-
March 21, 2018
The Clinic co-counseled with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid on a Civil Rights Act Title VI complaint alleging that the construction of a new highway through a low-income, minority neighborhood, which was already overburdened with pollution sources, was discriminatory. Clinic student conducted legal research and drafted the complaint. A multi-million dollar settlement was reached that provides […] -
March 21, 2018
Researching methods for improving the enforceability of water conservation requirements
Surface water in Texas is allocated to users through a permit system. As part of obtaining a permit, Texas wholesale water providers are required to submit a water conservation plan and the means for implementing and enforcing that plan. Wholesale providers must also ensure that their contracts with customers require those customers to develop and […] -
March 21, 2018
Providing community education to spur cleanup of a Superfund site
Clinic students worked with a community group in the Rio Grande Valley to spur cleanup of a local superfund site. The site is a reservoir used for subsistence fishing. Since 1993, environmental agencies have documented extremely high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the fish caught from the reservoir. Clinic students explained the superfund process […] -
March 21, 2018
Filing Clean Water Act citizen suit challenging the filing of wetlands without a permit
The Clinic co-counseled with a local law firm to represent Galveston Baykeeper in challenging the filling of wetlands by a Houston area developer without a permit. Clinic students sent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a request for a jurisdictional determination, drafted a Clean Water Act notice of intent to sue, and provided research and […] -
February 16, 2018
Promoting the Right to Health of Persons living with HIV/AIDS in Guatemala
In partnership with the Dell Medical School, the Clinic prepared an amicus brief to present to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Case 12.484, Cuscul Pivaral et al., with regard to Guatemala: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2016/191.asp. The case involves the State’s international responsibility for violating various rights established in the American Convention, to the detriment of 49 […] -
January 23, 2018
The Clinic evaluated the Texas Bar Rules of Disciplinary Procedure in light of what guidance they provide to attorneys dealing with international human rights issues. In particular, the Clinic compared and contrasted the Texas Bar Association’s rules with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. During fall 2017, the Clinic prepared a […] -
January 21, 2018
The Clinic is investigating statewide compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, researching common Texas violations, and identifying possible solutions and funding sources. We are identifying system with long-standing, health-based violations and are developing a guide to help legal aid attorneys work with their clients and local public water systems to clean up unsafe drinking […] -
November 6, 2017
Human rights abuses and state complicity in Coahuila, Mexico
The Human Rights Clinic has compiled a report based on analyzed witness testimonies from three U.S. federal trials. Between 2013 and 2016, Zeta members were put on trial in Austin, San Antonio, and Del Rio for crimes of homicide, conspiracy to import drugs and weapons, and money laundering. The report, titled “‘Control…Over the Entire State […] -
September 22, 2017
The Clinic is co-counseling with Deitz, Lawrence and McGiverin to represent the adult children of Robert Mosley, who died of internal bleeding after a hip fracture suffered while in custody at Bexar County Jail. Plaintiffs bring a claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act in federal court in San Antonio. The lawsuit alleges that Mosley, […]
