Capital Highlights Week of October 21 – 25

5th Circuit Court removes judge from foster care suit

The federal judge who has repeatedly found Texas in contempt for not fixing its foster care system has been removed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a three-judge panel faulting U.S. District Judge Janis Jack’s “highly antagonistic demeanor,” The Texas Tribune reported. The three also reversed the $100,000 daily fine against the state’s defendants — the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Family and Protective Services, which runs the foster care system.
“We are pleased that the 5th Circuit recognized the significant efforts DFPS and HHSC have invested in serving the children and families of our state,” according to a shared statement from the health commission and social services agency.
About 9,000 children are permanent wards of the state after being removed from their homes because of neglect or abuse. Jack has been hearing that case since 2011. More than $200 million has been spent in attempts to improve the state’s foster care system since the case was filed.
A lawyer for the plaintiffs said an appeal is planned.
“Frankly, this is a sad day for Texas children,” attorney Paul Yetter said in a statement Friday. “For over a decade, Judge Jack pushed the state to fix its broken system. She deserves a medal for what she’s done. We will keep fighting to ensure these children are safe.”

Cruz, Allred face off in debate

Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Colin Allred debated abortion, immigration and other contentious issues in their only scheduled debate last Tuesday, just days before early voting began on Monday.
The Austin American-Statesman reported Allred aggressively attached Cruz for supporting the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, overturning that landmark abortion decision, while Cruz defended allowing the state’s right to determine abortion policy. Cruz repeatedly sidestepped a question of whether rape or incest should be exceptions to the state’s abortion ban, while Allred said he supports a federal law to essentially reinstate Roe.
The two also fought over immigration, with Cruz claiming Allred has voted against funding a border wall three times. Allred in turn slammed Cruz for helping kill a bipartisan border security bill that GOP nominee Donald Trump urged Republicans to reject for political reasons.
The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol also was a point of contention. Allred, a former NFL linebacker who is now a three-term congressman, said he “took off my suit jacket” to prepare to defend the House from the mob.
“When the mob came, Senator Cruz was hiding in a supply closet,” he said.

Tool helps students learn which universities will accept them

Texas high school students can now see which of the state’s public universities would accept them based on their academic information, using a new tool called Direct Admissions, according to the Texas Standard. The tool is meant to streamline the college application process and let students quickly know which participating Texas public universities will accept them based on their class rank, grade point average, and test scores.
“Direct Admissions has the potential to reduce time, boost confidence, and increase transparency, encouraging Texans who might not otherwise consider college to take the next step,” Interim Commissioner of Higher Education Sarah Keyton said in a press release.
A total of 31 public universities in the state are using the new tool.
Meanwhile, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is extending the state financial aid application priority deadline a month to Feb. 15 for the 2025-2026 application cycle because of continued delays with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which slowed applications last school year.
The state’s priority deadline is intended to encourage students to complete their application promptly in order to raise the likelihood of receiving state funding.

Report: Purge of noncitizens from voter rolls likely inflated

An investigation by ProPublica and The Tribune found that of the more than 6,500 voters taken from the state’s rolls because they were deemed noncitizens, many likely were removed because they did not respond to letters about their citizenship. Gov. Greg Abbott recently said that more than 1 million ineligible voters were stricken from the state’s rolls, though a number of election experts said the culling is routine to remove people who have died or moved.
While Abbott touted the 6,500 figure, the secretary of state’s office identified 580 people as noncitizens in a report it gave Abbott in late August.
Both Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have pushed claims that noncitizens are seeking to vote in the November election. Many election officials have said there is little to no evidence that is the case.

Early vaccinations urged as flu season arrives

The Texas Department of State Health Services is urging Texans to get vaccinated against flu as soon as possible, as cases traditionally begin to rise this time of year. It takes about two weeks for the body to make flu antibodies after getting the shot.
“We recommend everyone ages six months and older get a flu shot as soon as possible,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford.
People with the flu are most contagious in the first three days of illness, with the virus being spread through droplets. Vaccines for other respiratory illnesses, such as VOCI-19 and RSV, are also available and can be taken at the same time as a flu shot, depending on advice from one’s health-care provider.

State’s latest population estimates are in

The state’s estimated population as of Jan. 1, 2024 was 30,749,519, according to the Texas Demographic Center. That is an increase of 1.6 million since the 2020 census count – or 5.5%.
The two fastest-growing counties in terms of percentage increase are Kaufman, up 26.7% since 2020, and Rockwall, up 25% for the same time period.

Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: [email protected]