Monthly Archives: March 2019
Putting Your Affairs in Order
One of the hardest things for a person to think about is their own death. We spend our lives thinking we are the leading actor in an exciting movie that will never end. Then, one day, reality comes home to roost and we find ourselves with a few short weeks or months left to… Read More »
City Hall, Contracts (Or Lack Thereof) and Sovereign Immunity: No Back Pay for Being On Call
A recent Texas Supreme Court case determined municipal employees are not entitled to wages for being “on call.” The city employees in Denton, Texas, had no contract that enabled such pay and there was no provision for it in the employee policies, but the city manager altered the employee policies and included pay for… Read More »
Texas Gun Laws Contain Some Curious Loopholes (No Pun Intended)
The law in Texas governing firearms is an intricate web of who, what, when, where, why, and how. For example, different laws apply to a person who is licensed to carry a handgun and a person who is not, to handguns and long guns, to times when certain events are occurring and when they… Read More »
Sanctuary Cities or Freedom Cities?: Either Way, Texas Is Enforcing SB4
It has been nearly two years since Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law on May 7, 2017, attempting to ban so-called “sanctuary cities” in the state of Texas. The bill made public colleges, sheriffs, constables, police chiefs, and other city officials subject to Class A misdemeanor charges and civil penalties for… Read More »
Secret Deliberations? Texas Open Meetings Act Deemed Too Vague to Enforce
Earlier this week, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dealt a major blow to the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) by ruling a portion of the Act, which had been around for more than two decades, was unconstitutionally vague. TOMA was essentially enacted to ensure public access to governmental meetings. A provision of TOMA… Read More »