#Court Galveston County

[coochiequeens]

Sounds like the guy knew he was losing control of his wife so he said nothing about the termination until after so he could use it to make her life hell and possibly make money by suing her friends.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/04/texas-abortion-wrongful-death-countersuit/

After a Texas woman got a positive result on the home-pregnancy test she took in July, she texted two friends to discuss her options, according to a new countersuit.

A trigger law banning all abortions would take effect in her state in August, about two months following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Abortions were already illegal in Texas after the six-week mark. Another law had also made prescribing abortion pills online or mailing them to Texans illegal, which the woman and her friends discussed, the complaint states.

The woman had decided to end the pregnancy, according to the countersuit, filed in the District Court of Galveston County on Monday.

“Not questioning if this is what needs to happen,” she allegedly texted her friends. “I know it does.”

She took abortion medication on July 14, the suit states. Months later, in early March, her ex-husband filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against three women — including the two friends he said she had texted over the summer — whom he accused of being involved “in the murder of his child.”

On Monday, the two women filed a countersuit, alleging that their friend’s ex-husband was aware that his then-wife had wanted to terminate her pregnancy after he “illegally accessed” her phone without consent.

“He wasn’t interested in stopping her from terminating a possible pregnancy,” the countersuit claims.

Attorneys for the two women and the ex-husband did not respond to requests for comment. The ex-wife is not a named party in either lawsuit. Under Texas law, a pregnant patient who has an abortion cannot face criminal, civil or administrative liability or penalties.

The husband filed the original wrongful death lawsuit on March 9 in Galveston County, Tex.

In the suit, he alleged that the two friends assisted in “murdering [the] unborn child with illegally obtained abortion pills” that were acquired from a third woman. The complaint claims that the wife hid the pregnancy and had a medication abortion “without [his] knowledge or consent.”

The married couple finalized their divorce in February. The husband’s complaint states that he brought the lawsuit after he had “recently learned of the defendants’ involvement in the murder of his child.” His lawsuit was among the first of its kind since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Texas Tribune reported.

On July 12, the husband allegedly dug through his wife’s purse without her knowledge, according to the countersuit. He found a Post-it note with the number for an abortion clinic, and he read messages on her phone between her and her two friends about her “possible pregnancy and her desire to terminate it,” according to the document, citing a police report he later filed.

The next day, he looked through his wife’s purse again, the countersuit alleges.

This time, according to the friends’ countersuit, he found a small white pill labeled “MF” and learned it was mifepristone, which can be taken to terminate an early pregnancy. The friends allege that he placed the medication back in her purse and did not say anything to her about it that day.

The wife took the abortion medication the following day, on July 14, the countersuit states. Four days later, he went to the League City Police Department to file a report about his wife’s “intent to terminate the possible pregnancy,” according to a photo of the incident report that was included in the countersuit. The man also told police he had “accessed [his wife’s] phone without her permission,” the countersuit alleges, citing the police report.

The League City Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

After talking with police, the husband began to “threaten and try to control” his then-wife about the medication, according to the countersuit. His wife allegedly texted her friends to say: “So basically because I didn’t tell him in the first place that I was in that position he’s using it against me.”

The countersuit alleges that the husband threatened to have his wife “‘thrown in jail’ if she did not give herself to him ‘mind body and soul.’”

The friends’ lawsuit accuses the husband of violating Texas’s Harmful Access by Computer Act by reading the messages between his ex-wife and the two women, as well as taking screenshots of the correspondence without their permission.

The legislation allows Texans to sue those who have accessed a computer, computer network or computer system that they own without their consent. When the husband allegedly accessed his wife’s phone, he harmed the two friends, the countersuit claims, causing them to “suffer damages and losses.”

The countersuit also argues that the husband violated the friends’ right to privacy when he allegedly read their conversations with his then-wife.

By Praveena Somasundaram

[kp777]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit agreed on Friday to rehear a gerrymandering case out of Galveston County, Texas, en banc—meaning the full bench of judges from the Fifth Circuit will sit to rehear arguments. The case centers around a potential Voting Rights Act violation in which the petitioners argued that legislators unfairly diluted the voting influence of a majority of the county’s Black and Hispanic voters.

