Austin Judge To Decide Venue For State's Sanctuary Cities Lawsuit
A federal judge in Austin heard arguments Thursday concerning the state’s anti-sanctuary cities law, just days after arguments were heard in San Antonio federal court.
The multi-city lawsuit against the State of Texas asks that SB4, the anti-sanctuary cities law, be declared unconstitutional. The suit was filed in federal court in San Antonio. But the Texas Attorney General’s Office argued before Federal District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin that because the lawsuit involves state elected officials it should take place in the capitol city.
Rene Hicks is an attorney representing the City of El Cenizo and Maverick County in an effort to keep the constitutional challenge in San Antonio.
“To change venue, the judge first has to basically say he has jurisdiction over the case. I think the judge said as many ways as he can, he’s highly dubious he has jurisdiction in case," Hicks says.
Read more: http://tpr.org/post/austin-judge-decide-venue-states-sanctuary-cities-lawsuit
It seems peculiar for the state to want to hold a trial in Travis County considering how much they complain about the courts there anytime an unfavorable verdict comes to the Republican Party. However, the AG's office may want exactly that to fuel propaganda against "liberal" Austin and "liberal" Travis County in an appeal.
