(08-10-2021 03:32 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  Texas Supreme Court Reverses Democratic Judge’s Order Shielding Democrats from Arrest

Quote:Texas justice was served again on Tuesday. The Texas Supreme Court overturned a decision by a lower court judge to issue the Texas legislators who fled the state restraining orders that would shield them from arrest upon their return.

“Responding to an emergency motion filed hours earlier, the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked an Austin district judge’s order that prohibited the arrest of Democrats participating in the ongoing quorum break,” the Statesman reported.

“Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan, represented by Attorney General Ken Paxton, argued that state District Judge Brad Urrutia’s order improperly stopped them from exercising authority specifically granted by the Texas Constitution,” the report added.

“Compelling the attendance of its members is a prerogative given to the House by the Texas Constitution,” the petition said.

“The appeal asked the all-Republican Supreme Court to overturn the order by Urrutia, a Democrat, before 5 p.m. Tuesday, noting that the second special session is ongoing and the ‘House Democrats’ return to Texas is imminent’,” the Statesman added. “Abbott and Phelan also said Uruttia’s plan to hold an Aug. 20 hearing on the matter would come too late in a special session that can run no later than Sept. 5.”

“In response, the state’s highest civil court blocked enforcement of Urrutia’s order while justices weighed the legal issues,” the report noted. “The House Democrats were given until 4 p.m. to file a response.”

The ruling from the state’s highest court comes one day after a Democrat judge in Travis County, Texas issued an order to protect the state’s representatives from being arrested upon re-entering the state.

“State District Judge Brad Urrutia, a Democrat, granted the temporary restraining order late Sunday night restricting Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan from ‘detaining, confining or otherwise restricting’ the free movement of House Democrats within the state or issuing any warrants ordering their confinement,” the Texas Tribune reported.

Texas Democrats in D.C. are now panicking as members of their superspreader crew are starting to crawl back with their tails between their legs. The Texas House is inching closer to quorum, and election integrity bills that would bring some semblance of normalcy to the state’s voting are closer to being passed.

Earlier, Texas Democrats filed a desperate lawsuit from a lawyer who is under a probationally suspended license. Twenty-two Democrats seek damages for causing them “anxiety, discomfort and distress, as well as “damaging their reputations.” If only such a suit could be brought against the Texas Democrats by the state’s residents for their failure to address the state’s urgent business.

Abbott Gets Major Victory Against Democrats In State Supreme Court

Quote:Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has secured a major win in his ongoing feud with Texas Democrats who left their posts to prevent a quorum and stop legislation that Republicans say would secure voting in the state.

The Texas Supreme Court denied the Democrats motion to restore funding to the legislature, The Texas Tribune reported.

The Texas Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from several Democratic House members and state employees asking the justices to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of legislative funding in the upcoming two-year state budget.

Abbott vetoed the funding in June after House Democrats walked out during the final days of the regular legislative session in May, killing two of his priority bills on elections and changing the state’s bail system. Abbott then brought the Legislature back for a special session to get the bills passed, but more than 50 House Democrats again broke quorum — denying the lower chamber of the number of present members needed to move bills — by decamping to Washington, D.C., until the 30-day session ended Friday.

Democrats challenged Abbott’s veto in court, saying it stripped their power as a “co-equal branch of government.” But the Texas Supreme Court on Monday sided with Abbott on his veto that will effectively defund the Texas Legislature, its staffers and legislative agencies later this year.

On Friday, state officials extended the funding for legislatures and their staff for another month, meaning they will continue to be paid until Sept. 30.

“This political dispute within the legislative branch is not an issue of separation of powers that we can decide,” the court said in its decision on the case.

The governor celebrated his victory in a Twitter post calling on Texas Democrats t get back to work.

“The Texas Supreme Court denied Democrats’ request to overturn my veto of the Legislature’s funding because the Democrats walked out on doing their job. Contrary to Democrats & pundits, my veto was legal. Now it’s time for Democrats to return to work,” he said.

“The Texas Supreme Court has again recognized that ‘the Governor has power to disapprove any bill’ and upheld the governor’s veto power granted under the Texas Constitution,” a spokesperson for the governor, Renae Eze, said. “It’s time to stop the charades and get back to work doing the job they were elected to do—voting on critical legislation on behalf of their constituents, including funding Article X, potential funding for COVID-19 healthcare response, providing property tax relief, funding our retired teachers, protecting our foster children, and securing the border.

But not every Democrat believes that the decision was 100 percent against them. State Rep. Chris Turner and the group’s attorney, Chad Dunn were able to see a silver lining.

“We’re disappointed the Court chose to not get involved in Gov. Abbott’s tyrannical violation of the separation of powers, but make no mistake — the high Court clearly states the governor vetoing funding for the legislature in the future raises serious constitutional concerns,” they said. “Texas House Democrats will continue to fight back against Gov. Abbott’s systematic undermining of our democracy.”

The court said that the Texas Democrats could have worked with Republicans to reinstate Article X of the state budget which includes the legislative funding and not had to pass any other legislation to do it. They also could have done it 10 days before they adjourned and it would have been veto-proof.

“Relators argue that the Governor is unconstitutionally coercing them to vote for legislation that he favors. But the Governor has not forced the Legislature to enact his priorities before addressing its own funding,” it said. “The Legislature was free to use the special session to reinstate Article X funding. It could have done so without addressing any of the other items listed in the Governor’s call.”

“[T]he Governor’s veto of Article X followed by his call of a special session neither prevents the Legislature from funding itself nor forces the Legislature to enact legislation of the Governor’s choosing,” it said.

Quote:“Compelling the attendance of its members is a prerogative given to the House by the Texas Constitution,” the petition said.

So, it seems like District Judge Brad Urrutia really doesn't have a clue as to the content of the state constitution.

Or he's a partisan hack who has no integrity. Instead of keeping his oath he disregards the law to help his team. After all...

it's a team sport.