[texasobserver]

“The Texas Observer’s 2023 Must-Read Lone Star Books” by Senior Editor Lise Olsen, with help from Susan Post of Austin's Bookwoman:

Despite a disturbing rise in book bans, Texas is, against all odds, becoming more and more of a literary hub with authors winning accolades, indie bookstores popping up from Galveston Island to El Paso, and ban-busting librarians and other book-lovers throwing festivals. So as you ponder gifts this holiday season or consider what to read by the fire or by the pool (who can say in December?), pick some Lone Star lit. 

Here’s a list of #MustRead 2023 books by Texans or about Texas compiled by the Observer staff with help from Susan Post of Austin’s independent Bookwoman. (Several talented Texans also made best book lists in Slate magazine, The New Yorker, and NPR’s Books We Love.)

NONFICTION

We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Dallas journalist Roxanna Asgarian (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) is a dramatic takedown of the Texas foster care and family court system. It’s both a compelling narrative and an investigative tour de force.

The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine (Simon & Schuster) by Ricardo Nuila, a Houston physician and author, is an eye-opening and surprisingly optimistic read. Nuila delves deeply into what’s wrong with modern medicine by painting rich portraits of the patients he’s treated (and befriended) while working at Harris County’s Ben Taub Hospital, which offers free or low-cost—yet high-quality—care against all odds. Each of them had been forced into impossible positions and suffered additional trauma from obstacles and gaps in insurance, corporate medicine, and Big Pharma.

Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians and a Legacy of Rage (Simon & Schuster) by Fort Worth journalist Jeff Guinn is one of two books that mark the 30th anniversary of the standoff between the Branch Davidians and federal agents that ended with 86 deaths. (The other is Waco Rising by Kevin Cook.) Both authors recount how the 1993 tragedy shaped other extremist leaders in America—and still influences separatist movements today.

Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan (University of Texas Press) by Alex Pappademas and Joan LeMay has been described as the quintessential Steely Dan book. As part of the project, LeMay, a native Houstonian, created 109 whimsical portraits of characters that sprang from the musicians’ lyrics and legends. In a review, fellow artist Melissa Messer wrote: “Looking at Joan’s oeuvre makes me feel tipsy, or like I’ve drunk Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink and I’m swimming through the air after her, searching for the same vision.”

Memoir

Black Cameleon: Memory, Womanhood and Myth(Macmillan) by Debra D.E.E.P. Mouton, the former Houston poet Laureate, shares lyrical memories of her own life mixed with ample asides on Black culture and family lore. Her storylines sink deeply into a dream world, and yet readers emerge without forgetting her deeper messages.

Leg: The Story of a Limb and a Boy Who Grew from It (Abrams Books) by Greg Marshall of Austin has been described as “a hilarious and poignant memoir grappling with family, disability, and coming of age in two closets—as a gay man and as a man living with cerebral palsy.” NPR’s Scott Simon, who interviewed Marshall, described the memoir as “intimate, and I mean that in all ways—insightful and often laugh-out-loud funny.”

Up Home: One Girl’s Journey (Penguin Random House) by Ruth J. Simmonsis a powerful memoir from the Grapeland native who became the president of Brown University and thus, the first Black president of an Ivy League institution. Simmons begins by sharing stories about her parents, who were sharecroppers, and about her life as one of 12 children growing up in a tiny Texas town during the Jim Crow era. For her, the classroom became “a place of brilliant light unlike any our homes afforded.” (Simmons’s other academic credentials include being the former president of Smith College; president of Prairie View A&M University, Texas’s oldest HBCU; and the former vice provost of Princeton.)

Novels and Short Stories

An Autobiography of Skin(Penguin Random House) by Lakiesha Carr weaves together three powerful narratives all featuring Black women from Texas. Carr, a journalist originally from East Texas, plumbs the depths of each character’s struggles, sharing tales of gambling, lost love, abuse, and the power of women to overcome. 

