Our Blogs

Government Employment in the Age of Covid

• Carl R. Allred
• June 26, 2020

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 […]

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

• Judith El Masri
• June 19, 2020

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 […]

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

• Byron L. Brown
• June 10, 2020

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 […]

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

• Drew Shirley
• June 5, 2020

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 […]

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Constitutionality of Legislative Prayer for Local Governments

• Randlelaw
• May 30, 2020

City councils and other local governments that include an opening prayer in their business meetings find themselves straddling parallel lines of religious freedom and religious […]

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For Texas Voting By Mail, Debate over Definition of Disabled Appears Headed to U.S. Supreme Court

• Brandon Morris
• May 26, 2020

In Texas, eligible voters can participate in an election by mail, frequently referred to as absentee ballots,  if they are going to be out of […]

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Elections Ahead: How Will Texas Governments Hold Certain Elections in 2020?

• Carl R. Allred
• May 14, 2020

Since the arrival of Covid-19 in the state of Texas, local governments have repeatedly found themselves in uncharted waters. One particularly hot topic for local […]

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Covid-19’s New Normal: What’s Next & The Future For Local Government?

• Judith El Masri
• May 11, 2020

In Texas, many of us are headed back to work in offices that have been empty. What is next? What does the future hold? Can […]

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Cancelled: Scratching a Public Notice under the Texas Open Meetings Act

• Byron L. Brown
• May 1, 2020

The Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code, sets out the minimum requirements for providing public notice of a meeting of […]

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