Well, Ken Paxton and Kirk Cole, the head of the Department of Health, reconsidered. They allowed the spouse of a gay man to amend the death certificate to list him as the spouse. It took about a day for Mr. Paxton and Mr. Cole to reconsider and do as they were were compelled to do
Texas State Guard will Monitor Jade Helm Exercise
Gov. Abbott has asked the Texas State Guard to “monitor” the training known as Jade Helm 15. I previously wrote about that silly request here. I was wrong in describing the entity as the Texas National Guard. The Governor actually asked the “Texas State Guard” to watch the Special Forces soldiers traipse around conducting
Former City Manager Says Female Council Members Process Things Differently
Are women different when they serve in managerial capacities? One former City Manager apparently thinks so. Jonathan Allen, former City Manager of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, addressed the group and said plainly that women in government do not read the research prior to meetings and ask too many questions. “They don’t process things the same way,”
Texas Committee Seeks to Reduce Veterans Benefits
Just a few years ago, most Texans were anxious to help veterans. The Texas legislature passed an amendment to the Hazelwood Act which would allow free tuition at state schools for veterans. The veteran could pass that benefit to his/her children. The Texas act did not require service after the amendment was passed. While, the
Fifth Circuit Disregards Role of Jury
The Fifth Circuit has apparently decided that an employer will get a free pass when a supervisor makes one and only one racist comment. The supervisor was a co-worker of Courtney Satterwhite when he made the comment. Harry Singh, according to Mr. Satterwhite, uttered “Heil Hitler” during a conversation, at which a Jewish worker was
Twitter Relationship Casts Judge’s Objectivity into Question
Texas requires lobbyists to register. But, what happens when a political activist lobbies members of the state legislature? Does that political activist now have to register as a lobbyist? Michael Quinn Sullivan, a conservative political activist, lobbied members of the state legislature in 2010-2011, but did not register. The Texas Ethics Commission fined Mr. Sullivan
The Deck is Stacked Against the Plaintiff
In many ways, the deck is stacked against the discrimination victims. Most folks who believe they have been subjected to discrimination put off seeing a lawyer. Many, a great many folks go directly to the EEOC, trusting in the federal government. The EEOC means well, but it is over-worked and under-staffed. Many EEOC workers are
“Fix the Court” Does not Want a True Fix
As a country, most of us subscribe to certain precepts. These certain precepts keep things running in our country. One of those precepts is that the U.S. Supreme Court is the final arbiter of constitutional issues. Over the last couple of centuries, most of us have come to accept that Supreme Court’s role in deciding
Judge Reverses Sanctions Request in Discrimination Case
Yes, in federal court, either party can be sanctioned for its conduct during a lawsuit. Sanctionable conduct must be pretty egregious. National law firm, Littler Mendelson requested sanctions against a plaintiff who lost a summary judgment motion. Elaine Barley had sued Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Ms. Barley alleged that Fox did not accommodate
Avvo Offers 15 Minutes of Legal Advice
You have to love free enterprise. Only a true entrepreneur would come with a system of turning legal advice into a drive through window. Avvo, the legal referral website, now offers 15 minutes of legal advice for a mere $39. The service applies to a variety of areas of law: immigration, criminal, divorce, family, employment,