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Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, October 2, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

COME AND TAKE IT

On October 2, 1835, Mexican soldiers were repelled as they attempted to take a cannon from the people of Gonzales. The Texians had hoisted a flag over their community depicting the cannon and emblazoned with the challenge: "Come And Take It."

Just 202 days later, Texas' independence from Mexico was secured at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Union Advises Texas A&M Faculty To ‘Resist’ Reform and Accountability A self-described professors’ union has advised Texas A&M faculty to “resist” their employers’ efforts to hold them accountable for classroom instruction. Robert Montoya has the story [[link removed]].

In a seven-page letter obtained by Texas Scorecard, the American Association of University Professors urges the A&M faculty to refuse immediate compliance with new university policies developed in accordance with state law.

The union is also advising professors to avoid transparency by creating group chats “with trusted colleagues” in their departments on encrypted platforms. Federal Judge Delays Effort To Close Texas Republican Primary Daniel Greer reports [[link removed]] that a federal court has granted state officials a 30-day extension to respond to the Texas GOP’s legal challenge that the party hopes will result in closing the Republican primary to Democrats.

The Republican Party of Texas has sued Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson in an effort to close the primary ahead of the March 2026 election. Currently, any Texas voter can participate in a party primary regardless of political affiliation.

The Texas GOP’s lawsuit argues that the open primary system violates its First Amendment right to freely associate, as it forces the party to allow individuals who likely do not align with party principles to influence the nomination process. Redistricting Trial Day 1 Leftwing Groups Argue Texas’ New Congressional Map Is Racially Discriminatory A panel of three federal judges began hearing testimony yesterday in a lawsuit challenging Texas’ new congressional districts, with a coalition of left-wing advocacy groups contending the maps are racially discriminatory. Travis Morgan reports from El Paso [[link removed]].

Wednesday’s opening-day hearing centered on allegations from the left-wing coalition that the new map is racially discriminatory and violates the rights of black and Hispanic voters. The new districts include five GOP-opportunity seats, which Republicans could pick up in the 2026 midterm elections if the map stands.

Plaintiffs spent much of the day attempting to show that the presentation of racial data is itself evidence of racial intent, devoting hours to supplementing this theory. Yet the state countered that State Sen. Joan Huffman (R–Houston) was sharply criticized by Democrats in 2021 for not providing racial impact data when presenting a previous map.

The hearing set the stage for the coming days' testimony and debate. The case itself has the potential to reshape the state’s representation in Congress and set new standards for how demographic data can be used—or interpreted—during the redistricting process. FDA Announces Approval for Drug To Combat Flesh-Eating Screwworm Following months of warnings from agricultural industry leaders regarding the threats presented by the reemergence of the New World Screwworm at Texas’ southern border, Addie Hovland reports [[link removed]] the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced approval of an injectable drug to combat the flesh-eating pest.

The New World Screwworm is a parasite that eats the flesh of warm-blooded mammals. After being eradicated in much of the Americas in the 1960s, it has come back in the last year. Just last week, the USDA confirmed that an infestation was discovered 70 miles from the southern border, near Laredo.

The FDA has conditionally approved the use of an anti-parasitical injectable drug. The agency says the drug is safe and offers a reasonable expectation of effectiveness. Plano Private School Teacher Gets 20 Years for Crimes Against Student A Plano private school teacher, Jacob Thomas Allred, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes against a 15-year-old female student. Erin Anderson has the details [[link removed]].

Arrested in January 2024, Allred taught ninth grade at Great Lakes Academy in Plano, which specializes in students with social disorders and learning disabilities. The crimes occurred in 2023.

State records show Allred was certified as an educational aide from 2012 to 2018, then as a teacher starting in 2019. He permanently surrendered his teaching certificate in May 2024 and was added to the Do Not Hire Registry of people ineligible to be employed by a Texas public school. Denton Voters To Decide on School Property Tax Rate Increase Voters in Denton ISD will decide in November whether or not to permanently raise school property tax rates [[link removed]] for district residents and businesses above the maximum increase allowed by state law.

As required by state law, the ballot will also inform voters that the proposed tax rate will result in a 13 percent increase in M&O tax revenue.

Because of legislation enacted earlier this year, even with the tax rate increase Denton ISD taxpayers will still pay less than they did last year. Without the rate increase, their tax savings would be even higher. Number of the Day

2 Million

The number of civilian employees who work for the federal government as of Sept. 12, 2025. Of those, 130,686 are in Texas.

[Source: Congressional Research Service [[link removed]]]

Quote-Unquote

"A nation can only be free, happy, and great in proportion to the virtue and intelligence of the people." – Stephen F. Austin​

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