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March 22, 2018
The Clinic is co-counseling with Disability Rights Texas-Austin to help represent a woman with deafness who was denied access to an employment application on the basis of her disability. Students are reviewing document discovery, drafting discovery requests, and investigating the case. In a separate matter, the Clinic is also partnering with DRT to investigate potential […] -
March 22, 2018
The Clinic is co-counseling with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and The Law Office of Javier Maldonado P.C. to represent a father, daughter and friend who were falsely arrested and subjected to excessive force during a warrantless entry by police into their San Antonio home. Plaintiffs bring claims of false arrest and excessive force in […] -
March 22, 2018
The Clinic is co-counseling with Brian McGiverin of 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 claims of inadequate medical treatment, as well as a claim of discrimination under the Americans with […] -
March 22, 2018
“I was treated like an animal” Abuses Against African Detainees at the West Texas Detention Facility
This report is prepared on behalf of approximately 80 African immigrants who were held in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the West Texas Detention Facility (WTDF) in Sierra Blanca, Texas, from approximately February 23, 2018, to March 2, 2018. The WTDF is a large detention facility currently operated under a federal government contract with LaSalle […] -
March 21, 2018
Enforcing the Clean Water Act to stop illegal discharges of plastic pellets into Lavaca Bay
The Formosa plastics plant illegally discharged plastic pellets and residue into local streams and bays for over a decade. Clinic students worked with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid on a Clean Water Act (CWA) enforcement action challenging the illegal discharge of such pellets on behalf of clients, including Texas Injured Workers and Commercial Oystermen of Texas. […] -
March 21, 2018
The Clinic worked with Earthjustice, the City of Houston, and the Harris County District Attorney’s office to draft amicus briefs to the Fifth Circuit supporting the district court’s finding of violations in an enforcement action for illegal air emissions, including emissions of hazardous air pollutants, at a Houston area petrochemical plant. -
March 21, 2018
Drafting Texas Supreme Court amicus brief supporting Laredo’s single use plastic bag ban
The Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Turtle Island Restoration Network supporting the authority of Texas cities to enact single-use plastic bag bans. -
March 21, 2018
The Clinic drafted a memo for a local government exploring the use of riparian corridors to prevent flooding and protect water quality. Students reviewed riparian corridor ordinances in cities across the country, identified best practices, and researched potential legal claims against cities that have created such corridors. -
March 21, 2018
Challenging highway construction through Corpus Christi neighborhood
The Clinic co-counseled with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid on a Civil Rights Act Title VI complaint challenging the construction of a new highway through a low-income neighborhood already burdened with pollution sources. Clinic student conducted legal research and drafted the complaint. A settlement was reached that provides a voluntary relocation program for up to 450 […] -
March 21, 2018
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 […]
