Judge declares new Texas law that would erode cities’ power to enact local rules unconstitutional
Judge declares new Texas law that would erode cities’ power to enact local rules unconstitutional
A state law backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and business lobbying groups to stop cities and counties from passing progressive policies is scheduled to take effect Friday. A Travis County judge declared it unconstitutional.
A sweeping new Texas law aimed at undermining the ability of the state’s bluer urban areas to enact progressive policies is unconstitutional, a Travis County judge ruled Wednesday.
State District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble made the ruling just days before the law — House Bill 2127, which opponents nicknamed the “Death Star” bill — is slated to take effect on Friday.
The Republican-backed law aims to stop local governments from enacting a wide range of progressive-leaning policies by barring cities and counties from passing local ordinances that go further than what’s allowed under broad areas of state law.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A sweeping new Texas law aimed at undermining the ability of the state’s bluer urban areas to enact progressive policies is unconstitutional, a Travis County judge ruled Wednesday.
“The judgment today by a Democrat Travis County District Judge is not worth the paper it’s printed on,” Burrows said after the ruling.
“Texas small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Abbott wrote on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, during Wednesday’s court hearing.
Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits against the State and trying to regulate small businesses out of existence, local officials should focus on addressing the concerns of their constituents."
Just how many local ordinances will become illegal under the new state law remains unclear owing to how broad it is, city officials and progressive groups have said.
And as Texas increasingly endures brutal summer heat waves, the law wipes out mandatory water breaks for construction workers passed by Austin and Dallas.
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