Good morning,

Ahead of the holiday, this week's One Click Survey asks about the greatest T-Day debate. You'll find that below.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Supreme Court Allows New Congressional Map, For Now

• Late Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed a lower court's order that had blocked Texas from using the newly enacted congressional map. As Brandon Waltens explains, this puts that lower court order on hold while Attorney General Ken Paxton’s appeal on behalf of the state proceeds.
         

• More significantly, the Supreme Court’s action allows Texas to continue operating under the new map for now, preventing immediate disruption to the 2026 election cycle. 
       

• Despite Democrats' objections, the map was passed during a special session this summer and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. The new boundaries essentially create five new GOP-leaning districts. Democrats had argued the boundaries were drawn with racist intent, while Republicans have argued the gerrymandering was done solely on legally permissible partisan grounds and blind to race.

Buzbee Announces Lawsuit Against ‘Influential’ Austin Lobby Group

• Houston attorney Tony Buzbee announced Friday that his firm has been retained to take on “the head of one of the more influential lobbying and advocacy groups in Austin.” The lawsuit will reportedly be filed today.
      
• An unnamed woman, referred to in the statement as "Jane Doe," has retained Buzbee's firm. She alleges that "she was coerced, sexually harassed, ultimately sexually assaulted and then retaliated against" by the as-yet unnamed individual.
     
• In 2023, Buzbee led the successful defense team representing Attorney General Ken Paxton against impeachment charges.

Abbott Demands Mexico Address Water Treaty Failure

• Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are demanding that Mexico immediately address its failure to meet the minimum delivery obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty. Paige Feild has the details.
     
• The 1944 Water Treaty is an agreement between the United States and Mexico regarding how the waters of the Rio Grande and other rivers will be shared. Mexico has not fulfilled its treaty obligations consistently since 1994. A Texas A&M University study recently estimated there were nearly $1 billion in losses from crop production in 2023 due to Mexico’s violations.
     
• "Texas communities across the lower Rio Grande Valley will continue to suffer unless Mexico starts meeting their treaty obligations." – TCEQ Commissioner Tonya Miller

Texas State Regents Approve New Faculty Advisory Bodies

• Regents of the Texas State University System authorized bylaws for the creation of new, advisory-only faculty senates or councils at their component institutions. As Adam Cahn reports, the change was necessary to comply with a new state law.
     
• State law now prohibits the practice known as “shared governance.” Under that system, university presidents delegated formal decision-making authority to faculty representatives selected by their colleagues but not answerable to the state's elected officials.

RELATED NEWS

Uvalde Judge Suspended After Indictment for Official Oppression

• The Democrat county judge of Uvalde County has been suspended without pay following his indictment for knowingly subjecting an individual to unlawful arrest or seizure while acting under the color of his office. Travis Morgan breaks down the bizarre case. 
      
• Uvalde County Judge William R. Mitchell's legal troubles stem from an incident on March 27 in which Tyler Cox—a 28-year-old UPS delivery driver—was delivering packages to the Uvalde County Courthouse. A dispute apparently arose over where the packages were to be placed.
      
• Though the versions of events differ, Mitchell had a deputy handcuff and detain Cox, who is now suing the county for violating his rights under the Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, and Texas State Constitution. Mitchell has refused to release courthouse video of the incident and asserted judicial immunity from Cox's civil lawsuit.
     
• Earlier this month, Judge Mitchell was indicted by an Uvalde grand jury for intentionally subjecting Cox “to arrest or detention or seizure that the defendant knew was unlawful.”

Former Austin Teacher Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

• Addie Hovland reports that a former Austin Independent School District middle school teacher has been arrested for possession of child pornography. He has also been accused of having an improper relationship with a student, according to a letter from the district.
      
• Jonathan Marks worked as a special education inclusion teacher at two AISD middle schools from 2020 through the fall semester of 2024. His teaching certificate is currently under review by the Texas Education Agency.

US House Unanimously Passes Legislation Combating Terrorists' Use of AI

• Last week, the US House unanimously passed legislation authored by Texas Republican August Pfluger to address the use of artificial intelligence by terrorist groups. Debra McClure has the report.
      
• As chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Pfluger explained that the legislation would confront the emerging threat of terrorist groups weaponizing AI “to recruit, train, and inspire attacks on U.S. soil.”

Quote-Unquote

"No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a-comin'."

– Bill McDonald, Texas Ranger​

One Click Survey

When families gather for the Thanksgiving holiday, there are a series of traditions and foods that unite everyone ... and some that spur annual debate. So we want to know how you prefer cranberries be served: jellied out of the can, or in a freshly made relish.

Click on your favorite:

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

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