Your State

With the voter ID law in the news this week, much attention justifiably has been placed on minorities who will be disenfranchised if the law survives judicial scrutiny.  One group, however, has been neglected and could suffer if the voter ID law is not stricken - Texans with disabilities.

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Texas legislators testified on the second day of the voter ID trial in Washington, D.C.

According to the Chronicle, State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, testified that the voter ID bill was intentionally rushed through the legislature.  

"There was a deliberate effort to pass this," Martinez Fischer said, "and pass this in record time."

One day after Judge Sam Sparks of federal district court in Austin, Texas, dismissed Lance Armstrong's complaint against USADA for being too long, Armstrong's attorneys refiled this Amended Complaint today.  

As we reported, the Texas Voter ID trial got underway Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Josh Gerstein of Politico reported that both sides gave opening arguments to the three-judge panel on Monday.

It appears that the only thing more intimidating than Lance Armstrong flying up the L'Alpe D'Huez is the procedural knowledge and acid wit of Judge Sam Sparks.  

Yesterday morning, Lance Armstrong's attorneys filed a lengthy complaint in federal district court in Austin, Texas complaining of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and Travis Tygart, the CEO of USADA.  The complaint cited violations of Armstrong's Fifth Amendment Due Process rights, common law due process, and tortious interference with contract.

In his campaign for the United States Senate, Ted Cruz has continuously attacked David Dewhurst for not leading Texas, particularly through the state senate, to an even more crazy conservative status.

At Texas A&M University, student organizations may submit ads to run as computer screensavers in campus libraries. On June 14, a staffer at the Evans Library noticed this ad from the Texas Aggie Conservatives running on the library's computers. Finding it distasteful and out of step with the values of the university, she reported it to the Dean of Libraries and the Vice President for Diversity.

The Burnt Orange Report's 2nd Google+ hangout featured Publisher KT Musselman, Editor in Chief Katherine Haenschen, our legal corespondent Edward Garris and myself.

US Senate candidate Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is CIA "spider-man."

Copyright © 2012 Richard Bartholomew, All Rights Reserved

See more cartoons from Richard Bartholomew at Bartholoviews.

Immune to facts, the mendacious Mitt Romney and his Congressional allies shrieked "Tax Increase!" in press conferences and talk shows after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its individual responsibility provision.

Elizabeth Ames Jones had it all lined up. She would leave her post at the head of the Texas Railroad Commission and run for Texas State Senate against Jeff Wentworth. As the campaign progressed, she seemed poised to righteously take back SD-25 in the name of true conservative values. But she, like many before her, counted out the feisty Tea Party bombshell, Dr. Donna Campbell. On May 30th, after a brutal and long Primary, Jones missed the runoff by just over three points and would be forced to watch the SD-25 blood bath on the sidelines.

Republicans

Ted Cruz is as virulently opposed to gay people and their choices as the next Republican. That is, unless those choices include giving him money. This week, the Texas Tribune reported that Cruz's largest longtime contributor is the rich gay man Peter Thiel.