As expected, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court yesterday agreed with indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton that “lack of immunity to COVID-19 is not itself a ‘physical condition’ that renders a voter eligible to vote by mail” under Texas law.…

Texas Supreme Court Says It's Improbable Most Texans Will Contract COVID-19

Now available for pre-order!
We’re very happy/relieved to announce that the order for the print proof of San Antonio Review’s third issue was placed Friday afternoon. While we wait for it to arrive, our editor and publisher will finally write the…

San Antonio Review (Volume III, Summer 2020)

Good morning!
If you want a good read, check out the federal court ruling against Ken Paxton that allows Texans to vote-by-mail during COVID-19.
He must be steamed.
Enjoy!

Federal Court Allows Vote-by-Mail in Texas During COVID-19

I remember my mom watching me riffle through papers in my backpack in sixth grade and saying, “You sure do like paper. You better become a lawyer or something when you grow up.”
She’s right — I do love paper. My house, currently littered with books…

Our AG, The Onion

Quick resource to share for Texas voting-by-mail: is.gd/TXVBM
First thing this morning after finishing Peter Berard’s 2017 birthday reflections and curating Texas Freedom Network’s Daily News Clips, I created is.gd/TXVBM to serve as a quick resource…

Get Your Texas Absentee Ballots!

First thing this morning after finishing Peter Berard’s 2017 birthday reflections and curating Texas Freedom Network’s Daily News Clips, I created is.gd/TXVBM to serve as a quick resource for Texans seeking to apply for their absentee ballots in…

When large companies started sending people to work from home and then the stay-at-home orders began being issued, I immediately asked, “What changed?”
“I’m about to turn 40, maybe I’m too young, but I don’t remember this ever happening before, do…

#WFH: What Changed?

Rabbits Holes — A Start
Rabbit holes. That’s what I’ve come to call them.
It happens to me constantly.
The easiest examples are app-based:
The Wish app, for example. The way you visit to check the shipping status of an order and end up spending $25…

Rabbit Holes, Interrupted

I’ve long considered myself a curator of items (musical artists, books, articles, etc.) I find useful or interesting. I guess I use “curator” instead of “collector” because I’ve always focused less on any sort of ownership and more on sharing these…

Where to Put Money to Let It Grow

Fellow Texans may be subject to TV ads like the one by The Hull Firm in Austin warning that criminal penalties for certain crimes are automatically increased by a degree when the state is under a disaster declaration.
I warned this would happen.
Back…

Criminal Penalties Increase in Texas Due to Disaster Declaration

The ACLU of Texas responded to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s letter:
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today issued a letter with his own opinion on Texas’ vote by mail laws. His non-legally binding letter goes against a Texas District Court’s ruling…

Texas Vote-by-Mail Update

While the rest of the world focuses on surviving the novel coronavirus pandemic, Texas Republicans skipped and skimped on planning and preparation for the emergency and protecting Texans once it hit. Instead, they’ve spent their time “planning” to…

Ken Paxton’s Fascist Language

David Golumbia has written an interesting essay on the use of language by fascists. I'm going to write a little about it because I promised myself I would spend 15 minutes writing every day. I have plenty of other things to be doing — and I usually…

Ken Paxton's Fascist Language

LOS ANGELES, April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innovative Computing Systems, a Los Angeles-based legal technology managed service provider, announces the launch of a survey designed to measure the response law firms have had to the COVID-19…

Innovative Computing Systems Launches Survey of Law Firm Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

We invite individuals employed by U.S.-based law firms to reflect on your firm's response to the COVID-19 pandemic by completing our survey. Your responses, in addition to the results of your colleagues' feedback, will help you evaluate your firm's…

Law Firm COVID-19 Business Continuity Preparedness Survey

My latest published piece of writing, ghostwritten for a sales executive at my company, reflects my recent reading habits in its long, wandering sentences.
It also reflects that I haven’t had the time to sit down and do some real writing the way I’d…

Something for the Portfolio

Why are we surprised President Trump wants his name on the stimulus checks? Putting his name on things is the only thing he knows how to do. It’s the only successful way he’s made any return on his daddy’s money. We should only be surprised he isn’t…

Trump's Signature on Stimulus Checks Isn't Surprising

Updating this post from December:
Quinn Slobodian, Globalists: The Birth of Neoliberalism and the End of Empire
William Callison, Political Deficits: The Dawn of Neoliberal Rationality and the Eclipse of Critical…

Books to Read (Updated)

I generally abstain from offering serious predictions outside jokingly among family and friends.
But I do feel like my initial responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic have been positive.
In mid-February, after noticing delays in receiving an ink…

Everything Will Reopen Soon

And Many Will Die Largely Unnoticed
Email sent to my employer’s clients and other email subscribers on February 19, 2020. / William Pate
I generally abstain from offering serious predictions outside jokingly among family and friends.
But I do feel…