Holler, Child (Penguin Random House), a new short story collection from Latoya Watkins, was long-listed for the National Book Award. Her eleven tales press “at the bruises of guilt, love, and circumstance,” as the cover description promises, and introduce West Texas-inspired characters irrevocably shaped by place.

The Nursery (Pantheon Books) by Szilvia Molnar—a surprisingly honest, anatomically accurate (and unsettling) novel about new motherhood—begins: “I used to be a translator and now I am a milk bar.” It’s a riveting and original debut by Molnar, who is originally from Budapest, was raised in Sweden, and now lives in Austin.

Two legendary Austin writers weighed in with new novels on our tall stack of Texas goodreads: The Madstone (Little, Brown and Company) by Elizabeth Crook, the 2023 Texas Writer Award winner, and Mr. Texas, a fictional send-up of Texas politics by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright. 

Poetry

Bookwoman’s Susan Post, who contributed titles to our list, also recommends filling your holiday shelves with poetry by and about Texans:

Dream Apartment (Copper Canyon Press) by Lisa Olstein; 

Low (Gray Wolf Press) by Nick Flynn; 

Freedom House by KB Brookins (published by Dallas’ Deep Vellum Bookstore & Publishing Co.) 

Essays

Pastures of the Empty Page: Fellow Writers on the Life and Legacy of Larry McMurtry (University of Texas Press) edited by George Getchow, contains essays from a who’s who list of Texas writers about Larry McMurtry’s influence on Texas culture and their lives. It includes an array of reflections on history and the writing process as well as anecdotes about McMurtry’s off-beat and innovative life. 

To Name the Bigger Lie (Simon & Schuster) by Sarah Viren, an ex-Texan who now teaches creative writing at Arizona State University, (excerpted in Lithub) includes reflections on Viren’s experiences (and misadventures) as an “out” academic and writer in states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona. As she dryly notes, “Critiques of the personal essay, and by extension memoir, are often gendered—not to mention classist and racist and homophobic.” 

Can you help us survive, and thrive into our 70th year during this challenging time for the journalism industry?

Right now, all donations to the Texas Observer will be matched. Donate now!

[dankusner]

Molly Cook Makes History as the First Openly LGBTQ Texas Senator

Molly Cook, a 32-year-old emergency room nurse and community organizer, has made history as the first openly LGBTQ member of the Texas Senate.

A sixth-generation Texan, Cook’s achievement marks a significant milestone for representation in the Texas Legislature.

“Today, we get to celebrate our fantastic, well-deserved, historic win,” Sen. Cook said the morning of May 29 after securing her Democratic primary win in Texas State District 15, a seat that has been blue for decades.

“Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra-sweet because it is borne of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork. We have organized for years, stayed true to our values, and built momentum that extends beyond this election. Thank you to the team, donors, voters, and volunteers. Let’s take a moment to root ourselves in gratitude and bask in our community—and let’s get to work.”

Cook is the incumbent senator after having won the special election on May 4 to fill the remainder of John Whitmire’s term.

The long-time senator resigned in December of 2023 after winning the Houston Mayor’s seat.

Now that Sen. Cook is the Democratic candidate for the November general election, she will most likely spend the next four years in Austin.

A native Houstonian with a bachelor’s degree from UT in Austin and a graduate degree in nursing and public health from Johns Hopkins University, she plays the harp, practices yoga, and has a senior Chihuahua.

And she’s a grassroots specialist.

“Today, we get to celebrate our fantastic, well-deserved, historic win. Winning a Texas Senate seat is a big deal, and it tastes extra-sweet because it is borne of sheer grit, determination, and teamwork.” — Senator Molly Cook

Cook volunteered with Fair for Houston, a group that helped pass Prop. B to restructure the Houston-Galveston Area Council Board, and also worked on Beto O’Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign.

She joined Stop TxDOT I-45 (a grassroots organization promoting equitable, sustainable transportation in Houston, Harris County, and Texas) to fight TxDOT’s planned expansion of I-45.

Her many responsibilities as a volunteer included implementing communication and advocacy strategies, developing volunteer management systems, coordinating phone banks and door-knocking, disseminating information to the public, advocating through interviews with the media, running the bi-weekly general meetings, training and on-boarding new members, and event planning.

