Clay Jenkins' Law Firm got COVID Bailout

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

Gadzooks:

A law firm owned by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins received up to $2 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans this spring, according to a ProPublica report.

Car Wreck Masters PLLC received "$1-2 million" in PPP loans via lender Frost Bank in a deal approved April 9, according to the ProPublica article.

....

ProPublica's report said it received data regarding the $1-to-$2 million PPP loans for Car Wreck Masters from the Small Business Administration. That data includes lender-approved PPP loans of at least $150,000. Other loan programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, were not included in the Small Business Administration's database.

Jenkins, a Democrat, received his law degree from Baylor University in 1987 and has been a Dallas County Commissioners Court Judge since 2011. He was re-elected in November 2018 and his current term expires in 2022.

In addition to receiving the PPP funds, Jenkins attracted attention last spring for his hard line with business owners who remained open despite government-mandated shutdown orders intended to suppress spread of COVID-19. Those orders included Jenkins' own "safer-at-home" order, issued March 12 and amended April 23.

Bottom Line: We're sure there was no preferential treatment, none whatsoever.

Did Eric Johnson just throw Clay Jenkins under the bus?!?

"If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed."
1 Timothy 4:6

Well, this is certainly an interesting development:

"As soon as @GregAbbott_TX announced a plan to #OpenTexas, it became my job to help that plan succeed." Superb take from Dallas mayor @Johnson4Dallas

— Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) April 29, 2020

Not sure what to make of this. Obviously, it would be easy to read too much into it. But still.

For infighting to break out between local officials in the same geographic area seems noteworthy.

Then there's this:

No, @Johnson4Dallas and @GregAbbott_TX do not share the same party affiliation. But, they do share the same desire to see Texas regain it's economic strength. We need more of this and less political positioning during this time. https://t.co/U9oBSnfQcL

— Kelly Hancock (@KHancock4TX) April 29, 2020

Bottom Line: This remains a fluid situation. So standard disclaimers obviously apply. Still, this degree of infighting is very, very, interesting.

Sometime soon, these local officials need to start getting SUED

"Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow."
Isaiah 1:17

Yesterday, Tony McDonald had a piece about the constitutional authority for local officials to issue the hostage in place edicts we've seen across Texas.  While we recommend reading the piece in full, the TL,DR version is that such authority is non-existent.  Unfortunately, McDonald also points out that courts have a long history of siding with government during times of alleged 'crisis.'

While it may make long-term sense to file such a suit to make the constitutional point...odds of it begetting short term relief are likely low.

There is, however, another alternative.

It's not a secret that these hostage in place orders are causing massive economic damage.  Perhaps it's appropriate to make the relevant local entities pay for the damage they've caused.  Thus, you'd be going after them for the practical damage they've caused, rather than some abstract constitutional point.

It gets better.  Because, odds are, such a suit wouldn't even have to be successful in court (though you would need to be prepared to argue it).  Just the threat of such a lawsuit would likely spur these local entities to change their behavior.

The biggest question is when.  We're still, obviously, in the process of having information about both the virus and the economic impact come in.  By some point between Thursday of next week and Tuesday of the week after (Apr. 16-21).

Bottom Line: We're not there yet, but the time is rapidly approaching.

Still (Kinda Sorta) A Republic (For Now)

"When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, 'Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.' "
Acts 22:26

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, yesterday 2:31 pm:

The @DallasCountyTx Commissioners Court extended the Disaster Declaration to 5/20 at requests of @DFWHCouncil its member health systems and @DCHHS . I will continue to work with everyone to our #publichealth first and help your business/jobs and our economy as much as I can. CJ

— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) April 3, 2020

Citizens go Ape[well, you know].

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, two hours later:

Based on the extension of the Declaration of Disaster granted today, I am extending the Dallas County Safer at Home Order to April 30. The Declaration of Disaster is necessary to provide the tools to lead you through this. The Safer at Home Orders are the rules we ask of you.

— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) April 3, 2020

He backed down, at least this time.

Bottom Line: It's hard to be optimistic about where our liberties are headed, but we suppose Clay Jenkins backing down yesterday is one modestly positive sign.