The small Texas town of Magnolia sits about 45 miles northwest of Houston. Though it bills itself as a “community of unity,” three Magnolia churches are raising their voices in protest of what they claim is discrimination against them by the town of about 2,200...
Creative Representation For Governmental Entities
Year: 2020
Texas city settles excessive force lawsuit
Rio Grande City and a woman who was shot with a stun gun there by police in 2014 recently reached a settlement to resolve her lawsuit. However, details of the agreement were initially withheld from an area newspaper that filed a request for records under the Texas...
Report: Law enforcement regulation is ‘broken’ in Texas
One of the many challenges that have emerged in 2020 for governmental agencies across the nation has been finding ways to restore public confidence in policing – a challenge our state is currently not meeting, according to a Texas Sunset Advisory Commission report....
Texas attorney general accused of firing aides in retaliation
State law includes a stout statute to protect government employees who believe their employer – a governmental body or official – has broken the law. In these situations, a government employee might want to report the misdeeds to authorities, but fears that the cost...
Texas county’s pandemic restrictions halted – at least temporarily
A few days ago, Texas became the second state to hit a grim pandemic milestone when it passed 1 million cases of Covid-19. California was the first state to pass the million mark. The numbers are growing faster than ever, as the virus surges in both states and in many...
Can a city perform a drug test on all of its employees?
Drug testing is common among private businesses. A clean test is often a prerequisite before a person can start a job. But what about public entities? Can a city or municipal government require drug testing of all its employees? Generally speaking, the answer is “no,”...
Family files wrongful death lawsuit against Texas county
Just north of Austin sits the hilly brushland of Williamson County, filled with prickly pear cactus and Texas live oak. The typically quiet area is brimming with controversy that began last year with a car chase that ended in tragedy. Wrongful death suit against...
How the pandemic altered Texas city-police union negotiations
Almost every aspect of life has been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. It would surprise few if the pandemic – coupled with sporadic civil unrest this year – made often-problematic negotiations between Texas municipalities and police unions more difficult....
Black man sues Texas city after police led him through streets with rope
Ever since the death earlier this year of Texas native George Floyd while in police custody, civil unrest has flared up in various cities across the nation. There has also been a number of highly publicized lawsuits against governmental bodies alleging police...
Texas county sheriff arrested, sued over alleged sexual assault and more
If you drive about 30 miles south of Waco or about 60 miles east of Ft. Hood or about 100 miles northeast of Austin, you will find yourself in Falls County. The sparsely populated farming county has found itself in a few headlines lately after Sheriff Ricky Scaman was...