Analysis: A Texas election in the shade of government’s third branch – By Ross Ramsey (Texas Tribune) / January 10, 2022
Challenges to new Texas laws on voting, political districts and abortion are all pending in court, as is the state’s challenge to federal vaccine mandates. But until the courts rule, those laws remain in place — and they provide political fodder for the incumbents who support them.
Laws are laws until judges or legislators toss them out. For political purposes, a law that doesn’t survive court challenges can still count as a win — as long as it remains in place through an election.
Some of the biggest political issues in Texas are pending in court.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Friday about the constitutionality of federal vaccine mandates, a tussle that has the federal government on one side and Texas and other states on the other.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is now the forum for lawsuits over the state’s new ban on abortions after detection of a fetal pulse, usually about six weeks into a pregnancy. That’s one of the nation’s most restrictive laws and its fate will ultimately depend on a ruling from the Supreme Court, which is reconsidering its 49-year-old ruling in Roe v. Wade.
CONTINUE > https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/10/texas-courts-abortion-voting-redistricting/
