approach to argue they had not reduced Heaps funding. I dont know when they plan on ruling, but at some point it just doesnt matter. 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. What could the letter waiting for me be about? Up until March, the board primarily approved and renewed bail bondsman licenses. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. 17 Cause No. Until then, we wait. The men gave her an official-looking affidavit form and asked her to sign it attesting to the residents at the address under penalty of perjury.. Check out the subscription page by clicking Buy Now. 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. Claim your certified mail. 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. Otherwise you could be arrested with no notification. I stop mid-sentence sometimes at town halls. This includes legal research and drafting of legal documents for the purchase, sale, lease and operation of real estate including land title examinations, contracts, leases and concession agreements for parks and county buildings, roads and other public purposes. This 11th-hour ask to throw those votes away should not be tolerated, especially considering the State rejected the Countys offer to hold off on counting these votes while it sought clarification from the Supreme Court, Werner added. Estate, Public Simply put, the party would have a practical strategy on what to do and what not to do. Itll become too much of a political annoyance for him, and it could end up costing him dearly. Steve Radack. UPDATE: Later in the day I found this Statesman story, which added a few details. The citys press release is here. Agreements, Letter 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. Harris County Clerk's Office Our eCommerce feature allows the public to purchase both certified and non-certified copies of various documents. It would be difficult to overstate our disappointment in the contents of these two (agreements), the closed-door manner in which they were created and signed, the lack of sufficient time for the public to read and respond to them, and the tone with which they were presented, the group said. 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. 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. Since the case has progressed from federal district court to the Fifth Circuit and on to the state Supreme Court, the parties positions have changed and the justices find themselves in the unusual position of being asked to answer three questions where there is very little if any disagreement between the parties. Another type of letter that can be issued from the United States Attorneys Office is a target letter.. 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. Eagleton 51,665 23,158 119,650 59,159 Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to be a drug den.Jun 21, 2021. I am writing to request your help with a matter that is very important to me. Update: I'm being summoned to the county court to defend myself for reckless driving charges. So lets think about this instead: . Directive, Power The bondsmen would also have to report how the premium was paid and who paid it. Will, All The election code does not speak to the delivery other than the presiding judge must turn over those election records to our election office. Operating Agreements, Employment In 2021, Harris County became the first governmental entity in Texas to file suit against JUUL. She intends to offer competitive pricing of less than 10% of the face amount of the bond to consumers who desire to purchase a bail bond for themselves, or their loved ones charged with a designated offense and qualify for reduced payment terms, the lawsuit continued. See here for the background. Under Hegars calculations, Heaps annualized budget would have been about $48.9 million over 12 months nearly $2.3 million more than the $46.7 million figure calculated by the county. Their presence allows us to view a case from both points of view the defense and the prosecution. Well see what the Court says. Weve seen this show before Comptroller Hegar misconstruing the law and playing political games to make headlines, Menefee tweeted. The county and Claibornes lawyers are expected later on Friday to debate whether a temporary restraining order and injunction should be granted. Leave it doesnt sound so bad given the alternative. The motion was granted by a district court judge and then put on hold by the Fifth Circuit. 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. We certainly didnt for Uvalde, or Santa Fe, or El Paso, or any of too many other places to name. Rodney Ellis, County Commissioner, Precinct 1 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. Specifically, Rogers said FHWA is not prepared at this time to allow TxDOT to resume any right-of-way acquisition in Segment 3. TxDOT, he added, could acquire properties from owners who approach it on a case-by-case basis rather than relying on eminent domain.. I dont see a quick path to a resolution here. If thats what we have to do, then so be it. That included an 88-year-old voter whom Morgan would typically call at the start of every year to remind her that she has to reapply for mail-in ballots. 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. Because the proceedings are still ongoing, it is too soon to know whether the ability to extend voting hours in the future could be impacted. 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. Longoria is employed by Harris County, and Morgan is a volunteer registrar. 1 priority for the next legislative session that begins in January. 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. Alexander Mealer is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. I thought the price fixing argument was weak and as such Im not surprised at this outcome. The Press has more. 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. She reasonably fears that, unless she complies with these unlawful rules, her license will be suspended or revoked, the lawsuit reads. Real Estate, Last As to who might file a contest, again well have to see. 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. This affects no one accused of the most minor, nonviolent offenses who would be stuck in jail because they arent able to pay.. Mr. Vips Application . If you make a mistake, print out and complete application again (once youve registered an account every document you download is reusable). Hani Mirza, legal director of the Texas Civil Rights Projects voting rights program, was part of the team that sought the court order extending voting hours this year. In Houston, the three Democrats on Commissioners Court voted to allow County Attorney Christian Menefee to bring his own case, over the objections of the two Republican members. Attorney General Ken Paxton is distorting the law to fuel conspiracy theories, encouraging reckless behavior that erodes public trust in our democratic process, Menefee said in a statement. You have separation of powers.. Estate, Public Get more than 85,000 state-specific legal and tax samples that you could save and complete in clicks in the Forms library. Please read our complete disclaimer here. Judges are being sued in their individual capacity. That is why each person named in a suit has to retain their own attorney. I for one dont see any difference between the two. My guess is a subpoena. 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. Theres already been a lot of time for talk, and I dont know how much latitude TxDOT has to give. I have $15 Million in Zimbabwe dollars locked in a safe. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar on Friday accused Harris County of defunding law enforcement,rekindling a feudfrom last fallin which Republican state officialsthreatened to blockthe countys annual budget. What would I like to see happen at this point? The office also includes the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library, which is a public library that serves the legal information needs of self-represented litigants, legal professionals, the judiciary, and County and other governmental officials. The ballots in question were cast during a one-hour period on Nov. 8. Can you imagine what the Republican response to this would be if it were a Democrat complaining about voting location problems? Disclaimer | Shah said the office will work in coordination with the county attorneys office to review and determine the validity of all challenges on a case-by-case basis after the midterm election. Greg Abbotts executive order prohibiting local authorities from issuing COVID-19 restrictions, such as mask and vaccine mandates. 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.

David Duckenfield Family, Swtor Best Class 2021, Articles L