Switch to ADA Accessible Theme
Close Menu

Monthly Archives: June 2020

Government Employment in the Age of Covid

By Carl R. Allred |

As of June 3, GA-26 (Governor Greg Abbott’s latest executive order implementing Phase III of his plan to re-open Texas) allowed most businesses to increase their occupancy limits from 25 percent to 50 percent. There is no occupancy limit, however, on local government operations, both county and municipal. With those restrictions lifted, many local… Read More »

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Injuries from “Less Lethal” Crowd Control Measures Raise Questions amid Ongoing Protests

By Judith El Masri |

As protests have swept through cities across the country, the use of crowd control methods by law enforcement are on full display. The use of oleoresin capsicum (pepper spray), conducted energy devices (Tasers, stun guns), and impact rounds (beanbag rounds, rubber bullets) for crowd control purposes has come under increased scrutiny. Proponents hail these… Read More »

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

City Council Meetings in a COVID World: Maintaining Quorums and Technology

By Byron L. Brown |

The onset of the COVID-19 crisis initially loosened the rules for how local governments may hold open meetings via teleconference, but earlier this month as Texas enters the latest operational phase for opening up regular business, the state of play has changed again for virtual city council meeting participation. When the Open Meetings Act… Read More »

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Policing During Protests: How Cities Can Balance the First and Tenth Amendments

By Drew Shirley |

What happens when local police officers clear protestors from a traditional public forum, such as a city sidewalk? What if, in clearing the sidewalk, they also clear a journalist, protected by the First Amendment’s provision for freedom of the press? What if they arrest that journalist? In the battle of First Amendment protections versus… Read More »

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn