greg abbott
October 29, 2021 -
The Republicans who control legislatures in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas have drawn congressional maps that favor their party and disadvantage voters of color. Meanwhile, an independent redistricting commission has faltered in its effort to draw new election maps in Virginia.
September 29, 2021 -
Governors and legislatures across the South have banned public schools from requiring masks to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The bans have been successfully challenged in lower courts, but appellate courts overturned some of those rulings. Federal courts in several states are taking up the question of whether mask mandate bans violate the rights of students with disabilities.
July 21, 2021 -
As conservative lawmakers across the South further limit access to abortion, leaders of reproductive justice organizations in Texas that help people in marginalized communities end unwanted pregnancies fear for the future of their groups — and the well-being of those they serve — under a new anti-abortion law with a litigious agenda.
April 8, 2021 -
The Texas legislature may consolidate the state's appeals courts, where Democrats have gained seats in recent elections — and watchdogs say the changes could violate the Voting Rights Act. The plan is being pushed by a big business group that has spent nearly $1 million to back GOP judicial candidates. A new West Virginia appeals court also had the support of big business.
March 11, 2021 -
The FCC recently approved a benefit program to lower the cost of internet bills for Americans in need, and states in the South including Texas and North Carolina are also taking steps to address accessibility problems.
February 12, 2021 -
After massive turnout in last year's election, GOP state lawmakers across the South are introducing bills that would erect barriers to voter participation.
November 6, 2019 -
In Texas, which has long debated changes to its system of partisan judicial elections, Republican leaders began pushing an appointment system just a few months after last year's Democratic sweep in Houston's judicial elections. One proposed bill would put an end to elected judges in urban counties.
