Past Contributions

• Texas Senate panel advances David Whitley's nomination for secretary of state

  By Emma Platoff Updated: Feb. 28, 2019

  The vote was 4-3 along party lines. Whitley now needs two-thirds support of the full Senate to be confirmed. Full Story 

• Federal judge temporarily blocks Texas from purging voters in citizenship review

  By Emma Platoff Updated: Feb. 27, 2019

  U.S. District Judge Fred Biery called the review "ham-handed" and ordered counties not to remove voters from the rolls without his approval and "a conclusive showing that the person is ineligible to vote." Full Story 

• Texas' highest criminal court strikes down provision of Open Meetings Act as "unconstitutionally vague"

  By Emma Platoff Updated: Feb. 27, 2019

  The ruling only pertains to a slice of the law, but open government advocates say the decision “removes a powerful disincentive” put in place to keep public officials from hiding public business. Full Story 

• Federal judge directs more counties to halt voter citizenship review efforts as lawsuits proceed

  By Emma Platoff Feb. 25, 2019

  After state officials conceded that at least a quarter of a list of nearly 100,000 Texas voters flagged for citizenship review should never have been questioned, a federal judge said, "I wish all of this could've been done back as the original effort." Full Story 

• All 12 Senate Democrats oppose Texas Secretary of State David Whitley. That's more than enough to block his nomination.

  By Alexa Ura and Emma Platoff Updated: Feb. 22, 2019

  If all 12 lawmakers are on the Senate floor when Whitley's nomination comes, he doesn't have the votes to be confirmed. Full Story 

• Houston judge tosses same-sex marriage benefits challenge, but plaintiffs pledge to appeal

  By Emma Platoff Feb. 21, 2019

  A newly elected Democratic judge issued the decision in the latest turn of a 2013 legal challenge to Houston's policy extending benefits to municipal employees' same-sex spouses. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott appoints Brett Busby to Texas Supreme Court

  By Emma Platoff Updated: Feb. 21, 2019

  If confirmed, Busby, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, would replace Justice Phil Johnson, who retired after 13 years on the high court. Full Story 

• Opposition to Texas Secretary of State David Whitley’s nomination mounts, imperiling his future in the job

  By Alexa Ura and Emma Platoff Updated: Feb. 21, 2019

  For the second week in a row, the Senate Nominations Committee failed to bring Whitley up for a vote. And he's gained a new public adversary: the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Full Story 

• After state leaders’ unified rollout, 2.5 percent rollback rate on property tax bill looks unlikely to stick

  By Cassandra Pollock and Emma Platoff Feb. 19, 2019

  Weeks after state leaders trumpeted a consensus property tax reform proposal, few seem married to the bill's pitch to cut the rollback rate to 2.5 percent. Full Story 

• Sen. Angela Paxton files bill that would allow her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, to issue exemptions from securities regulations

  By Emma Platoff Feb. 16, 2019

  Billed as a consumer-protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board — a felony under Texas law that Ken Paxton was charged with in 2015. Full Story