Get ready, Houston! New courts are coming to town. Beginning on September 1, 2024, Houston will be home to the newly established Eleventh Business Court Division. Proposed by House Bill 19 in 2023, the business courts are special trial courts designed to resolve complex commercial business disputes.
Read moreOverturning the Chevron Deference: How did we get here, and where do we go next?
On Friday, July 5th, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down a 6-3 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises et. al. v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, et. al. (2024) that overturned a 40-year legal precedent known as Chevron deference. In the days that followed, headlines were filled with the sentiment that administrative law had met its demise.
Read moreKeep Your Hands Off My Land!
From the shores of the Gulf Coast to the rolling hills painted in swaths of blue, red, and yellow in spring to the rugged mesas of the Chihuahuan Desert, Texans are passionate about their land. With this love comes a fierce desire to protect it and their interests in it. Texans don’t like to be fenced in, and they certainly don’t like the government taking their land unjustly, or without receiving compensation in return. Recently, the United States Supreme Court handed down an opinion in DeVillier, et al. v. Texas, 601 U.S. _ (2024), which has far-reaching implications for many Texas property owners.
Read moreBrackeen v. Haaland: What Does the Future Hold for the Indian Child Welfare Act?
November is both National Native American Heritage Month and National Adoption Month. Tomorrow, November 9, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that has implications related to both, Brackeen v. Haaland, which concerns the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 1901-1963. The ICWA governs the removal, placement, and return of Native American children in child welfare proceedings for both foster care and adoption. At issue on appeal is the constitutionality of the act’s child placement preferences, as set forth in 25 U.S.C. § 1915. This blog sets forth the ICWA’s child placement preferences and a brief procedural history of the case.
Read moreDiversity in the Courts
Today, following Justice Stephen Breyer’s announcement that he will retire at the end of the current term, the conversation surrounding his replacement is focused on diversity. Whoever President Biden nominates to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Court, one thing is clear – the federal court system is designed to be impartial and just. Appointing judges who reflect the lives, values, and experiences of the parties that come before the court is fundamental to a system that honors the spirit and traditions of the judicial body.
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