She also frequently delivered public comments before Houston City Council, Harris County Commissioner’s Court, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Texas Transportation Commission, and the Texas Legislature.

“My favorite part of working with Stop TxDOT 1-45 was the opportunity to grow relationships with community members, advocacy organizations, and elected officials,” she says.

That experience served her well when she ran for the senate seat the first time against Whitmire, who had already announced his run for mayor of Houston, in 2022.

She lost that race by 58 percent to 42 percent—the biggest opponent Whitmire had faced in decades.

When the open seat came up for the Democratic primary election on March 5 of this year, she placed second in a six-candidate field to State Representative Jarvis Johnson with 21 percent of the vote to his 36 percent.

Jarvis blamed low voter turnout for his loss in the special election.

Houston’s spring storm season has not slowed her down.

After being sworn in by Judge Steve Duble at 5:30 p.m. on May 16 to fill Whitmire’s unexpired term, a rare derecho blew through Houston with torrential rains and straight-line winds up to 100 miles per hour, wreaking havoc on the Heights and downtown, causing power outages to almost a million customers, downing power lines and trees, and causing seven deaths.

“It was a whirlwind first few hours,” Cook said of her first day as a state senator.

And on the afternoon of the Democratic runoff, another freak thunderstorm blew in, shutting down power to hundreds of thousands and closing one election site early.

She still won the race, drawing 50.2 percent of the vote to Johnson’s 49.8 percent.

But with a low turnout of just 18,782 voters, she won by less than 80 votes.

Still, it was an historic win for the LGBTQ community.

“Senator Molly Cook’s win last night in the primary runoff was not just a win for her campaign, but a win for our entire community,” said Austin Davis Ruiz, president of the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus.

“She first made herstory earlier this month by becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the Texas Senate, and we know she is going to be a champion for all communities in Austin. In a time when we’re seeing increased attacks on the LGBTQ+ community—specifically, on the trans community—this win is a reaffirmation that LGBTQ+ Texans matter; that we are powerful. As a community, we will continue fighting against draconian laws that seek to limit our rights and that seek to legislate us from existence. But let us be clear: we are not going anywhere. We want to congratulate Senator Cook on a hard-fought campaign, and we look forward to supporting her re-election campaign come November.”

[rebeleden]

Texas Republicans Win Big With Election Map After New Supreme Court Ruling | Essence

CC AMERIKKKA

STOP VANILLA ISIS

[mongowheelie]

Supreme Court declines to intervene in Voting Rights Act challenge to Texas county map over objections from liberals | CNN Politics

[dnaamericaapp]

Supreme Court Allows Texas County To Use A Map Judges Deemed A Racial Gerrymander

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a Texas county to use a map in the next election that judges had ruled was racially gerrymandered.

The court’s three liberal justices dissented as the conservative majority in a brief order said Republican-led Galveston County could use a map drawn in 2021 that challengers said wiped out the county’s only majority-minority precinct in violation of the Voting Rights Act.

The map, the plaintiffs said, discriminates against both Black and Latino voters.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a brief dissenting opinion that the court’s decision means that a map that a district court judge had subsequently approved, which will now not be used, was “concededly lawful ... and nearly identical to the maps that have governed the election of Galveston County’s commissioners for decades.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson both joined Kagan’s opinion.

In a complicated chain of events, the appeals court initially upheld the judge’s ruling that said the new map was a racial gerrymander under 5th Circuit precedent. But now the appeals court has indicated it is considering overturning that precedent. As a result, the appeals court last week put the district court ruling that would have led to the different map being used on hold.

The underlying legal question is whether the 1965 Voting Rights Act requires a majority-minority district when the minority group is a coalition instead of one racial or ethnic bloc. The precinct in question has a 58% minority vote when Black and Latino voters are combined, the plaintiffs said in court papers.

The county argues that coalitions of voters are not a protected group under the Voting Rights Act. The 2021 map has white majorities in all four precincts.

“In imposing a different map, acknowledged to violate current law ... the court of appeals went far beyond its proper authority,” Kagan wrote. -(source: nbc news)

DNA America

“It’s what we know, not what you want us to believe.”

