Latest news with #TexasScorecard
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Texas Judge Indicted For Death Threat To Force Plea Deal
(Texas Scorecard) – A grand jury has handed down an indictment against Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin after he allegedly threatened a defendant to accept a plea deal. Last month, Texas Scorecard reported on a federal lawsuit that alleges Franklin told defendant Coby Wiebe 'you take that deal boy or dead men can't testify.' Wiebe accepted a plea deal three days later. The 8th District Court later dismissed the case in April after learning of Judge Franklin's alleged death threats. The indictment also alleges Judge Franklin coerced and pressured Jennifer Patterson—his chief clerk—into signing a false affidavit in February. On May 27, a Rains County grand jury decided—in The State of Texas v. Robert Jenkins Franklin—that there was enough evidence against Franklin to return an indictment on two misdemeanor counts of official oppression and two felony counts of tampering with a witness. Franklin was arrested and admitted the next day to the Van Zandt County Detention Center. Judge Chris Martin of the 8th District Court in Rains County set Franklin's bail at $25,000 with conditions of bond or pre-trial release. He posted the bond and was released the following morning. Judge Martin's bond conditions placed heavy restrictions on Franklin's civil liberties while awaiting trial. Franklin may not communicate with or be within 1,000 feet of the victims he threatened—Patterson and Wiebe. He is also prohibited from going within 500 feet of the Rains County Courthouse, where he still presides as Justice of the Peace. The bond conditions also ordered him to avoid 'places where alcoholic beverages are possessed, sold, or used on site.' He previously made headlines in March 2024 when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Conditions also state Franklin 'shall not possess a firearm at any time.' A Facebook post reportedly shows Franklin wielding an AR-15 in his judicial office at the Rains County Courthouse. Texas law permits judges with handgun licenses to carry concealed handguns in courthouses, according to Texas Penal Code § 46.15(a)(7). However, this exception does not extend to rifles or other firearms without explicit court authorization. Court dates will be set and announced by the Rains County District Court as the prosecution moves forward. In the related federal civil case brought by Coby Wiebe, a hearing is scheduled for June 30 at 11 a.m. in the Hunt County Courthouse in Greenville. Judge Franklin, Coby Wiebe, and Jennifer Patterson did not respond to Texas Scorecard's request for comment in time for publication. If you or anyone you know has information regarding bad actions by judges, please contact our tip line: scorecardtips@
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas Begins Lottery Oversight Transition
(Texas Scorecard) – Texas Lottery commissioners are already in the process of transferring oversight of the lottery to the Department of Licensing and Regulation, less than a week after lawmakers voted to abolish the embattled commission. The early movement is notable, given that Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet signed the Legislature's proposal—Senate Bill 3070—into law. A TLC spokesperson told Texas Scorecard, 'With the passage of Senate Bill 3070, the Texas Lottery Commission is evaluating next steps in alignment with the bill's intent to transfer regulatory authority to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. While the Commissioners under active terms remain appointed at this time, the agency is actively working on the transition.' Texas Scorecard attempted to access the website showing information on Texas Lottery commissioners earlier this week but was unable to do so as the commissioner profiles were gone. After reaching out and receiving a comment from the TLC spokesperson, the website was put back up. However, Commissioner Cindy Lyons Fields, previously listed among the other commissioners, was absent from the site when it returned. In addition to changing the lottery's overseeing agency, SB 3070 includes new, strict regulations on the purchase of tickets. The measure also establishes an abbreviated sunset review period for the lottery. The TLC, which has been in existence since 1991, has come under scrutiny over the past months after revelations of rigged jackpots, potential money laundering, and collusion between government agency employees and vendors to game the lottery for profit. The Texas Lottery is now the subject of multiple state and federal investigations as a result.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Houston ISD Faces Extended TEA Control Until 2027, New Board Appointed
(Texas Scorecard) – Houston Independent School District will remain under the control of the Texas Education Agency through at least June 1, 2027. Alongside the extended timeline, TEA also announced the replacement of four members of the state-appointed Board of Managers. TEA took control of Houston ISD in 2023 after years of chronic student underperformance and governance failures. The state replaced the elected school board, appointed Superintendent Mike Miles, and implemented a series of aggressive reforms. Since the takeover, Houston ISD has reduced the number of D- and F-rated campuses from 121 in 2023 to 41 in 2024, according to preliminary reporting. Despite progress, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath emphasized the need for continued state involvement to ensure long-term improvement. 