Property rights are an important part of living in the United States, especially in Texas. In these extraordinary times, they’re in danger—especially at the local level. The Framers of the Constitution thought it so imperative that they included protection of property rights in the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution—no deprivation of property without due...
Four Justices on the Texas Supreme Court just fired a shot across the bow of government officials continuing draconian COVID-19 restrictions in Texas. In a concurring opinion, Justices Blacklock, Guzman, Boyd, and Devine reminded everyone that the “Constitution is not suspended when the government declares a state of disaster.” “As more becomes known about the...
Austin’s most recent Stay Home – Work Safe Order encourages local restaurants to help enforce contact tracing by keeping a log of customers’ names, dates and contact information. In a recent interview, Austin Mayor Steve Adler expressed his fervent support of this policy: “If you are going to go into a restaurant, wouldn’t you want to know if...
Social distancing is difficult enough in densely packed urban areas like New York City, which has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the country in no small part because of its high population density. But in the most restrictive and crowded environments society offers—state prisons—practicing social distancing or quarantine is near impossible. COVID-19 is...
A salon owner in Oregon claims that representatives from Child Protective Services showed up at her home shortly after she “illegally” reopened her business in violation of the governor’s coronavirus stay-at-home order. The salon owner, Lindsey Graham, was fined $14,000 and says she believes the investigation was retaliation for reopening without authorization. At a press conference Friday, Graham...
We are at an important turning point in the process of re-opening Texas. Today, Governor Greg Abbott announced a new phase in Texas’ reopening. It is another step in the right direction, but we still have much work to do. I am very concerned when I see politicians trying to use this crisis to further...
Almost nothing has remained immune from the global COVID-19 pandemic—including international transit. Countless plans have been canceled due to travel restrictions imposed by nations across the world as a result of the coronavirus. But legitimate international travel is not the only kind that has been affected. Migratory routes utilized by those who enter the United States illegally are experiencing...
These are unprecedented times with COVID-19, but we owe it to Texas to ensure that the cure isn’t worse than the disease with calls to expand mail-in balloting. We must ensure the integrity of one of our most essential rights as citizens—voting in free and fair elections. Because of the risks, including inaccurate rolls, vulnerability...
As of April 30, total Texas unemployment claims since mid-March have reached 1.5 million. This number is likely lower than the actual number of unemployed. To say that the state’s economy has taken a hit from COVID-19 lock-downs and the historical collapse of oil and gas would be an understatement. And the crisis also affects...
The Tyler Paper’s exceptional and thorough series, “Plaguing Prisons,” is helping to shine the spotlight on how the coronavirus pandemic affects those in jails and prisons. Reporter Cory McCoy reminds us that the measures we’re taking to protect ourselves, from social distancing to frequent hand-washing and the use of hand sanitizers, are all but impossible...
Prison bars do a good job of keeping those incarcerated from getting out, but sadly they don’t keep viruses from coming in. Indeed, as of April 22, two of the top five locations in the United States for coronavirus infections were prisons in Ohio. Even if a prison never admitted or released anyone, staff and contractors come...
We’ve been sheltering in place now for months, or what feels like months, and I am continually tortured by hearing R.E.M.’s “It’s The End of the World” in my head. It may seem like this really is the end of the world—but it’s not. And I believe it is time to get that song out...