When Council Member Greg Casar filed the report on his special officeholder account on Jan. 15, it showed just $321.91 in the account. The purpose of that account has been to help Casar pay the legal fees in the lawsuit filed against him by Laura Pressley, his opponent in the 2014 Council election. The Texas […]
Courts
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Council rules unlikely to change despite opinion
Despite a ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismantling a provision of the Texas Open Meetings Act that prevents local government officials from meeting in small groups in what is known as a “walking quorum,” it seems unlikely that Austin City Council will change its behavior. The ruling came as a result of […]
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Sexual assault survivor accuses Travis County prosecutor of lying about her case
Lawyers for a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in Austin are asking a court to force Travis County prosecutors to answer questions and provide evidence after learning of a prosecutor’s phone call they say defames the woman. Emily Borchardt is one of eight plaintiffs who filed a class-action lawsuit against the city and […]
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Legal fight over Planning Commission likely to continue
The city of Austin does not appear any closer to resolving a legal challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton over the composition of its Planning Commission. So far, nobody on City Council has proposed removing any members in response to Paxton’s claim that the commission has too many real estate professionals. Last year, in response […]
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In search of the best ‘yes’ for indigent defense
In the search of a best path forward, Travis County is at risk of losing momentum toward better indigent defense if the various interested parties can’t find a middle ground. The county’s Indigent Legal Services work group has composed a draft letter indicating their intent to apply for a Texas Indigent Defense Commission grant in […]
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City Council approves settlement with Austin Country Club
City Council endorsed a settlement Thursday aimed at ending litigation between the city and the Austin Country Club. At issue is whether the club – which is expanding its clubhouse and adding a new dining facility, and likely plans to develop or redevelop other parts of the property in the coming years – should be […]
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Civil rights group sues Texas over its call to remove alleged noncitizens from voter rolls
A Latino civil rights organization filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday against Texas’ effort to identify noncitizens who are registered to vote. The lawsuit brought by the the League of United Latin American Citizens argues that state officials violated the Voting Rights Act when they advised local registrars to remove alleged noncitizens from their […]
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Arbitrator rules against city contractor in home repair case
An independent arbitrator has ruled in favor of a homeowner who accused a contractor hired by the city of not doing the necessary work to repair her home and ultimately leaving her house in worse shape than it was originally. Suzanne Janel is one of a number of homeowners who has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with […]
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Action ramps up in appraisal district suit
Action continues to ramp up in the battle between the Travis Central Appraisal District and firms representing property owners seeking hearings to lower the appraised value of their properties. Last month, Texas ProTax Austin, Five Stone Tax Advisors, 46 commercial property owners and 113 residential property owners filed suit against the Travis appraisal review board […]
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Lawsuit challenging Austin’s move to rename Manchaca Road heads to trial
A lawsuit challenging the city of Austin’s decision to rename Manchaca Road will go to trial. The suit, brought by the group Leave Manchaca Alone, alleges the city didn’t properly inform residents and businesses ahead of a City Council vote to change the spelling of the street’s name to Menchaca. The suit also argues changing […]
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Manchaca is (again) still Manchaca – for now
A Travis County district judge has hit pause on the city’s attempt to change Manchaca Road to Menchaca – again. Business owners from the group Leave Manchaca Alone sued to block the Austin City Council’s October decision to change the name of the eight-mile South Austin road earlier this month. They said that the city […]
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Locals sue to stop Austin from renaming Manchaca Road
A group of property owners and businesses along what’s called (for now) Manchaca Road is challenging the city’s move to change the South Austin road’s name before the name change goes into effect Thursday. The Austin City Council passed an ordinance Oct. 4 to change the spelling to Menchaca Road to honor Tejano revolutionary José Antonio Menchaca, who […]