Safe Schools and Fair Standards Key points: Texas’s higher education code is not aligned with Supreme Court precedent on the correct standards for defining harassment. Texas statute does not define what makes conduct “severe,” “persistent,” or “pervasive.” The existing legal framework should remain intact but needs updated definitions that protect both free speech and students...
Date Filed: July 27, 2026 Original Court: Western District of Texas, Austin Division Case Status: Active Litigation Case Summary: In August 2025, Michael Petrick purchased a home on a 0.28-acre lot in Austin, Texas, in preparation for the birth of his first child. The property contained three overgrown trees. One tree was splitting and posed...
Are you familiar with your local tree ordinances? If not, you might want to do some research before breaking out the chainsaw. Cities and townships across the country have some version of tree-related rules that property owners must follow, or face consequences. The Center for the American Future, TPPF’s public interest litigation team, has now challenged...