'Houston ISD has always been a district with some of the highest performing schools in the country, but it was also a district that allowed some of its schools to fail students for over a decade,' Morath said. Ultimately, two years has not been enough time to fix district systems that were broken for decades. The extension of this intervention will allow the district to build on its progress and achieve lasting success for students once the board transitions back to elected leadership. To conclude the intervention, Houston ISD must eliminate all multi-year failing campuses, fully comply with state and federal special education laws, and demonstrate effective board governance. Earlier this year, Houston ISD spent hundreds of millions of dollars without the required board approval. Community reactions remain divided. Parent and advocacy groups praised the focus on student achievement, while critics have questioned the transparency of the appointment process and urged greater community input. The new Houston ISD Board appointees are: Edgar Colón: Legal expert and political science lecturer Lauren Gore: Harvard Law graduate and general partner at LDR Growth Partners Marty Goossen: Retired vice chairman of J.P. Morgan Private Bank Marcos Rosales: Trial lawyer at Beck Redden LLP Brina Morales, director of communications for the Greater Houston Partnership, celebrated the TEA extension, writing, 'Commissioner Morath is right to extend the period of reform to ensure these improvements take hold long-term, significantly impacting generations of students.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate Approves Bill Holding Vaccine Makers Accountable
(Texas Scorecard) – Legislation to hold manufacturers liable for advertising harmful vaccines passed out of the Senate on Tuesday with a 21-10 vote. House Bill 3441, authored by State Rep. Shelly Luther (R–Sherman), allows manufacturers to be held liable if they advertise their vaccines in Texas and it causes an injury. 'HB 3441 was an unexpected and unprecedented success for medical liberty champion Shelley Luther, and represents a huge step toward holding vaccine manufacturers accountable for their products,' Michelle Evans, political director for Texans for Vaccine Choice, told Texas Scorecard. 'We are excited to see this signed into law to protect Texans from products deemed 'unavoidably unsafe.'' According to the legislation's text, vaccine manufacturers can be held liable for actual damages and court costs up to three years after the date of the injury. The measure does not include doctor-patient discussions, written materials provided by a healthcare provider, or promotional materials found in a provider's office regarding a vaccine. State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood), the Senate sponsor of the bill, stated in his opening remarks on the floor that the measure does not concern whether or not someone should be vaccinated. Instead, it simply gives individuals peace of mind by providing accountability that any other company would have. 'Currently, due to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, vaccine manufacturers hold no liability [for] a vaccine or countermeasure harm or interest in Texas,' stated Hall. 'This is the only product that I know of that cannot be held responsible for any injury to a consumer.' 'Imagine what our society would look like if any other manufacturer had this same protection.' The proposal has cleared both the Senate and the House. Now, Gov. Greg Abbott must either sign it, veto it, or allow it to take effect with no further action from him. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE GOP rising star Konner Earnest, linked to white supremacist Nick Fuentes, faces rape charges from two exes
A well-connected Texas political operative with far-right ties has been accused of raping two women and beating one of them. Konner Earnest, 22, was a rising star on the Texas conservative political scene, working for ex-lawmaker and governor candidate Don Huffines and influential ultra-conservative political consultancy Pale Horse Strategies. But he was reportedly fired in 2023 over his links to Hitler-admiring white supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes, who asked his followers to 'kill, rape and die' for him in one video, and repeatedly called for a 'holy war' against Jews. In arrest warrant affidavits filed by Texas police last week, Earnest was charged with the felony sexual assault of two women between 2021 and 2024, and a third felony charge of 'continuous violence against the family'. In one graphic and disturbing criminal complaint filed in Montgomery County, a woman he dated from 2020 to 2022 – referred to as H.H. – claimed he physically forced her into anal sex, leaving her bleeding, and raped her on several other occasions while she cried and told him to stop. Another complaint by a second ex-girlfriend he dated in 2023 and 2024 – referred to as E.M. – said that after an argument on January 13, 2024, he held her down and forced his penis into her mouth. The woman told police that on June 26 that year she and Earnest had a 'physical altercation', she hid from him in a closet, he found her and forced her into sex. This ex said three-quarters of the estimated 180 times they had sex were 'not consensual'. In arrest warrant affidavits filed by Texas police last week, Earnest was accused of the felony sexual assault of two women between 2021 and 2024, and a third felony charge of 'continuous violence against the family' She also told officers she was 'punched in the face multiple times' by Earnest, 'bitten on the hand causing permanent scarring', and 'burned with hot food and grease'. Earnest was arrested and released on $20,000 bail. His next court date is scheduled for May 13, according to Montgomery District Court records. From a young age, the resident of Woodlands, Texas, was building an illustrious career in Republican politics. He wrote for right-wing news site Texas Scorecard, which gave him a 'Conservative Leader Award', and made videos for Texans For Strong Borders. In a 2022 interview with Texas right-wing site Current Revolt, he described working for the gubernatorial campaign of former Texas State Senator Don Huffines, a far-right challenger to Greg Abbott. But Earnest found himself in the center of a political firestorm in the Texas GOP in October 2023, when