Why anti-abortion opponents could sink San Antonio’s police reform amendment | San Antonio Express News

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By: Molly Smith

Texas Alliance for Life immediately took the matter to the Texas Supreme Court. The group has a powerful ally in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is urging the court to side with them.

It’s a large departure from the scrutiny given to marijuana decriminalization measures passed in other Texas cities, none of which are anywhere close to landing in front of a state court. These measures have proved popular, passing by as much as 85 percent.

“On the abortion question, this is a direct frontal assault to a primary political objective that Republicans have laid out,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “It is as bold a political strategy to confront a Republican, conservative policy on abortion as we’ve seen.”

On ExpressNews.com: Anti-abortion group wants to weed out this measure in San Antonio’s Justice Charter amendment

The Justice Charter, also known as Proposition A, is the first citizen-led ballot measure in Texas to attempt to safeguard abortion providers since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion protections last summer. It will be a test of the lengths the state’s powerful anti-abortion movement — and possibly Republican lawmakers — will go to prevent cities from making their own rules about abortion.

Judge Dismisses Anti-Abortion Lawsuit | The Dallas Express

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By: Noah DeGarmo

Amy O’Donnell, director of communications for the Texas Alliance for Life, told The Dallas Express, “It is unfortunate that Wendy Davis and the others mentioned in the suit would prefer to take innocent unborn babies’ lives and harm the hearts and potentially the well-being of mothers rather than put their time, energy, and resources toward supporting compassionate alternatives to abortion.”

“We applaud our pro-life legislators and Governor Abbott for prioritizing the care of women and their babies in Texas,” she added.

Pro-Life Group Files Petition to Stop San Antonio’s ‘Justice Policy’ Charter Amendment Election | THE TEXAN

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By: KIM ROBERTS

The Texas Local Government Code provides, “An amendment may not contain more than one subject.”

In its petition, Texas Alliance for Life acknowledges that courts have allowed cities to hold elections on proposals that make multiple amendments to a city charter, but note that all were dealing with a single subject.

However, in this case, the subject matters vary from marijuana possession to abortion crimes so that residents who may agree with one issue could disagree on another, but would be forced to cast only one vote for or against the entire proposal.

In its reply brief, the city made a procedural argument that the petition should have first been presented to an appellate court before coming to the Texas Supreme Court.

Regarding multiple subjects in the charter amendment, the city argued that it “plausibly read the proposed ‘Justice Policy’ charter amendment language as relating to one subject.”

It also asserted that petitioners Texas Alliance for Life and Morris are premature in their challenge, and instead should challenge the amendment after the election should it be approved by voters.

Paxton Petitions Texas Supreme Court to Prevent an Unlawful Charter Amendment From Being Placed on San Antonio Voters’ Ballots in the Upcoming May Election | The Katy News

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AUSTIN – Attorney General Paxton has filed an amicus letter brief in the Texas Supreme Court to stop an unlawful charter amendment from being placed on the ballots of San Antonio, Texas voters in the upcoming May 2023 municipal general election. The letter brief was filed in support of the Texas Alliance for Life’s challenge to the charter amendment, which contains numerous left-wing policy initiatives.

To ensure that charter amendments are clear and that voters can make their voices heard, Texas state law requires charter amendments to include only one subject. But San Antonio’s proposed charter amendment does not accord with this long-standing legal requirement, as it contains a multitude of different topics.

Even the San Antonio City Attorney has acknowledged that the proposed amendment presents at least six subjects, among them changes to policies regarding abortion, marijuana, no-knock warrants, chokeholds, the creation of a new municipal government position, and a reduction in criminal penalties for numerous state-law crimes.

Amid legal issues, proposed Justice Charter is added to San Antonio’s May ballot | SAN ANTONIO Report

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By: Iris Dimmick

Meanwhile, the proposed charter amendment is facing a legal challenge at the Texas Supreme Court from the anti-abortion group Texas Alliance for Life Inc.

The group has requested that the city reject the proposed ballot language and instead require a vote on each provision individually. The petition is pending, but the court issued an order Thursday morning that requires both parties to provide a status report to the court next week outlining the ballot language.

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office urged the court to side with opponents. Solicitor General Judd Stone wrote Wednesday in a letter to the court that the Justice Charter “flagrantly violates” a state law prohibiting multi-subject charter amendments.