#dna #dnaamerica #news #politics

[oconnor2023]

Galveston County Judicial Appeals

Judicial appeals involve lawsuits filed in district court to pursue property tax appeals beyond the appraisal review board stage. It's worth noting that O'Connor can facilitate these judicial appeals for you, with no upfront cost except for a portion of the savings achieved. For further information, visit https://galvestoncountypropertytaxtrends.com/appeals/.

[sab-cat]

A Texas man is suing three women under the wrongful death statute, alleging that they assisted his ex-wife in terminating her pregnancy, the first such case brought since the state's near-total ban on abortion last summer. Marcus Silva is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, the former Texas solicitor general and architect of the state's prohibition on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park. The lawsuit is filed in state court in Galveston County, where Silva lives....

Mitchell and Cain intend to also name the manufacturer of the abortion pill as a defendant, once it is identified.

"Anyone involved in distributing or manufacturing abortion pills will be sued into oblivion," Cain said in a statement.

[aifc223]

Tips About Protesting Your Property Taxes From Galveston County Tax Assessor-collector

If you are not sure about your property's homestead status, verify final tax invoice or look up your property's on-line report at your county's appraisal website. We have formed relationships with the appraisal districts, we now have state of the art computer applications and do the analysis Galveston property tax needed to get you the lowest potential value. The governing physique of City of La Marque proposes to use revenue attributable to the tax fee enhance for the aim of extra personnel, debts, and capital to meet the needs of the community.

Nettles & Co. has a wonderful relationship with the property county tax appraisal boards. We professionally represent your case and can generally reduce your tax liabilities by way of out of court docket negotiations. We provide full-fledged providers, from figuring out tax saving opportunities to decreasing property tax administrative burden and protesting assessed property values for our Galveston shoppers. Nettles & Co is a property tax consulting firm Property tax galveston county Galveston residents and businesses count on. We have the information, experience and over 20 years of expertise to offer property tax evaluation higher than anyone else. Previous appraisals, professional opinions, and appraisals for comparable properties may be connected to the attraction as supporting documentation.

In 1834 Michel B. Menard bought the first declare on the location of future Galveston, and business visitors started to move via the port thereafter. During the revolution, Texans fortified Galveston and the Texas Navy berthed in its port. The ad Galveston county property taxes interim authorities under David G. Burnet took refuge on Galveston Island in April, 1836, and made Galveston the temporary capital of the model new republic.

The city's growth and significance is measured by the truth that Galveston had the only respectable labor unions lively in Texas earlier than the Civil War. Galveston itself quickly developed a classy Galveston county property tax and cosmopolitan society. Fleeing the revolutions in Europe, giant numbers of immigrants started to arrive at the port in the 1840s and 1850s. Copies of the early Texas Almanac, printed at Galveston, served as Bibles for the model new citizens.

You can find statewide statistics on the Texas property tax web page. We aren't responsible for payments submitted incorrectly or acquired after the required due date. A monetary advisor might help you understand how homeownership matches into your overall monetary goals. SmartAsset’s free software matches you with as much as three vetted monetary advisors who serve your area, and you may interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is best for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who might help you achieve your financial goals, get began now.

[eagletek]

Three Texas women sued for wrongful death after aiding in abortion | Abortion

Three women in Texas are being sued for wrongful death by a man who claims they helped his now-ex-wife obtain medication for an abortion. It’s another test of state-enforced bans since the US supreme court overturned the Roe v Wade decision. In a lawsuit filed late Thursday in Galveston county, Marcus Silva alleges assisting in a self-administered abortion is tantamount to aiding a murder. Silva…

[dankusner]

Justices of peace seek help with death inquests

JPs say county needs medical examiner to deal with cases

The first call came in about a drowning.

The phone rang a second time 45 minutes later about a different death.

Later that afternoon, a third call came in about someone killed in a traffic wreck.

Williamson County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1 KT Musselman said he answered all three calls while presiding over eviction, towing and truancy cases in his court.