he was photographed at a controversial meeting of Republican leaders, donors, Fuentes and Kyle Rittenhouse – notorious for being acquitted after fatally shooting two men and injuring another during protests in Wisconsin in August 2020 – at the Pale Horse offices near Fort Worth. The Texas Tribune pictured Texas Republican Party Chair Matt Rinaldi, the multi-million-dollar GOP donor Jonathan Stickland, president of Texans for Strong Borders Chris Russo, and Fuentes entering the Pale Horse offices on October 6, 2023. The article helped prompt the Texas GOP to pass new rules banning association with anti-semitic individuals or groups. Earnest began to be frequently spotted at Texas GOP events after he started to work for governor candidate Don Huffines. In October 2023, he was spotted with conservative figure Kyle Rittenhouse, at the Pale Horse offices near Fort Worth, preparing for Fuentes' visit Rinaldi told the Tribune he was 'just borrowing a conference room', adding about Fuentes: 'I completely condemn that guy and everything he stands for. I would never in a million years meet with that guy.' Despite his acquittal for killing two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, Rittenhouse has become a prominent but controversial GOP activist. After the Tribune broke the story, Rittenhouse released a statement saying he left when he saw Fuentes at the meeting, adding that he had Holocaust victim relatives, and denounced Fuentes's 'hideous views'. But Earnest appears to have been an avid fan of Fuentes. He told Current Revolt that he watched Fuentes shows 'on a daily basis', and tweeted about getting a Mother Jones magazine cover story about Fuentes followers framed. Journalist Amanda Moore also published pictures of Earnest outside a Houston meeting of the European American Community, a group that espouses views linked to white nationalism, including that American citizenship should be based on European ancestry. Pale Horse reportedly fired Earnest after the Tribune story, according to then-Tribune writer Robert Downen. The 22-year-old was pictured with his arm around another far-right activist and former colleague at Pale Horse, Ella Maulding, at the Texas GOP annual convention in San Antonio last May. But troubles for Earnest came full force when one of his alleged victims filed a criminal complaint on April 16, saying he had 'knowingly penetrated the anus' without their consent The victim, referred to as H.H., dated Earnest from 2020 to 2022. She claimed he physically forced her into anal sex, leaving her bleeding, and raped her on several other occasions while she cried and told him to stop She said she recorded their final conversation in May 2022 in a church parking lot where he admitted he 'treated her like an object' Criminal complaints against Earnest were filed on April 16 in Montgomery District Court, with graphic and disturbing details of his alleged attacks on two former partners. In an arrest warrant affidavit, Montgomery Sheriff's Deputy Kristopher Dossey wrote that Earnest's ex-girlfriend, E.M., told them about alleged violent rape and sexual assaults that occurred throughout 2024. 'The first incident of non-consensual sexual penetration occurred on January 13, 2024, inside the defendant's bedroom,' Dossey wrote. 'After a verbal argument, the defendant became coercive and physically manipulative, ultimately forcing his penis into her mouth while she was lying on her back and verbally expressing discomfort and resistance.' The ex described 'numerous other instances' of sex 'without her consent'. 'She recalled one specific incident on June 26, also in The Woodlands, where she attempted to hide from the defendant following a physical altercation,' the affidavit said. 'The defendant entered the closet where she was hiding, forced her onto the floor, restrained her arms, and penetrated her vagina with his penis despite repeated verbal resistance and attempts to physically push him away.' The woman said they had sex 'between 120 to 180 times over the course of the relationship, and that approximately 70 to 75% of those encounters were not consensual.' The complaint, filed by another ex-girlfriend he dated in 2024, described violent sexual assault by Earnest, alleging that '70 to 75%' of the times they had sex was not consensual during their relationship The third felony charge was related to E.M.'s claim that he threw hot food at her in May 2024, which burned her skin, and hit her in the face with his hand The affidavit said she provided texts to police in which Earnest 'apologized for sexual and physical assaults'. The woman, E.M. who was named In a separate criminal complaint for domestic violence charges filed along with the sexual assault charges, claimed that Earnest repeatedly attacked her throughout their relationship, between August 2023 and August 2024. 'These included being punched in the face multiple times, bitten on the hand causing permanent scarring, shoved to the ground, burned with hot food and grease, and grabbed by the face and pushed to hard surfaces,' the officer's affidavit said. She claimed that on one occasion he 'threw a hot pan of eggs at her back', and on another occasion 'she was repeatedly punched and bitten during an argument'. 'The victim indicated that she documented some of her injuries through photographs and screenshots and later provided those digital files to law enforcement on a USB flash drive,' Dossey's affidavit said. The second accuser, H.H., told police that she dated Earnest between December 2020 and February 2022. She claimed that in July 2021, he 'came up behind her', 'pushed her against a wall' and forced her to have sex while she told him to stop. She told police that on Valentine's Day 2022, he 'held the victim's arms down and pinned her legs against the side of the bed' and then forced her to have anal sex, while she 'screamed out for the defendant to stop'. The ex said the alleged horrific ordeal left her 'bleeding', and she broke up with him over it.
