Good morning,

It has been 248 years since the most important “tea party” in history.

More on that at the end of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, December 16, 2021
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Texas Court Derails Election Integrity Enforcement

• A major blow against enforcement of election integrity laws occurred yesterday at the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals – the state’s supreme court on criminal matters. Brandon Waltens reports CCA justices ruled it is unconstitutional for Texas’ Office of Attorney General to prosecute election integrity laws, saying those can only be handled by local district attorneys.
         
• As an aside, the Supreme Court of Texas deals only with civil issues.
     
• The ruling was immediately condemned by Attorney General Ken Paxton: “Now, thanks to the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals, Soros-funded district attorneys will have sole power to decide whether election fraud has occurred in Texas. This ruling could be devastating for future elections in Texas.”
         
• The court found that while the legislature empowered the Attorney General to prosecute such cases, that authority exceeded the powers granted to the A.G. under the Texas Constitution.
   
• So the ruling upholds the Texas Constitution’s separation of powers provision even while hindering election fraud prosecutions.
     

• The attorney general’s lack of prosecutorial authority could be remedied by the Texas Legislature, if they were to pass a constitutional amendment giving him the power to prosecute criminal cases. A constitutional amendment would need to be passed by two-thirds of both the House and Senate before being finally approved by voters.
       

• Since the legislature is currently out of session, only Gov. Greg Abbott could call them back to address the issue.

Yes, Rick Perry Can Run For Governor

• No, not that Rick Perry. Parker County resident Rick Perry, an IT engineer and former GOP precinct chairman, filed Monday to run for governor in the 2022 Republican primary. He shares a name with the still-popular former governor and former U.S. secretary of energy.
       
• The candidacy was challenged by an Austin lawyer on Tuesday, but the Republican Party of Texas has ruled Mr. Perry’s name can appear on the ballot. Brad Johnson at The Texan has the details.
       
• It is not clear if the Austin lawyer was attempting to void Mr. Perry’s candidacy on his own behalf, or for the benefit of another candidate in the race. The lawyer claimed he had a “client,” but has not revealed who it might be.

Abortions Reduced By More Than 50%

• Thousands of babies in Texas haven’t been aborted who otherwise would have been, according to a report by Micaiah Bilger at LifeNews.com. The state’s Heartbeat Law that went into effect on Sept. 1 reduced “abortions by 50 percent in the first month alone.”
   
• According to a research report from the University of Texas, “2,164 abortions were provided in September 2021” compared to “4,313 in September 2020.”

Local School Board Pushes Divisive Resolution

• As a nationwide conflict continues between rogue school administrators and concerned parents, so does a troubling series of events in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. Later tonight, reports Jacob Asmussen, the board of trustees is slated to take up a divisive “anti-hate” resolution that many see as aimed at silencing the district’s critics.
        
• “The Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the well-being and safety of Black, Indigenous, LatinX, Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Asian American, Pacific Islander and LBGTQI communities and stands against hate speech and acts that target them,” reads the resolution.
         
• One district parent, Ashley Forbes, said the resolution causes divisiveness by selecting “certain affinity groups for inclusion… while excluding everyone else.”
     
• “A resolution that claims to be inclusive, yet excludes certain races and religions only serves to perpetuate the hate and division the resolution claims to be against,” said Dustin Clark of the Round Rock Parent Coalition.
     
• Guess no one told the Round Rock ISD that Hispanics REALLY don’t like being called “LatinX” by white liberals…

• PROGRAMMING NOTE: Monday will feature the launch of “Exposing Round Rock ISD,” the first season of the new EXPOSED podcast series by Texas Scorecard. 

Amarillo Voters: Prepare For Busy Local Primary

• Thomas Warren reports several Amarillo-area incumbents will face challengers in the 2022 primary elections.
       
• For example, Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner will face a primary challenger in her bid for a third term in office, following a tumultuous second term at the helm of the county’s operations. Her opponent is retired Pantex cybersecurity and information technology specialist Edward Heath. He is focusing on issues such as COVID compliance directives for small businesses and fiscal irresponsibility by county officials.

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