Austin Bar Members Appear Before Texas Supreme Court

Austin Bar Member Paul Matula, Assistant City Attorney’s Office, for Respondents Borgelt v. Austin Firefighters Assoc. IAFF Local 975, No. 22-1149 The main issue in this case is whether a provision in a collective bargaining agreement that allocates a pool of paid leave to further a union’s interests violates any “Gift Clause” in the Texas Constitution (Art. III, Secs. 50, 51, 52(a) and …

American Inns of Court Accepting Applications for 2024-25

The Austin chapters of the American Inns of Court are accepting applications for the 2024-25 terms. The American Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism, and ethics of the bench and bar. Information about the American Inns of Court can be found at www.innsofcourt.org. Each inn meets monthly. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2024. Interested applicants should …

Annual Equity Summit Registration Now Open

On behalf of the Austin Bar Association’s DEI Committee, I am excited to invite members of the Austin legal community to our annual Equity Summit.  This year’s CLE program will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Austin Community College Rio Grande Campus, 1212 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701. The theme for …

An Open Letter of Gratitude

It is with immense gratitude that I write to announce that I will retire from service as associate judge for the District Courts of Travis County on May 31, 2024. I have enjoyed my service on the bench as an associate judge in Travis County and, before that, as the first associate judge for the Child Protection Court of Central …

DOJ Announces White-Collar Whistleblower Rewards Program, Sentencing Enhancements for Corporate Misuse of AI

At the American Bar Association’s 39th National Institute on White Collar Crime, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the formation of a Department of Justice (DOJ)-run rewards program for whistleblowers.  “The premise is simple,” Monaco said during her remarks in San Francisco on March 7, 2024. “If an individual helps DOJ discover significant corporate or financial misconduct—otherwise unknown to …

Third Court of Appeals Criminal Update May 2024

The following are summaries of selected criminal opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals in October 2023.  The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. Subsequent histories are current as of April 1, 2024. BURDEN OF PROOF – DUE DILIGENCE: Trial court did not abuse its discretion by prohibiting defense counsel from …

Third Court of Appeals Civil Update May 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals in March 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. Subsequent histories are current as of April 9, 2024. GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY:  Court holds agency is immune from takings claim. Texas State Library & Archives Comm’n v. Westmoreland, …

Texas Supreme Court Update May 2024

The following are summaries of selected opinions issued by the Texas Supreme Court  in March 2024. These summaries are prepared by court staff as a courtesy and are not a substitute for the actual opinions. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY: Governmental entity contract deemed properly executed until entity …

Federal Civil Court Update May 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in March 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. CLASS ACTIONS: Class Action Fairness Act’s local controversy exception to federal jurisdiction requires that all plaintiffs sustain their principal injuries in theforum state and nowhere else. Cheapside Mins., Ltd. …