As one of the county’s four justices of the peace, he not only hears civil court cases but also must determine the cause and manner of death and order autopsies in homicides, suicides, accidents, drug overdoses or deaths with undetermined causes because the county doesn’t have a medical examiner.

That needs to change, said Musselman.

The number of deaths that the four Williamson County justices of the peace responded to grew from 461 in 2014 to 1,023 last year, or 122%, Musselman said.

Because of COVID-19 and having to respond to death investigations, he said he has 25 jury trials on backlog.

“In our society, we are taught not to talk about death out of respect, and I don’t have an issue or cause with that,” he said. “But I am required as an elected official to speak up on behalf of the people I represent who deserve more than what the four of us can give.”

County Commissioner Valerie Covey said she is working with the JPs on an interim solution that involves contracting with people who would only investigate deaths for each justice of the peace office.

The Williamson County Commissioners Court hasn’t discussed it yet, she said, but the issue will be addressed during the county’s budgeting process this summer.

The cost to hire death investigators has not yet been estimated.

Commissioner Terry Cook said she knows the justices of the peace need help with their jobs.

“In a county like ours, it doesn’t make sense anymore to do business as it has been done in the past,” she said. “We have to really study and come up with a solution now.”

County Judge Bill Gravell, a former justice of the peace, said officials are studying short-term and long-term options.

“We have a strategic plan that addresses long-term goals, which can include things like the addition of a medical examiner’s office,” Gravell said. “We have a group actively working on gathering information for this. We also have groups looking at short-term options for the next fiscal year budget.”

Williamson County, with an estimated population of 772,000, is not required by state law to have a medical examiner.

Only counties with populations of 2.5 million or greater must have them. But commissioners courts can establish a medical examiner’s office at any time.

Eighteen counties in Texas have medical examiners, including seven — Nueces, Cameron, Galveston, Montgomery, Webb, Johnson and Ector — with lower populations than Williamson County, according to figures from Williamson County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Rhonda Redden.

Williamson County spokesperson Connie Odom said officials are looking at the cost of offices for medical examiners under construction, including one in Lubbock.

The office there is being built for an estimated $45 million that comes from voter-approved bonds and American Rescue Act Funds, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

“It’s a very expensive operation to have an ME’s office,” said Covey. “We are putting it in our strategic plan and looking at where it might be located.”

Covey said the county already has reliable agencies and private forensic businesses that provide autopsies, including the Travis County medical examiner’s office and Hill Country Forensics.

Williamson County spent $1.56 million for autopsies during 2023, according to county figures.

Other Central Texas counties with smaller populations and fewer death investigations spent less.

Hays County spent $736,571 on autopsies in 2023, officials there said.

Its six justices conducted 389 death investigations that year.

In 2023, Bastrop County spent $283,725 on autopsies, and its four justices did an estimated 211 death investigations, according to county officials.

In Williamson County, the justices of the peace take turns serving one week per month investigating deaths all over the county, as well as conducting their court duties.

Justices of the peace are not required to go to all death scenes and can conduct some investigations by phone.

They do not determine if someone is dead but talk to law enforcement, relatives and doctors after a person has died to figure out the manner and cause of death.

The JP’s can order autopsies if needed and require doctors to take a sample of body fluids or tissue.

They are required to sign death certificates if a doctor cannot or refuses to do it.

No medical or law enforcement experience is required to be a justice of the peace.

Redden said she has ended up working on death investigations much more than her assigned one week per month.

“I work a lot of hours,” she said. “I put in 3,100 hours in 2023 and about 2,500 to 2,600 of them were dedicated to death investigations.

It means I go into work early and work through lunches and stay late and work on weekends. … For me, my family has been my sacrifice.”

Redden said she spends a lot of time talking to families that have lost loved ones, even if it means she has to delay court for 20 minutes.

“They are going through such a hard time that they forget to eat and drink,” she said. “I have to remind people to drink some water every hour. I take my time with families because they need it.”

Musselman said the justices often get called to death scenes in the late night or early morning hours, leaving them exhausted for court the next day.

