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Courts

Both sides satisfied as campaign finance trial ends

Federal Judge Lee Yeakel gave no indication of how he might rule at the end of the trial on Tuesday. But he told the lawyers involved in City Council Member Don Zimmerman’s lawsuit against the city of Austin over its…

City campaign law on trial in federal court

On Monday, during the first day of trial in City Council Member Don Zimmerman’s suit against the city, the District 6 Council member told federal Judge Lee Yeakel that his First Amendment rights are being violated by Austin’s campaign finance…

Council affirms support for appraisal district suit

With seven members present at a special called meeting on Thursday, City Council unanimously affirmed its commitment to a lawsuit challenging the accuracy of the Travis Central Appraisal District’s appraised values for commercial properties and vacant land. In that lawsuit,…

Casa de Luz heads to court

It’s time to add another stanza to the Casa de Luz epic. The parking issues are now moving to district court after a variance request and appeal were denied by the Board of Adjustment. The Board of Adjustment is a…

County's mass-gathering rules now in judge's hands

Travis County and an outdoor music festival had their day in court on Monday, and now the future of controversial revisions in the mass-gathering permitting process rests in a district judge’s hands. The organizers of the Euphoria Music & Camping…

Update: City loses appraisal district lawsuit

Update: Moday, Nov. 9 After Judge Tim Sulak’s ruling dismissing the city of Austin’s lawsuit on Friday, several parties weighed in. Mayor Steve Adler said, “We need a court to rule on the fairness of the property tax system. The…

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Court denies injunction against Foundation Communities

How much havoc can one neighbor wreak on a $20 million affordable housing project backed by federal, state and local governments and nonprofits? Potentially, quite a bit. On Tuesday, Foundation Communities avoided potential disaster for its Bluebonnet Studios on South…

County responds to music festival's lawsuit

Travis County has fired off its first volley in its legal fight against an electronic music and camping festival. County Attorney David Escamilla put his imprimatur on a motion filed Wednesday in the 98th District Court asking the judge to…

Who is being sued in city's appraisal suit?

In its lawsuit challenging the Travis Central Appraisal District’s valuations of commercial property and vacant land, the city of Austin has sued the owners of numerous tax exempt properties, including the Salvation Army, the Congress Avenue Baptist Church, the Faith…

County Clerk speaks out against MERS ruling

Travis County isn’t hiding its displeasure with a recent ruling by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Though the ruling on Dallas County, Texas, et al. v. MERSCORP Inc., et al. came down this summer, it was last week…

Judge pondering appraisal district suit

After a three-hour hearing Wednesday, Travis County District Judge Tim Sulak told approximately a dozen lawyers involved in the lawsuit between the city of Austin and the Travis Central Appraisal District, “I’m nowhere close to making a decision on the…

City, Junk Yard Dogs to fight in court today

Although the city of Austin has sued the Travis Central Appraisal District over its valuations of commercial and vacant properties, the first test of the lawsuit’s merit will come in court today not from TCAD, but from the commercial property…

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