This week a federal judge based in Austin issued a ruling that said that the Governor Greg Abbott border buoys needed to come out of the Rio Grande.
The Wednesday-released ruling laid out that Abbott’s arguments didn’t hold river water: Texas is not being invaded, the Rio Grande is a navigable waterway and the buoys and the floating walls anchoring system are a hazard.
But the next day, the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay in Abbott’s favor. The buoys can stay in the middle of the international river – at least for now.
Was this pure legal procedure or partisan politics?
To break down the latest twist in the case U.S. vs Abbott I spoke with Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law.
Political Tweets for sale
Tweeting for dollars is a thing, especially if you are willing to tweet nice things about our beleaguered suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton who this week was facing a Senate impeachment trial.
Texas Monthly writer Russell Gold uncovered the dark secrets of mercenary political influencers online when he became one.
His latest article is “My Brief Career as a Paid Pro-Paxton Propagandist.”
D.A. Mark Gonzalez
The now former Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez has jumped into the race for U.S. Senate. Gonzalez announced this week he is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate. He’s joining a crowded field looking for a chance to take on Republican Ted Cruz in 2024.
Gonzalez is known for being the biker lawyer covered in tattoos. But the self-described progressive is also known as the D.A. that MAGA conservatives want thrown out of office. They say he’s been too soft on crime. Gonzalez said it’s just the opposite and that he has been using his prosecutorial discretion to be smart on fighting crime. However, Gonzalez could be facing a trial in December that would remove him from office.