“If a call comes in from Taylor, it takes you 30 minutes to get there, and if you get called for another death in Liberty Hill, it takes you 45 minutes to get there, often on back roads,” he said.

One of the last times he was on call he was notified about seven deaths in one day, he said.

Four of the calls were less than two hours apart, Musselman said.

“It’s so many that you literally lose track,” he said. “I’ve had to call back police officers and say, ‘Can you tell me that the name of the deceased again

[governmentagencynews]

HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston Field Office arrested eight noncitizen sex offenders from Oct. 21-Nov. 4 during a national operation targeting unlawfully present individuals who have previously been convicted of sex offenses.The arrests were made under Operation SOAR, an acronym for Sex Offender Arrest and Removal. This coordinated fugitive operations initiative prioritizes the arrest and removal of unlawfully present convicted sex offenders. Seven of the eight individuals arrested during Operation SOAR in the Houston area have previously been convicted of sex offenses involving minors. “The individuals apprehended in the Houston area during this operation have not only demonstrated a complete lack of respect for our nation’s immigration laws, but they have also shown to be a significant public safety threat to our communities,” said Matt Baker, acting field office director for ERO Houston. “By conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations to locate and arrest these individuals, we fulfill our unyielding commitment to uphold our nation’s immigration laws, and hopefully bring some peace of mind to their victims.” The SOAR arrests made by ERO Houston during the operation included: A 41-year-old previously removed Mexican national arrested in Cleveland, Texas, who was convicted of felony indecency with a child through sexual contact in Alexander County, North Carolina. A 24-year-old previously removed Salvadoran national arrested in Houston who was convicted of indecent exposure to a minor in Harris County, Texas. A 42-year-old Uruguayan national arrested in Houston who was previously convicted of felony sexual assault of a child in Fort Bend County, Texas. A 50-year-old Mexican national arrested in Winnie, Texas, who was previously convicted of felony sexual exploitation of a minor in Chambers County, Texas. A 42-year-old Honduran national arrested in Galveston, Texas, who was previously convicted of felony indecency with a child through sexual contact in Galveston County, Texas. A 49-year-old Mexican national arrested in Houston who was previously convicted of indecency with a child through sexual contact in Harris County, Texas. A 49-year-old Mexican national arrested in Houston who was previously convicted of sexual assault in Harris County, Texas. A 20-year-old Guatemalan national arrested in Houston who was previously convicted of indecent exposure to a minor in Harris County, Texas. ICE targets and arrests noncitizens who have committed crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. Officers make case decisions in a responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement professionals and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland. All those in violation of immigration law may be subject to arrest and detention, and if found removable by final order, removed from the United States. Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions federal immigration judges make. In fiscal year 2021, ERO arrested 12,025 individuals with aggravated felony convictions. Offenses associated with noncitizens arrested in FY 2021 included 1,506 homicide related offenses, 3,415 sexual assaults, 19,549 assaults, 2,717 robberies and 1,063 kidnappings. Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form. Learn more about ERO Houston’s mission to increase public safety in your community by following us on Twitter @EROHouston.

[judge-lonnie-cox]

Lonnie Cox Galveston - Re-Elect Judge Cox

Judge Lonnie Cox is the judge of the 56th District Court in Galveston County.  The duties of the 56th District Court are to promote justice and to facilitate the scheduling of trials and the disposal of cases through trials or agreements.

 Elected in 2004, Judge Cox has been committed to serving his community with three goals; efficient justice, following the law, and keeping our community safe.

 Before becoming a judge, Judge Cox was an Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Galveston County for over 10 years, with assignments as Chief Felony Prosecutor and Chief of Misdemeanor.  As an Assistant District Attorney, he tried over 50 jury trials before his election to the bench.

 Before his legal career, Judge Cox worked for the Lubrizol Corporation, first as an operator and later working his way up to Customer Service Supervisor for two Texas plants.  Before Lubrizol, he was a musician with the Calgary Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Houston Ballet.  While working a full-time job and raising a family, he received a Master of Business Administration from Houston Baptist University and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence for the University of Houston Law School. He also has a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Houston.

