A federal judge determined the state illegally institutionalized severely disabled people for decades, often in poorly run facilities.

Marialyn Barnard will serve until November’s elected Precinct 3 commissioner takes office on Jan. 1, 2023.

SAN ANTONIO – Gregg Sofer was sworn in Tuesday as the new U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. Sofer, who was appointed by U.S. Attorney General William Barr, was sworn in by Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia at the federal courthouse in San Antonio. As U.S. Attorney, Sofer is the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Western District of Texas responsible for prosecuting violations of federal law and representing the federal government in civil litigation where the United States is a party. The Western District of Texas spans approximately 93,000 square miles, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office employs more than 300 people. Before going to Main Justice, he served for 12 years in the Austin Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Forty-one states have passed laws allowing online voter registration; Texas is not one of them. That kicked off a six-year legal battle that included two lawsuits for the right for Texans to register to vote online while updating their licenses. Forty-one states have passed legislation to allow residents to register to vote online; Texas is not one of them. “The system they use is the exact same system that they would implement for a broader online voter registration,” Marziani said. While some state leaders have staunchly opposed any form of online registration, Garcia’s ruling last month said online registration would actually bolster security and election integrity.

Election officials expect a deluge of mail-in ballots this November. Credit: Charlie Pearce for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? The voters joined by groups that represent Texans with disabilities, veterans and young voters argued the state law that allows local election officials to reject mail-in ballots based on mismatching signatures violates the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling comes just as mail-in ballots for the November general election are almost set to go out to voters. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed at least 1,873 mail-in ballots were rejected on the basis of mismatched signatures during the state's 2018 general election; at least 1,567 were rejected in 2016.

The National Voter Registration Act requires states to let residents complete their voter registration applications when they apply for or renew their drivers licenses. The Texas Department of Public Safety follows federal law when residents visit a driver's license office in person. In 2018, he ordered the state to implement what would be its first system for online voter registration. Stringer and other frustrated Texans opened the latest chapter of the online voter registration fight by filing a second lawsuit in January. The issue has become an albatross for Texas Republican officials trying to fend off any form of online voter registration.