Judge annuls order restricting GOP convention rules

[RonPaulFanInGA]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5827728.html

Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Roberta Lloyd today dissolved a court order restricting how the Texas Republican Party should run its convention under state law this week in Houston.

Lloyd said the order, issued last week by retired substitute judge Tom Sullivan, was improper because her court lacks jurisdiction over such a case. She suggested the group of Republican delegates and activists who asked for the order take the case to the Court of Appeals in Houston — and that's where the group headed late this afternoon.

The group, headed by Wharton County GOP Chairman Debra Medina and represented in court by former Harris County GOP Chairman Gary Polland, alleges the party fails to follow the required procedural rules, allowing it to stifle dissent from delegates about party business. The party denies the charge.

Lloyd's hearing today pitted Polland against his successor, current county party chairman Jared Woodfill, who acted as the state party's lawyer. The Texas GOP also was represented in court today by state Rep. Robert Talton and former judge John Devine.

Party officials are filtering into Houston today to start preliminary business for the convention, which is Thursday through Saturday at the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center.

 

[TXcarlosTX]

texas convention is going to be dirty!!! i know it!!

 

[itshappening]

there needs to be a ruling on this.

 

[pepperpete1]

I agree

there needs to be a ruling on this.

Kudos to Debra and Gary for leading the way. Every state, CD, county, and precinct where rules were broken need to be challenged!

 

[RPTXState]

Kudos to Debra and Gary for leading the way. Every state, CD, county, and precinct where rules were broken need to be challenged!

The hearing for challenges/appeals is Wednesday. They allocated 2 hours for roughly 120 cases

 

[driller80545]

They don't stand a chance. The TRP has brought out their corrupt guns.

 

[Tarzan]

fyi... here is an email from the Republican Party of Texas received from Pressreleases @ texasgop.org

Harris County Court at Law Judge Lloyd Vacates Gary Polland and Debra Medina’s Restraining Order and Dismisses their Case Against RPT
Lloyd rules Polland’s case was “Void ab initio” or illegal from the beginning

Austin - Today, Harris County Court at Law Judge Roberta Lloyd held a hearing on last week’s misguided and misfiled lawsuit against the Republican Party of Texas by former Harris County Republican Party Chairman Gary Polland and current Texas State Campaign Coordinator for The Committee to Re-elect Ron Paul. Judge Lloyd ruled that Mr. Polland had filed his lawsuit and request for a Temporary Restraining Order with a court with no jurisdiction in the matter. Mr. Polland and Ms. Medina were seeking to evade rules passed by Republican grassroots and used for decades to conduct the Texas G.O.P. Convention and thereby disenfranchise the legal delegates and alternates from the convention process.

“Today grassroots leaders of our State were saved from the litigious cajoling of a disgruntled few who resorted to judicial activism rather than use the appropriate venue of the Texas Legislature to change an existing statute they didn’t like or didn’t understand; and they were thwarted by a judge who knew it was wrong,” said Hans Klingler Texas G.O.P. Spokesman.

Gary Polland is the former G.O.P. Chairman of Harris County and Debra Medina currently serves as the Texas State Campaign Coordinator for The Committee to Re-elect Ron Paul and the Wharton County G.O.P. Chairman. Neither individual has ever expressed interest in changing the Party rules or this statute according to public records, nor have they attempted to get a bill filed doing so.

“For all of Gary Polland’s and Debra Medina’s histrionics, both have shown an incredible lack of understanding of the Party process or the Texas Election Code. The Republican State Convention has always and will continue to be conducted in full compliance with the law and the rules passed by the grassroots. If someone wishes to change the law, they have an opportunity next year when the Texas Legislature convenes. You would think two political operatives like them would know that?” Klingler questioned.

 

[Francisco Suarez]

They don't stand a chance. The TRP has brought out their corrupt guns.

Have a little faith.

Today's ruling was a very minor setback. The liars at the Republican Party office claimed they "won" but really this ruling was nothing more than a plea to the jurisdiction. All that means is that the judge thought she didn't have statutory authority to rule on the suit, so it has to be refiled in the appellate courts.

See here:

http://www.quorumreport.com/DocumentsOnline/signed order (2).pdf


They didn't even get to the merits of the suit yet. That will happen in the appellate court though.

 

[Francisco Suarez]

fyi... here is an email from the Republican Party of Texas received from Pressreleases @ texasgop.org

There are so many things wrong with that press release that I don't know where to even start.

1. Medina is not seeking to "evade rules passed by the Republican grassroots." She is seeking to enforce the Texas law that requires them to pick a permanent chairman before any business is conducted. It is the Republican Party that is evading laws passed by the Texas legislature.

2. The group is not disenfranchising legal delegates. They wish to enfranchise improperly excluded delegates. The Republican Party is the one doing the disenfranchising.

3. This is not a case of judicial activism. Texas law has clear and explicit provisions allowing delegates to sue over violations of the law at party conventions. These provisions were adopted to correct decades of illegal disenfranchisement of black delegates by the Democrats back in the 40's and 50's.

4. The plaintiffs do not wish to change existing statute. They are happy with the statutes on the book and asked the courts to enforce them. It is the Republican Party that does not like the statutes that are on the books.