 Recognized for his dedication and service, he has received two awards from Mothers against Drunk Drivers (MADD) as well as the Texas Gang Investigators Association Damn Good judge Award.  Judge Cox has a long history of service to his community as well. He has served as President of Communities in Schools, a director of the Galveston Employees Credit Union, President of the Kiwanis Club, President of the Rotary Club, President of the Optimist Club, President of the Gideon’s Camp, is currently the Vice President of M I Lewis Social Services, a member of the Propeller Club, Galveston Beach Band, and is a Deacon and Sunday School Teacher at South Main Baptist Church.

 He is also a member of numerous professional organizations.  He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Board of Legal Specializations in Criminal Law, the College of the State Bar of Texas, a graduate of the Texas Judicial College, the Galveston Bar Association (where he served as a Director and Secretary), the Pro Bono Committee for the years 2002 and 2003, the Judicial Section of the Texas State Bar, Chair of the Galveston County Community Supervision and Correction Board, Director of the Galveston County Juvenile Probation Board, member of the Advisory Board for Rules for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.  Judge Cox has been appointed twice as an MDL (Multi-District Litigation) Master (handling over 40,000 cases in addition to his regular case load).  Judge Cox has also been a visiting Judge on the 1st Court of Appeals.

 Judge Cox’s long list of accomplishments and multiple organizations with which he is affiliated have given him many life experiences which have helped him serve his community as Judge of the 56th District Court. His experiences and working with people in the private sector have given him a special insight and have taught him to be fair and courteous to all people.  He recognizes an even greater need when people are experiencing the stress of legal proceedings.  His courtroom is dedicated to maintaining those ideals.

 With his multiple years of experience in the courtroom, having the advantage of being involved in trying cases as Assistant District Attorney, and having the perspective of being on both sides of the bench, Judge Cox knows the importance of having an efficient courtroom that allows justice without unnecessary delay.  His experiences have shown him how to effectively move cases so that a fair and just outcome is achieved for all parties involved.  It’s that commitment that leads to effective outcomes.

 His involvement in the community has shown him every day how we must all work together for a safer community.  Judge Lonnie Cox understands how important a safe community is for the hard-working citizens of Galveston County and is dedicated to continuing his long record of working towards and achieving that goal.  He works and volunteers with multiple organizations with the goal of strengthening those ties to the community.  Local Police Chiefs and Law Enforcement Associations have routinely supported and continue to support Judge Cox and his fair but firm stance against crime.

 But, that goal cannot be achieved without your help.  The upcoming election that will be held on Tuesday, November 3rd, is critical.  Good, dedicated public servants like Judge Lonnie Cox will need your vote at the ballot box.  There are many important dates to observe in anticipation of Election Day.  Here are a few to keep in mind.  If you have not requested your ballot by mail, and are eligible to do so, PLEASE APPLY NOW!  Also, please note that if you are not currently registered to vote, the last day you can register is October 5, 2020.  The first day to vote early by personal appearance is Monday, October 19, 2020, and you can vote early at any Galveston Early Voting Center until the last day of Early Voting on Friday, October 30, 2020.

 There are many reasons to get out the vote on November 3rd and cast your ballot for Judge Lonnie Cox.  We need to keep experienced, dedicated judges that are concerned about what’s best for the citizens of Galveston.  We need courts that are run efficiently and justly.  Judge Lonnie Cox has a proven record of excellence serving in that position.

 But, most of all, Judge Cox is proud to be married to Alison and a proud father to six children, grandfather to 11, and great-grandfather to seven.  Both personally and professionally, his dedication and hard work have helped and contributed to making Galveston County a safer place for everyone.  Efficient justice, fairness to all concerned, following the law, and keeping the community safe – goals that have been the focus of Judge Cox’s service.

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Galveston County | Judicial Appeals | Appraisal Review Board

Judicial appeals are lawsuits in district court filed to continue the property tax appeal after the appraisal review board. However, judicial appeals can be coordinated by O’Connor at no cost to you, except a portion of the savings. O’Connor pays the legal fees, expert witness fees and filing fees, and is only paid when successful. To learn more, visit https://galvestoncountypropertytaxtrends.com/appeals/