National Roundup

Texas
Judge calls new election law unconstitutional but state says it will appeal ruling
HOUSTON (AP) — A judge has called a new law unconstitutional that passed in the GOP-led Texas Legislature and will dictate how elections are run in the state’s most populous county, which is a Democratic stronghold and home to Houston.

The law, which would abolish a position that oversees elections in Harris County, was temporarily blocked by state District Judge Karin Crump in Austin after county officials filed a lawsuit earlier this month.

But the judge’s order, issued Monday, was short-lived. It was put on hold on Tuesday after the Texas Attorney General’s Office filed a notice that it will appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.

The new law, set to take effect Sept. 1, was pushed through by Republican lawmakers who accused Harris County officials of mismanaging recent elections. Democrats accused Republicans of singling out the county because, like other large urban areas around the state, it has increasingly voted Democratic.

In a statement, the Texas Attorney General’s Office said the new law was passed “to ensure that elections in the state’s largest counties are properly managed by individuals who are accountable to the voters, not by unaccountable bureaucrats.”

But in her orders in the lawsuit, Crump said the new law only applies to Texas counties with a population of 3.5 million residents. Harris County, with 4.7 million residents, is the only Texas county with that large of a population. According to the law’s language, no other county would be subject to the law even if their population were to ever surpass 3.5 million residents, Crump wrote.

The Texas Constitution prevents the Legislature from passing any laws that are not uniform throughout the state and only target a specific location, Crump wrote.

The new law is “unreasonable, arbitrary, and simply a means of singling out one county,” Crump wrote.

“We aren’t surprised by (Monday’s) injunction. Nonetheless, we are confident this case will go to the Texas Supreme Court and they will rule that (the new law) is constitutional,” said Cindy Siegel, head of the Harris County GOP.

Harris County officials said they planned to ask the Texas Supreme Court to also temporarily block the new law while their lawsuit is litigated.

“At the end of the day, we know that this is not about making elections better ... It’s about undermining confidence in our elections,” said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a Democrat.

The new law stemmed from problems during November’s elections in Harris County. Local officials have acknowledged problems that included paper ballot shortages and delayed poll openings.

Almost two dozen Republican candidates have filed lawsuits, alleging their losses in Harris County during last year’s election were due in part to the various problems as well as to illegally cast votes. A ruling is expected in the next few weeks in one of the lawsuits, the first to go to trial earlier this month.

There has been no evidence that the issues affected the outcomes.

The elections were run by Clifford Tatum, Harris County’s elections administrator, a position created by the county in 2020.

The new law would return elections oversight in the county to the tax assessor and county clerk, which are both elected offices currently held by Democrats.

“When the Texas GOP can’t win a race, they get very Trumpy: Either change rules, change the referee or cry in their spilt milk,” said Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, a Democrat.

Harris County officials have said the new law would not give them enough time to prepare for November’s mayoral election in Houston. It was a concern echoed by Crump.

“Without this order, the state ... will likely disrupt the upcoming election and cause havoc,” Crump wrote.

New York
Retired professor charged with stealing jewelry from well-heeled acquaintances
NEW YORK (AP) — A retired political science professor who traveled in Washington’s elite social circles pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges that he stole tens of thousands of dollars in jewelry from his wealthy acquaintances.

Lawrence Gray sold at least seven rare and valuable stolen items, including diamond earrings, a pink sapphire brooch, and a 19th century gold pocket watch, prosecutors said. They allege he earned more than $45,000 consigning the pieces to a Manhattan auction house.

“The defendant allegedly repeatedly sold stolen jewelry in order to enrich himself,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “New York’s status as a global hub for auction houses is diminished when goods are illegally sold.”

Gray, 79, pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan criminal court to charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and a scheme to defraud. Wearing a pink shirt and black blazer and leaning gingerly on a dark wooden cane, he declined to speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. He was released without bail after agreeing to give up his passport. He is due back in court on Oct. 31.

The indictment is the latest in a growing list of theft allegations against Gray, a former tenured professor at John Cabot University in Rome and the longtime romantic partner of the late Washington socialite Jacqueline Quillen.

In 2021, shortly after Quillen’s death, her sons sued Gray, accusing him of stealing expensive heirlooms, paintings and cash from both Quillen and her friends — a well-heeled group that included American diplomats, bankers and businessmen. Later that year, Gray was arrested in Rhode Island on charges that he stole a diamond and sapphire brooch valued at $32,000 during a wedding in Newport.

The family’s lawsuit has settled for undisclosed terms; the Rhode Island case, in which Gray pleaded not guilty, is ongoing.

On Tuesday, Manhattan prosecutors said they had evidence connecting Gray to a string of thefts in New York, Virginia, and several other states. Between 2016 and 2019, he sold the goods on consignment to Doyle Auction House on the Upper East Side, they said, adding that they are still working to locate some of the pieces that were sold.

A spokesperson for Doyle Auction House declined to comment, citing a company policy against discussing consignors.

Quillen, a wine specialist at Christie’s and the heir to a Wall Street fortune, had come to suspect that Gray was stealing from her and her friends, according to the lawsuit filed by her sons. She kept detailed notes on the missing goods, and eventually broke off her relationship with Gray months prior to her death, the suit alleged.