What is Ex Parte Young?
As the United States Supreme Court heard arguments on Texas’ six-week abortion ban on Monday, the court continuously referenced Ex Parte Young: a 1908 case where the court initially held that after attempting to enforce an unconstitutional law, state officials are not...
Prop A goes down in flames in Austin
Throughout 2021, Save Austin Now founder and Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak has jockeyed to make himself the face of a new political movement in Texas’ capital city — one fueled by fear-mongering, misinformation, and thinly-veiled dog whistles. Armed with...
Republican John Lujan wins special election and flips Democrat seat
Republican John Lujan will be replacing former state Rep. Leo Pacheco as the new lawmaker for San Antonio’s District 118 after a close special election runoff on Tuesday. Lujan defeated his Democrat opponent Frank Ramirez by less than three percentage points, or less...
Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia push for American Families United Act
On Tuesday, Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-El Paso) and Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) spoke at a virtual event in support of HR 2920, also known as the American Families United Act (AFUA). The bill aims to keep families united in cases where some members are U.S. citizens and...
Democrat Rep. Claudia Ordaz Perez announces run against Art Fierro
El Paso Democrat Rep. Claudia Ordaz Perez announced this week she would be running against fellow Democrat Rep. Art Fierro in Texas House District 79. In a news release, Perez said she was running in district 79 because her own 76th district was gerrymandered under...
It’s Election Day for these eight constitutional amendments
Texans are voting on eight proposed constitutional amendments on Tuesday. Among them, a constitutional amendment allowing charitable raffles at rodeos and another allowing counties to issue bonds to improve underserved areas. A description of the amendments can...
Supreme Court could overrule SB 8, but abortion access is still in peril
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two challenges related to Senate Bill 8, the extreme anti-abortion bill that went into effect over two months ago in Texas. Arguments lasted over three hours and it appears that the unique structure of SB 8, which...
From the Steps of the Supreme Court
My grandparents immigrated from India 55 years ago so that I could get a good education and be anything I wanted. Today I’m just a freshman at George Washington University skipping class to freeze my ass off on the steps of the Supreme Court. On May 19th, Governor...
Rochelle Garza enters race for Texas Attorney General
Rochelle Garza, a former staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, announced this week she is jumping into the race for Texas Attorney General. The statewide office is already pursued by two other Democratic candidates, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt...
New poll: Abbott and O’Rourke in ‘dead heat’ for governor
A poll released this week by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation shows Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke are in a “dead heat” for the top executive office in Texas. Abbott leads O'Rourke 44% to 43% among 2020 voters, according to the poll that surveyed 1,400...
SCOTUS hearing on Texas six-week abortion begins today
On Monday Nov. 1, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments relating to two cases on Texas’ six week abortion ban: the United States v. Texas and Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson. The fast-tracked hearing comes after Texas asked the higher court to keep...
Jessica Cisneros discusses her grassroots-powered run for Congress
The Signal recently spoke with Jessica Cisneros, an immigration and human rights attorney running for Congress in Texas’ 28th congressional district. In 2020, Cisneros made headlines when she came within less than 2,700 votes of defeating Rep. Henry Cuellar, a...
Friday is the last day of early voting for constitutional amendments
Three days remain until election day on Nov. 2 which will see Texans vote on eight proposed constitutional amendments. Among them, a constitutional amendment allowing charitable raffles at rodeos and another allowing counties to issue bonds to improve underserved...
Let’s Go Brandon: The origins behind Republicans favorite new phrase
“Let’s Go Brandon!” It’s a phrase that’s bandied about constantly by Texas Republicans. Ken Paxton has been closing out his press conferences with the phrase. Greg Abbott’s campaign is selling wrapping paper with the phrase. And Ted Cruz posed for a photo at the...
Ted Cruz to lift nomination blockade for China ambassador
While Ted Cruz has been stonewalling the confirmation of Biden’s State Department nominees for months, it appears he will not do so in the case of R. Nicholas Burns, Biden’s nominee for ambassador to China. Cruz, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations...