Blinging Stow

1/3: The confusing reports about @GovAbbott dropping enforcement of his ban on local mask mandates seem to be coming from a misreading of new guidance that the Texas Education Agency put out today.

Here's a link to the Guidance:https://t.co/nMfNVvabYb

Here's what it means:

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) August 20, 2021

3/3: All #SCOTX did tonight was leave that order in place on a procedural technicality—because the State didn't first seek relief in the Court of Appeals.

When the i's are dotted, the State is still likely to win in the Texas Supreme Court, and the ban will go back into effect.

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) August 20, 2021

The professor is not, of course, wrong. Unless he’s wrong that the AG hasn’t appealed to the appellate court yet. That’s the fly in the ointment here, because the AG appealed the Dallas County ruling to the Appellate court, but got tired of waiting and went to SCOTEX before the appellate court ruled. The Supremes took that case, and ruled for the Governor. So here’s the fly: why did the AG screw up this time? 

Arrogance? Convinced they could get the Court to speed their plow? Maybe. That’s Vladek’s reasoning, and he could be right. I tend to think Paxton’s staff is not that stupid, but Paxton could be. He’s been anxious to play enforcer on this order, so it’s possible this is on him.

Or it could be the Court is beginning to move away from giving Abbott a free hand as diktator. The Court, after all, didn’t throw out the Dallas suit; they just reversed the TRO on the grounds the trial court hadn’t considered the authority of the Governor enough to issue a TRO. I still think the court can consider how the Governor is using his authority.  I still believe the Court could be realizing it has a responsibility here it can’t shirk by claiming “We were only following orders the law.”

Yeah, I know it’s a cheap shot; but everything about this situation sickens me to the point I’m tired of being “nice and reasonable” about it.  These bastards are sacrificing our children on the altar of their ideology and interpretation of the law; I’m not having it.  Not that they give a rat’s ass what I’m having.

The ice is developing cracks:

NEW: In reversal, TEA now says school districts must now notify teachers, staff and families of all students of a positive COVID-19 case in a classroom or extracurricular or after-school program.https://t.co/id71xDIE4c

— Brian Lopez (@brianlopeztx) August 19, 2021