Rick Perry

Texas didn’t violate First Amendment when it denied film grant, court rules

2016-01-04T15:41:54-06:00

By John Council Texas Lawyer Originally published Dec. 31, 2015 Texas officials did not forbid the producers of a B-grade action movie from filming inside the Lone Star State but "merely opted not to subsidize the film with Texas taxpayer funds," according to Judge Catharina Haynes. In a ruling certain to disappoint those who want to film B-grade action movies in Texas on the cheap, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that the producers of "Machete Kills" don't have a First Amendment right to an incentive grant from the Texas Film Commission. The background to the [...]

Texas didn’t violate First Amendment when it denied film grant, court rules2016-01-04T15:41:54-06:00

Perry prosecutors fight to keep invoices secret

2015-04-06T15:38:34-05:00

By Terri Langford The Texas Tribune Originally published April 3, 2015 A Houston lawyer, for reasons unknown, is trying to get the detailed billing records submitted by special prosecutors pursuing felony charges against former Gov. Rick Perry, opening another front in the tangled legal saga. While the likely presidential candidate waits to hear if an appeals court will throw out the charges against him, special prosecutors Mike McCrum and David Gonzalez are now suing state Attorney General Ken Paxton on the side. They are fighting an open records ruling that might force them to disclose details of their investigation, including whom [...]

Perry prosecutors fight to keep invoices secret2015-04-06T15:38:34-05:00

Abbott tweaks controversial email destruction policy

2015-01-29T13:45:46-06:00

By David Saleh Rauf San Antonio Express-News Originally published Jan. 28, 2015 AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott has changed a controversial policy put in place by former Gov. Rick Perry to delete emails every seven days, extending the period to officially scrub emails to 30 days. An Abbott spokeswoman said the governor initiated the new the record retention rule on his first day on the job, Jan 20. Along with the change to Perry’s email policy, Abbott has created a new position in his office to handle all open records requests. Jordan Hale, the public information coordinator for Abbott when he [...]

Abbott tweaks controversial email destruction policy2015-01-29T13:45:46-06:00

Abbott kept dealings of Texas Enterprise Fund under wraps

2014-09-29T15:54:53-05:00

By Wayne Slater The Dallas Morning News Originally published Sept. 28, 2014 AUSTIN — A decade ago, Attorney General Greg Abbott invoked a cloak of secrecy around the Texas Enterprise Fund. When The Dallas Morning News requested, under the Texas open-records law, a copy of the application of a company seeking taxpayer subsidies, Abbott said no. He ruled that the applications for money from the $500 million job-creation fund might contain confidential corporate information. The company was Vought Aircraft, which wanted a $35 million subsidy to expand in the Dallas area. But as it turns out, there was no application, a state audit [...]

Abbott kept dealings of Texas Enterprise Fund under wraps2014-09-29T15:54:53-05:00

Legal contracts, details of Perry’s representation, now secret

2014-09-10T15:41:45-05:00

By Angela Morris Texas Lawyer Originally published Sept. 9, 2014 When Gov. Rick Perry, facing two felony charges, chose to pay his lawyers from his campaign account instead of using state funds, the move eased the burden on taxpayers but also drew a veil of secrecy across details of Perry's representation. Using the Texas Public Information Act, Texas Lawyer asked the Office of the Governor for legal contracts and payment amounts for five lawyers that Perry hired immediately following his indictment. The office only released the contracts for criminal defense lawyer David Botsford, who received $79,550 in June, and Baker Botts [...]

Legal contracts, details of Perry’s representation, now secret2014-09-10T15:41:45-05:00
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