The Texas Supreme Court should grant review to this case, and affirm the Fourth Court of Appeals’ Opinion in order to encourage Texas courts to strike down city ordinances that conflict with Texas law. State law prohibits restrictions on the use of containers or packages. Nevertheless, cities throughout Texas are directly contradicting state law through ordinances that prohibit retailers from providing customers with single-use plastic bags, Laredo’s ordinance is a representative example. Local governments are defined and checked by the state– cities cannot regulate in areas where the Legislature has expressly and definitively removed city authority. The rule of law requires courts to enforce objective, blackletter restrictions against local governments when they exceed their scope of authority. Accordingly, the Court should grant review to encourage lower courts to strike down these misguided city ordinances.
They Didn’t Love Freedom Enough, But We Do
In their apartments and homes, the Soviet citizens of Leningrad huddled in fear, wincing at every slam of the door, every step on stairs, every spoken word outside. Stalin’s Great Terror was upon them, and the relentless machine of his NKVD churned on, arresting and grinding up dissidents, disfavored minorities, and people that were just...