From Bill Zeeble & BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
The US Supreme Court has created another uncertainty for Texas candidates.
Late today the high court blocked the use of Texas state legislative and congressional district maps that were drawn by federal judges to boost minorities' voting power. The court issued a brief order Friday that applies to electoral maps drawn by federal judges in San Antonio for the Texas Legislature and Congress.
The justices say they will hear arguments in the case on Jan. 9. Texas says that the judges overstepped their authority and should have taken into account the electoral maps that were drawn by the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature.
More School Districts Sue Texas
School funding lawsuits against Texas are piling up. The latest claims state education dollars are inadequate and unconstitutional.
Sixty mostly property-wealthy districts, including Plano, Highland Park, Richardson and Frisco are part of the massive suit filed Friday. Most are members of the Texas School Coalition.
Attorney John Turner says there are two principal arguments.
Turner: School districts have lost the meaningful ability to use local tax dollars for local enrichment opportunities and no longer are able to effectively set their own prop tax rates as they choose.
Turner also says the basic adequacy standard of the Texas constitution is not being met. Turner says $5.4 billion education dollars were cut, even as the state student population rose, and tougher testing standards are being imposed. Another suit with more than 300 participating districts has already been filed, and others are expected to go to court, possibly Monday.
Two Texas Earthquakes In One Week
Texas has recorded TWO earthquakes this week.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 3.4 earthquake just north of Snyder in West Texas about 1 o'clock this afternoon. Surry County officials say there were no immediate reports of damage or injury. This was the second earthquake in that area in less than a month. November 24th, a quake measuring 3.0 was reported in the same general area north of Snyder.
Wednesday, an earthquake measuring 2.7 struck near Cleburne, about 30 miles southwest of Dallas. No damage reported.
Perry flubs name, number of Supreme Court justices
Presidential contender Rick Perry said there are eight Supreme Court justices, not nine, and flubbed Justice Sonia Sotomayor's name in an editorial board meeting at The Des Moines Register.
Perry met with the board Friday. He struggled for six seconds to come up with Sotomayor's name, then initially called the justice "Montemayor." A member of the newspaper's editorial board helped him out with the correct name.
He went on to criticize "eight unelected and frankly unaccountable judges." Nine justices sit on the Supreme Court. They are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Similar gaffes have plagued Perry. On Thursday in South Carolina, he corrected himself after saying the U.S. is at war in Iran instead of Iraq.
Some Texans object to insurance-related delay
More than a dozen Democrats in Texas House have opposed state efforts to delay new federal rules on health insurance company administrative costs.
Texas is among a number of states seeking waivers from immediately requiring insurers to spend no more than 20 percent of customer premiums on administrative costs and profits.
The rule would apply to coverage for individuals and small businesses. Violators would have to rebate the difference to customers.
The Texas Department of Insurance has raised concerns that companies will leave the state. The agency wants the requirement phased in by 2014.
Fifteen House members Thursday wrote to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to object to delays. Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon of San Antonio says consumers need all the help that they can get.