In the News

All three of the state’s leaders—the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker—have prioritized the creation of a specialized business court to handle complex business litigation more quickly and efficiently.

A Louisiana judge summoned Houston law firm McClenny Moseley & Associates (MMA) back to New Orleans to determine if and how much the firm should be sanctioned for making misrepresentations to insurers.

“This is not Harris County. We take things seriously.”—Galveston County Judge Kerry Neves

Despite studies recommending lessening the caseload for private attorneys taking on indigent cases, data shows that Harris County spent close to $60 million on court-appointed lawyers last year, some of whom handled several hundred cases in one year.

Rep. Jeff Leach, chair of the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, filed HB 2384, which increases transparency for voters about judicial candidates and enhances education requirements for newly elected judges.

In Arlington, Texas Gov. Abbott argues state needs separate courts to handle business disputes.

While the Murdaugh trial is in the national spotlight for a different reason, it’s also shining a spotlight on major lawsuit abuses in South Carolina. Texas has led the nation in passing common-sense reforms to address many of these issues, but it’s clear that many states are still suffering the harms of rampant lawsuit abuse.

School board officials in Florida joined others nationwide in suing social media industry leaders for allegedly harming students’ mental health and hindering their education.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the creation of a specialized business court is among his top 30 priorities for the 2023 legislative session. Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott mentioned the creation of a specialized business court in his State of the State address.

In order to curb the growing number of defendants charged with new crimes while out on bond, Texas lawmakers are considering new measures to keep more defendants accused of violent and sexual crimes behind bars while awaiting trial.