Chuck Lindell
Austin American-Statesman
Austin, TX, United States
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Recent articles by Chuck:
Court dismisses suit against state ban on straight-ticket voting
The United States District Court in Southern Texas on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party earlier this year that intended to → Read More
Texas Democrats ask Supreme Court to expand mail-in voting
Arguing that time is working against voters, the Texas Democratic Party turned Tuesday to the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes of expanding vote-by-mail opportunities during the pandemic.Thus far, the party’s efforts have been shut down by the Texas Supreme Court and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, both of which blocked lower-court rulings that said every Texan had the right to vote by mail… → Read More
Paxton says he will seek power to investigate police-custody deaths
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday that he will ask the Legislature to give him the power to investigate and prosecute police misconduct that → Read More
Harris, Warren decry injustice, rally Texas Democrats
U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, potential selections as presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, popped in on the Texas Democratic Party’s online state convention Friday to decry injustice, acknowledge challenges and offer a ray of hope.Their short pre-recorded talks — Harris spoke for less than 90 seconds, Warren for five minutes — recounted more than 100,000 deaths from… → Read More
Texas Supreme Court rejects Austin bid to revive sick leave rules
In a victory for conservatives over Austin progressives, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected the city’s attempt to revive an ordinance requiring most businesses to provide paid sick leave to employees.The all-Republican Supreme Court gave no reasons for rejecting Austin’s appeal, common practice when the court exercises its discretion on which cases to accept.Friday’s decision let stand a… → Read More
Texas sales taxes plunge 13.2%, worst since Great Recession
With the Texas economy reeling from a crash in oil prices and business shutdowns related to COVID-19, the state’s share of sales taxes collected in May plunged 13.2%, the sharpest decline in a decade.It was the second consecutive month of swiftly falling sales tax revenue, which supplies a major portion of the state budget.The declines in April and May, not seen in Texas since the lingering… → Read More
Conservatives ask court to strike down Abbott coronavirus orders, law behind them
A prominent social conservative and two Republican members of the Texas House have asked the Texas Supreme Court to strike down the law that gave Gov. → Read More
Back and forth: Ruling on expanded mail-in voting during pandemic is blocked
The back and forth legal fight over whether to expand mail-in voting during the pandemic — an effort favored by Democrats and opposed by Republicans — took another turn with an after-hours ruling Friday night from the Texas Supreme Court.Acting on an emergency petition filed hours earlier by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Supreme Court blocked a lower-court ruling that allowed voters to… → Read More
Texas Supreme Court ends eviction, debt protections enacted for pandemic
Removing emergency protections during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Texas Supreme Court has decreed that eviction proceedings can resume starting Tuesday.The court also removed debt-collection protections that have been in place for almost two months.Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said Friday that the changes were made as the state continues efforts to reopen the… → Read More
Appeals court: Expanded mail-in voting ruling must be followed, for now
Siding with the Texas Democratic Party, a state appeals court ruled Thursday that an order requiring greatly expanded mail-in voting will remain in force, → Read More
Lawsuit seeks to block Texas vote-by-mail restrictions
Opening a new front in the legal battle to expand voting by mail in Texas, a federal lawsuit filed Monday seeks to block a handful of state regulations → Read More
Salon owner who illegally reopened out of jail on Texas Supreme Court’s order
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Dallas County officials to free salon owner Shelley Luther from jail while its nine → Read More
Texas Supreme Court orders jailed salon owner released
The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Dallas County officials to free salon owner Shelley Luther from jail while its nine judges, all Republicans, → Read More
Coronavirus in Texas: What to know about the reopening's next round
Gov. Greg Abbott accelerated the pace of reopening Texas businesses, pools and other venues with an executive order Monday that set up a three-step process, with some reopenings allowed immediately and others delayed until Friday or May 18.More changes can be announced at any time based on the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, he said.What can reopen?Wedding venues and reception… → Read More
Paxton declines to drop appeal, blocking new trial for Austin babysitter
Rejecting the wishes of Travis County prosecutors, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not step aside to allow a new trial for Rosa Jimenez, the Austin → Read More
State sales taxes fall 9%, sharpest plunge in a decade
Delivering bad news that was expected but still painful, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the state’s portion of sales taxes for April plunged 9.3 → Read More
Texas Democrats seek swift ruling on expanding mail-in votes
Updating an ongoing lawsuit, the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday asked a federal judge in San Antonio to issue an order by May 15 requiring state officials to expand vote-by-mail opportunities in upcoming elections.The motion also asked U.S. District Judge Fred Biery to block Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “from theatening voters with criminal or civil sanctions” if they vote by mail over… → Read More
Appeals court tosses challenge to Texas law on boycotting Israel
In a victory for proponents of a Texas law banning government contracts for supporters of a “boycott Israel” movement, a federal appeals court tossed out a lawsuit challenging the law as a violation of free speech rights.The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, delivered Monday evening, overturned a 2019 order from an Austin federal judge that had temporarily blocked enforcement of… → Read More
Law puts expansive emergency power in Abbott’s hands
State law gives Gov. Greg Abbott expansive and far-reaching power to deal with emergencies, and he has responded to the growing coronavirus outbreak with → Read More
Federal appeals court stops Texas from blocking drug-induced abortions during coronavirus pandemic
Drug-induced abortions are set to resume in Texas despite efforts by officials to ban the procedures as part of the coronavirus emergency. → Read More