The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 15, 2024

Episode Date: April 15, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Monday, April 15th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Senior Editor Mackenzie DeLulo, here to provide the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. Before we get into the news of the day, I'd like to take a moment for a shameless plug. The second episode of the Smoke-Filled Room podcast, hosted by myself and senior reporter Brad Johnson, is available on our website right now. In this edition, we hold a mock draft and give our best predictions for who we think will be the most likely to run for statewide office

in the near future. And we name names. The episode is available to subscribers at thetexan.news today, and it will be available on all podcast platforms tomorrow. Go subscribe right now to be the first to access each episode, and any episode of our Send Me Some Stuff pod as well. On to the news of the day. After a briefing in the Commissioner's Court and a discussion in the Elections Board,

Tarrant County leaders have voted to use ballots with pre-printed sequential serial numbers. The Tarrant County Commissioner's Court contained a briefing about possibly with pre-printed sequential serial numbers. The Tarrant County Commissioner's Court contained a briefing about possibly using pre-numbered ballots, which was conducted by Elections Administrator Clint Ludwig. Election integrity is a priority for Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare. Early in 2023, O'Hare established an Election Integrity Task Force. Tarrant County has also seen turnover in election administration, with controversial former administrator Heider Garcia leaving the county in April 2023. Eventually, Garcia became the election administrator for Dallas County. O'Hare said on social media that this will make

the election more secure, create more trust in the outcome, and serve as a deterrent against fraud. The only other counties that were established as having pre-numbered ballots were Dallas County and Ellis County. Ludwig said that using pre-numbered ballots would cost about $39,000 more than the current system. The University of Texas at Dallas will close its Office of Campus Resources and Support to comply with Senate Bill 17, a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion offices at public institutions of higher education that was passed by the Texas legislature in 2023. The office will close on April 30th and approximately 20 jobs will be eliminated. Functions of the office that were not DEI related will be delegated to other administrative departments. SB 17 went into effect on January 1st and prohibits public

universities from operating an in-house DEI office or contracting out the same work. Senator Brandon Creighton, who authored SB 17, sent a letter to university chancellors and regents outlining expectations for the implementation of the bill. Creighton said, while I am encouraged with the progress I have seen from many institutions of higher education in implementing SB 17, I am deeply concerned with the possibility that many institutions may choose to merely rename their offices or employee titles. This letter should serve as notice that this practice is unacceptable and also a reminder that SB 17 encompasses stringent enforcement provisions, including the potential freezing

of university funding and legal ramifications for noncompliance. Marcus Silva sued a group of women after he alleges they assisted Silva's ex-wife in obtaining a self-managed abortion. A three-judge panel in the 14th Court of Appeals has now said that the trial court's decision requiring the production of evidence via a subpoena would violate Fifth Amendment self-incrimination privileges and thus will be blocked from release. State Representative Briscoe Cain and former Texas Solicitor General Jonathan Mitchell are the attorneys representing Silva. Silva's ex-wife, Brittany Silva, is not a party to the case. The three women involved in the procurement of the abortion pills are the

individuals named as those who conspired with each other to murder baby Silva with abortion pills, and each of them is liable for the resulting death. In the civil suit, Silva is seeking $1 million from the women named in the suit on wrongful death claims. He also seeks the restraint of each of the women from distributing abortion pills or assisting in illegal self-managed abortions in Texas. A trial is set in state court for May 13th. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.