Texas Politics & News
The Daily Signal highlights Texas as a leader in conservative policy and governance, covering Lone Star State legislation, elections, border enforcement, and energy dominance.
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- Opinion
Should Texas Require Hair Stylists to Have Over 2,000 Hours of Training to Legally Braid Hair?
Did you know Texas imposes stringent license regulations in order to open an African hair braiding business, including a requirement to attend more than 2,000 hours of barber school? Now the Texas Legislature is moving forward on a bill that gives their citizens the freedom to pursue a career in this field without onerous regulatory…Jordan Richardson -
- Opinion
The Justice Department’s War on Texas’ Voter ID Law
On Tuesday, April 28, Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller will be up before a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals again, his second appearance there in two weeks. But this time, instead of arguing over the unconstitutionality of President Obama’s immigration amnesty plan, he will be arguing that the Texas voter ID…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Texas Attorney General: ‘If the Law Matters,’ Courts Will Side With States in Fight Over Obama Immigration Policy
As a federal appeals court considers whether to keep or rescind a hold on President Obama’s immigration program, the attorney general of the state leading the charge against the president’s executive actions “is very confident” the plaintiffs will win out. “All I can tell you is, based on the law, I feel very confident,” said…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
Texas Judge Delivers Blistering Rebuke of Obama Administration Immigration Lawyers’ Misbehavior
In an order issued late Tuesday, federal district court Judge Andrew Hanen refused to lift the preliminary injunction he had previously issued stopping the implementation of the immigration amnesty plan announced by President Obama last November. And in a second order, an obviously infuriated Judge Hanen said that the “attorneys for the Government misrepresented the…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
In Texas, State Leaders Attack Local Governments for Going Big on Regulations
They say everything is bigger in Texas. Some argue that the saying even applies to the state’s local governments. Conservatives often contend that more decision making should be done at the local level, but what if local governments overreach their authority? Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has been vocal about his opposition to what…Kate Scanlon -
- News
Texas Attorney General ‘Very Confident’ Courts Will Side With States in Fight Over Obama Immigration Policy
As lawmakers in Congress struggle to find agreement in their fight to undo President Obama’s immigration policy, a state attorney general today voiced confidence in the courtroom battle over the executive actions. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the Obama administration “disingenuous” and “devious” for appealing a federal judge’s order halting the president’s executive actions…Josh Siegel -
- News
Today Is ‘Chris Kyle Day’ in Texas
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared today “Chris Kyle Day” in Texas to honor the veteran whose story is the basis of the box-office hit “American Sniper.” “He’s an American hero. He had the guts to stand up and defend this country,” Abbott told Fox News, defending his decision to recognize the Iraq War veteran. Watch…Ben Smith -
- Opinion
Texas Pro-Life Law Prompts Judges to Weigh Health Risks of Abortion to Women
In the latest challenge to Texas’ so-called “pro-life law of the century” (passed as H.B. 2), last week a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case Whole Woman’s Health v. Lakey. Abortion providers, including Whole Woman’s Health Clinic in McAllen, Texas, sued the state to keep key provisions of…Josh Shepherd -
- News
Did Unqualified Students Get Favorable Treatment at University of Texas?
Supporters of University of Texas President Bill Powers have for months worked mightily to deny or to marginalize evidence lawmakers were pulling strings to get unqualified students admitted to the university. A new trove of public records demonstrates that many of Powers’ most vocal defenders — key alumni association members, an education coalition, politicians and…Jon Cassidy -
- News
Meet Bill Flores, the Texas Congressman Who Wants to Be ‘Consensus Leader’ for Conservatives
Bill Flores could be one of the friendliest faces in Congress. True to his Aggie roots, his Capitol Hill office parades pride for both his country and home state of Texas. Talk to Flores for five minutes, and you’ll feel a special allegiance to the Lone Star state. Flores touts himself as a congressman who…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Texas Race-Based College Admissions Case May be Heading Back to Supreme Court
Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals announced that the full court will not rehear an appeal brought by Abigail Fisher challenging the University of Texas at Austin’s admissions policy that uses racial and ethnic preferences to achieve “diversity” on campus. Students who graduate in the top 10 percent of Texas high schools are automatically…Elizabeth Slattery -
- Opinion
Fracking Has Amazing Benefits. So Why Did This Texas Town Just Ban It?
Conservatives tend to champion state and local government over big federal government. But that doesn’t always mean state and local governments protect American freedoms. Such is the case with Denton, Texas, and its recent ban on fracking. Last week, residents of Denton passed a ballot measure to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking), the process used to…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Jimmy Carter: ‘If Texas Doesn’t Want to Have Gay Marriage, Then That’s a Right for Texas People to Have’
Jimmy Carter doesn’t think marriage laws should be decided at the federal level. “I’m kind of inclined to let the states decide individually,” the former president told WFAA, an ABC affiliate, in an interview that aired Sunday. “As you see, more and more states are deciding on gay marriage every year,” Carter said. “If Texas…Daily Signal Staff -
- Opinion
A Big Win for Voter ID Laws in Texas
The Texas voter ID law, which was effective in November 2013 statewide constitutional elections, will be in place for the Nov. 4 mid-term election, representing a big win for voters and election integrity in Texas. On Saturday, the Supreme Court rejected an emergency petition filed by the NAACP and refused to overrule the Fifth Circuit…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Big Texas Health Care Provider Can Handle Only 6 Cases of Ebola
One of the largest health care providers in Texas can handle only about six Ebola cases at any given time using current medical protocols. "What if, God forbid, we saw 8,000, as in West Africa? They had no answer," says @SenTedCruz. The startling figure was revealed by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in a Texas Tribune…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Blocks Part of Texas Abortion Law. But That Doesn’t Mean the Court Would Strike Down Law Itself.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted an application to block parts of H.B. 2, Texas’s abortion law made famous by State Sen. Wendy Davis’ 11-hour filibuster from going into effect while the case is pending. In Whole Women’s Health v. Lakey, a federal district court struck down as unconstitutional H.B. 2’s requirements that doctors…Elizabeth Slattery -
- News
Second US Ebola Patient Identified as Young Texas Nurse
A 26-year-old nurse named Nina Pham is the health care worker at a Dallas hospital who tested positive for the Ebola virus after helping to treat a man who later died of the disease, her family told a Dallas radio station. WFAA reported that Pham, a 2010 graduate of Texas Christian University’s nursing program, is the first person known to contract the…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Not So Fast: ISIS Crossing Texas-Mexico Border Not a Serious Concern
Today Texas Sheriff Gary Painter warned about the possibility that ISIS terrorists could cross the Texas-Mexico border. Painter told Fox News that close to the border people had found “Muslim clothing” and copies of the Qu’ran. “So we know that there are Muslims that have come across and been smuggled in the United States,” he…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Bishop Who Led Prayer After Cruz Heckling Says Texas Senator ‘Came Out Slugging’
After Sen. Ted Cruz was booed off the stage at a gathering of Middle Eastern Christians for making pro-Israel comments, a New York bishop stood before the frantic audience to lead a prayer for him. In an interview with The Daily Signal today, Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn said he…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
Texas District Attorney Gins Up Charges Against Rick Perry
As a character noted in Tom Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” a prosecutor could convince a grand jury to indict anything, even a ham sandwich. And while Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn’t a ham sandwich, he might as well be. Last Friday, a Texas grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Perry that even…Andrew Kloster