... The Texas Minute ...

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Good morning,

Americans are still fleeing Democrat-run states, with Texas the destination of choice for those political refugees. In this week's One Click Survey, we want to know how you think Texas should handle that.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, January 12, 2026.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

But First... Special thanks to Brandon Waltens for filling in last week while I enjoyed a trip with my son. For as fun as it was, it is always great to be back in the Lone Star State!

SCOTX Rejects State Agency’s Attempt To Misinterpret Religious Freedom In an opinion issued Friday, Texas’ Supreme Court clarified that judges may publicly refuse to perform same-sex weddings while continuing to perform heterosexual weddings, in what is being celebrated as a win for religious liberty. Travis Morgan has the background [[link removed]].

The opinion clarifies confusion after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct seems to have intentionally misinterpreted a comment the Court had added to the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.

Back in October, the Supreme Court said judges could refuse to perform same-sex weddings. The commission, though, claimed in legal filings since then that it meant judges could not choose to perform weddings between men and women unless they presided over homosexual unions. Did Texas A&M Really ‘Censor’ Plato? A coalition of left-wing organizations has claimed that Texas A&M University is "censoring Plato." Adam Cahn examines the facts [[link removed]].

Professor Martin Peterson removed a reading from Plato’s symposium on Aristophanes’ myth of split humans and Diotima’s ladder of love. The piece is a comic yet serious account in which humans were once three sexes: male, female, and androgynous. Kristi Sweet, chair of Texas A&M’s philosophy department, reportedly told the professor to remove the reading in order to comply with the TAMU System's rule banning "advocacy" of "race and gender ideology."

Leftwing advocacy groups, echoed by the New York Times and the Texas Tribune, seized on the report.

Scott Yenor, a scholar who studies higher education, described [[link removed]] this as "a classic lefty tactic. Namely, exaggerate what the rule demands, and then apply that exaggeration in order to discredit the rule." Houston Man Faces $10 Million Lawsuit in Alleged AI Deepfake Case Michael Wilson reports [[link removed]] that a Houston business owner already facing criminal charges tied to alleged AI-generated sexual content is now the target of a $10 million civil lawsuit.

Jorge Abrego, a co-owner of HTX Tactical, is accused in a new civil lawsuit of orchestrating a prolonged campaign of online impersonation and harassment against a Houston-based internet influencer identified in court filings as “Jane Doe.”

Abrego was arrested in August 2025 and charged with online impersonation and unlawful production of sexually explicit videos. Investigators allege that Abrego created multiple fake social media accounts using usernames that closely resembled the influencer’s real profiles. Those accounts were then used to post AI-generated images and videos that appeared to show her engaged in sexual activity.

"Unfortunately, it’s becoming far too common to see deepfakes on the internet. This conduct is harmful and defamatory." – Attorney Tony Buzbee [[link removed]] Tarrant GOP Challenges Democrat Judicial Candidates’ Ballot Filings The Tarrant County GOP is moving to disqualify seven Democrat judicial candidates from the March primary, accusing them of failing to meet legally mandatory filing requirements that render their ballot applications invalid under Texas law. Addie Hovland has the story [[link removed]].

The GOP alleges that the candidates failed to comply with mandatory provisions of the Texas Election Code and demands that Tarrant County Democrats declare the candidates ineligible for the March primary. The challenges highlight multiple defects in required petitions, affidavits, and judicial application disclosures.

"If you can’t follow the rules to get on the ballot, you can’t be trusted to enforce them from the bench." – Tarrant County GOP Chairman Tim Davis [[link removed]] Band Director Busted for CSAM A middle school band director in the Abilene Independent School District has been busted for possessing child sexual abuse material, reports Erin Anderson [[link removed]].

Lance Carl Mosley was arrested last week and booked into the Taylor County Jail. He served as the Director of Bands at AISD's Mann STEAM Academy, which serves 6th-8th grade students. His information has already been scrubbed from the school’s website.

Online records show Mosley has worked for Abilene ISD since 2020. He previously taught in San Angelo ISD and has held a Texas teaching certificate for music since 2013.OTHER EDUCATION NEWS An East Texas teacher and cheer coach, Margaret Claire Burris, pleaded guilty [[link removed]] to having sex with a student and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Burris affirmed to the judge that she had engaged in sexual intercourse with a high school student in 2024 while employed by the Marshall Independent School District. Burris does not hold a Texas teaching certificate, but she was added to the state’s Do Not Hire Registry under her maiden name, Margaret Rizzo. Number of the Day

130,501

The current population of Abilene, Texas.

[Source: World Population Review [[link removed]]]

Quote-Unquote

"If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking?"

– John Gunther​

One Click Survey

As Democrat-run states continue to hemorrhage residents, Texas has once again emerged as the nation’s top destination for Americans on the move. A spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott told Texas Scorecard last week [[link removed]] that the data reflects Texas’ continued economic dominance.

Of course, some folks are worried that these new residents are leaving their home states, but not the voting behaviors that caused their decline.

With tongue lightly planted in cheek, we ask: Should new residents of the Lone Star State be required to take a Texas citizenship test before registering to vote?

Yes; don't CA our Texas [[link removed]]

... or ...

No; that would be mean [[link removed]]

Please reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share - including what you think should be on a test!

Directory of Your Current U.S. & Texas Officials [[link removed]]

This information is automatically inserted based on the mailing address you provide to us. If you'd like to update your contact information, please visit our subscriber portal [[link removed]].

​ U.S. Senator [[link removed]]

John Cornyn - R

(202) 224-2934

U.S. Senator [[link removed]]

Ted Cruz - R

(202) 224-5922

Governor of Texas [[link removed]]

Greg Abbott - R

(512) 463-2000

Lt. Governor [[link removed]]

Dan Patrick - R

(512) 463-0001

Attorney General [[link removed]]

Ken Paxton – R

(512) 463-2100

Acting Comptroller

Kelly Hancock – R

(512) 463-4600

Land Commissioner [[link removed]]

Dawn Buckingham – R

(512) 463-5001

Commissioner of Agriculture [[link removed]]

Sid Miller – R

(512) 463-7476

Railroad Commissioners [[link removed]]

Wayne Christian – R

Christi Craddick – R

Jim Wright – R

(512) 463-7158

State Board of Education [[link removed]], District

Update your address ( )

Main (512) 463-9007

U.S. House [[link removed]], District *

Update your address ()

Congressional Switchboard (202) 225-3121

Texas Senate [[link removed]], District

Update your address ()

Capitol Switchboard (512) 463-4630

Texas House [[link removed]], District

Update your address ()

Capitol Switchboard (512) 463-4630

Speaker of the Texas House [[link removed]]

Dustin Burrows (R)

(512) 463-1000

* The new congressional boundaries for representational purposes will not take effect until January 2027.

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