Our Blogs

Secret Deliberations? Texas Open Meetings Act Deemed Too Vague to Enforce

• Brandon Morris
• March 1, 2019

Earlier this week, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dealt a major blow to the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) by ruling a portion of […]

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Texas, Environmental Sanctuaries and Certified Local Government Grants

• Judith El Masri
• February 28, 2019

The topic of sanctuary cities or the use of that terminology has been discussed quite a bit in recent years. Sanctuaries, protected areas, nature reserves, […]

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What’s in a Signature? Sign in the Dotted Line

• Byron L. Brown
• February 15, 2019

Autograph, signature, imprimatur, John Hancock—they all mean essentially the same thing. We sign so many things as we go about our daily lives that it […]

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It’s Not Just a Game: the Super Bowl is a Play for Economic Development

• Brandon Morris
• February 14, 2019

The New England Patriots are Super Bowl champs yet again after defeating the Los Angeles Rams. What some casual fans might not realize is that […]

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What the Frack? Texas Cities May Be Unaware Their Oil and Gas Ordinances Are Invalid

• Drew Shirley
• February 11, 2019

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed legislation that drastically limited the ability of cities to make and enforce oil and gas regulations within their jurisdictions. […]

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Eminent Domain and Inverse Condemnation in Texas

• Judith El Masri
• January 28, 2019

I don’t mind admitting that the legal terms eminent domain and inverse condemnation cause me to pause to do the mental gymnastics required to understand […]

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Requests, Disclosures and Exceptions for Body Cam and Dash Cam Videos

• Byron L. Brown
• January 21, 2019

Body-worn cameras, or “body cams” as they are known colloquially, are becoming more and more prevalent among police departments, perhaps due in part to the […]

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Public Officials, Social Media and the First Amendment

• Randlelaw
• January 15, 2019

Should a public official be permitted to block the social media accounts of people who disagree with an official’s stated policies or other running commentary […]

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On Texas Side of the Border, State Suing City over Handling of Suspected Human Smuggling Case

• Brandon Morris
• January 9, 2019

It’s no secret that immigration issues have been at the forefront of American politics over the past few years. In fact, just last night President […]

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