Dallas Observer's AMAZING summary of Hall/McRaven state of play

"He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13

Anyone who knows us will understand how much we enjoyed reading this:

When Hall sued McRaven for the information, arguing that the regents can’t vote to exempt themselves from state law, a trial court and an appeals court did smell a rat. Wallace Hall. Both courts shot him down dead.

Me no lawyer. I assume they had arguments. But I take into account, as well, that the Hall lawsuit is a torpedo attack on the very kind of people and the very same citadels of power from which judges hail. So at the very least it’s an intriguing lawsuit with a lot to talk about.

At the end of last week, Hall filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Texas. He asked for expedited handling, which he may or may not get, because he goes off the board of regents next February. At that time he loses his standing to sue, and the case dies. The other side, of course, has been running out the string with that outcome in sight.

The two stories, then: In Jon Cassidy’s piece on watchdog.org I learn that, “Attorneys for University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall say a decision by the state Supreme Court on Chancellor Bill McRaven’s handling of records involved in the UT admissions scandal will have ‘massive implications for state governance.’”

Cassidy explains: “If the ruling holds, boards and city councils would be able to hide their activities not just from the public, but from their fellow elected officials.”

I learn from Cassidy’s piece there is a timing mistake in the decision by which Hall was shot down at the appeals court. The appeals court said Hall should have sued his fellow regents, because they were the ones who voted to close off his access to the documents he seeks, not McRaven.

But McRaven shut down Hall’s access before the board voted to endorse his decision. So if McRaven’s action was bogus, how can the board, themselves suspects, vote to make his action un-bogus?

Seriously, do read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: What starts here changes the world....