Newsroom
Federal Surface Transportation Board Reopens Review of Texas Central Railway
In a decision handed down on July 16, the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted Texas Central Railway's (TCR) petition to reopen a prior decision declining to take jurisdiction over the high-speed rail project because it would be constructed entirely...
Speaker Bonnen Announces Guidelines for Conducting House Business
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen today issued guidelines for conducting the business of House committees during the current crisis. Interim committee meetings ceased in early March when the Governor declared a pandemic emergency. Unlike the courts or state agencies,...
SCOTX Rejects GOP State Convention Appeal
In a per curiam opinion issued this morning, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed the Republican Party of Texas' appeal of a Houston district court's refusal to order the operator of the George R. Brown Convention Center to allow the GOP State Convention to go...
Governor Extends State of Emergency
Governor Greg Abbott has extended the state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Under Chapter 418, Government Code, the Governor has the authority to declare an emergency for up to a 30-day period and may extend the emergency for additional 30-day...
TCJL PAC Judicial Endorsements for 2020 Primary Runoff
Top Judicial Races Texas Civil Justice League PAC 2020 Primary Runoff Edition Runoff Date July 14, 2020 Early Voting Begins June 29, 2020 June 5, 2020 The 2018 election resulted in a catastrophic wipeout of nearly two centuries of judicial experience on the...
Federal District Judge Admits Defense Expert’s Testimony Regarding Reasonable and Necessary Medical Expenses
A San Antonio federal district court has held that a defense expert in medical billing practices a may offer testimony controverting the plaintiff's evidence of reasonable and necessary charges for medical procedures. Former Texas Supreme Court justice and current...
Houston Court of Appeals Hands Down Mixed Ruling in Hvalinka Case
In a decision that will likely attract the attention of the Texas Supreme Court, the First Court of Appeals [Houston] has ruled that evidence of a common carrier pipeline's contract with an unaffiliated third-party for the transportation of the third party's...
SCOTX Upholds Workers’ Comp System Against Air Ambulance Challenge
In a 7-2 decision issued last Friday, the Texas Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to the Texas workers' compensation system by an air ambulance company. TCJL participated as an amicus in the case, Texas Mutual Insurance Company, et al. v. PHI AirMedical, LLC...
US National Cancer Institute Director Warns of COVID-19 Impact on Cancer Outcomes
Dr. Norman E. Sharpless, Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), located in Bethesda, Maryland, warns that the U.S. can expect as many as 10,000 excess deaths from cancer in the next 10 years as a result of delays in diagnosis and suboptimal treatment...
SCOTUS Clears Way for Pipeline Through George Washington National Forest
In a 7-2 decision rendered last week, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that a 600-mile pipeline from West Virginia to North Carolina may proceed in accordance with easements granted by the National Forest Service to the pipeline company. The easement at...
SCOTX Grants Review in Trade Secrets Case
Today the Texas Supreme Court granted review in HouseCanary, Inc. v. Title Source, Inc. (No. 19-0673), which involves the interaction of of a stipulated protective order (SPO) executed by the parties prior to trial and a subsequent trial or post-trial motion to...
SCOTX Reaffirms that Payment of Appraisal Award Does Not Bar Prompt Payment Claim
In a per curiam opinion issued this morning Marchbanks v. Liberty Insurance Corporation (No. 18-0977), the Texas Supreme Court reversed a decision by the Houston Court of Appeals [14th Dist.] that payment of an appraisal award bars an insured's claims under the...