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Emma Platoff covers the law and its intersections with politics for The Texas Tribune, where she started as a fellow in 2017. A graduate of Yale University, Emma is the former managing editor of the Yale Daily News.
The last of the seven whistleblowers, Ryan Bangert, said he resigned Wednesday. Two others had already resigned, two more were fired last week, and two were put on leave earlier this month. Full Story
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An aide said Bush has heard from “several donors” who want him to consider running. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, “is absolutely planning on running again,” a spokesman said. Full Story
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Democrats argue the high court's pandemic-related decisions show GOP incumbents should be unseated in November. Republicans say the virus is another argument for sticking with the status quo. Full Story
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The Harris County judge’s order reverses a decision that the state’s top lawyer should not face a jury in the North Texas region where he and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, are deeply connected in political circles. Full Story
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Two were fired and two placed on leave — moves employment attorneys say will likely spark a whistleblower lawsuit. A spokesperson for Paxton said the personnel changes were not related to the whistleblower allegations. Full Story
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Blake Brickman and Lacey Mase, two whistleblowers who accused their boss of crimes including bribery and abuse of office, were both fired Tuesday. Full Story
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The departure "was not voluntary," said Lacey Mase, one of several senior aides who said Attorney General Ken Paxton used his office to serve the interests of a donor. Full Story
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Ian Prior, a Republican operative who promoted the story for the Texas attorney general's campaign, denied that the campaign had paid the Southeast Texas Record to publish it. “Definitive no,” he said. Full Story
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Several school districts are trying to accommodate teachers with health conditions who want to work from home, but many are being called back in as more students return to classrooms. Full Story
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Abbott, a former Texas Supreme Court justice himself, picked Huddle to serve on the all-Republican high court. Full Story
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In a bitterly contested election overlaid with the fears and risks of an uncontrolled pandemic, Harris County has become a case study in raw politics and partisan efforts to manipulate voter turnout. Full Story
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Outside attorney Brandon Cammack said he'd never met Paxton before he was asked to apply for the position, but he “rose to the occasion” in accepting a major assignment. Full Story
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Civil rights groups and voting advocates had argued the restriction would disproportionately impact low-income voters, voters with disabilities, older voters and voters of color in Democratic counties. Full Story
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Aides in the attorney general’s office have said their boss used the power of the agency to serve the financial interests of Nate Paul, an Austin investor and donor. Paul’s attorney said his client has been the victim of agency “dysfunction.” Full Story
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The long-running securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — now more than five years old — has been delayed for years as he resists paying special prosecutors $300 an hour. But he personally signed off on that rate for an inexperienced attorney probing a political donor’s complaint. Full Story
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The young lawyer has five years of experience and apparent ties to an attorney for Nate Paul, a political donor to Paxton at the center of the latest allegations against the attorney general. Full Story
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Top aides have accused Paxton of using the agency to serve the interests of the donor through the investigation — which has involved subpoenas related to the donor's financial interests. Full Story
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The aides are doubling down on accusations they made last week to law enforcement that Paxton had committed crimes including bribery and abuse of office. Full Story
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Among the documents Paxton released Wednesday was a June 10 referral from the Travis County district attorney’s office, which asked the attorney general’s office to investigate a complaint that appears to come from Nate Paul. Full Story
The elections administrator for the county, Texas' most populous and a critical stronghold for Democrats, has already sent the applications to voters 65 or over. The GOP Texas Supreme Court ruled he may not send them to the rest of the county's 2.4 million registered voters. Full Story
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