General information only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Case posture can change.

Short answer: The Supreme Court of Texas froze Harris County’s use of local funds for a deportation-defense program, and it left in place a sovereign-immunity dismissal of Uvalde-related negligence claims. In Oklahoma, multi-decade Illinois River watershed litigation against poultry companies remains unresolved after proposed settlements were rejected.

Texas Supreme Court: Harris County deportation-defense funding frozen

Following litigation initiated by the Texas Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Texas issued an emergency order halting a Harris County program that used local tax funds to provide legal representation in federal deportation proceedings. The state argued that county governments lack statutory authority to divert taxpayer resources into an independent immigration-defense framework.

  • The order bars Harris County from continuing to disburse or allocate public funds into the program while the underlying litigation proceeds.
  • Municipal and corporate counsel should treat this as a reminder that Texas courts are enforcing statutory limits on local public-fund uses that collide with federal enforcement dockets.
  • Vendors, nonprofits, and local governments that contract around similar programs should review funding sources before the next budget cycle, not after an injunction lands.

Texas Supreme Court: sovereign immunity bars Uvalde negligence claims

The Supreme Court of Texas let stand a dismissal of claims brought by survivors of the 2022 Robb Elementary shooting against the Texas Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County. The court again applied the Texas Tort Claims Act rule that the non-use of government property does not waive immunity.

Alleged tactical delays, unused equipment, and operational omissions were not enough. The statute still requires injury caused by a defect or the active, negligent use of state property. Expanding that waiver remains a legislative question. For civil litigators, the takeaway is practical: governmental-defendant cases in Texas still turn on the waiver language, not on the severity of the underlying facts.

Oklahoma: Illinois River watershed litigation remains unresolved

Oklahoma’s long-running poultry-waste litigation over phosphorus contamination in the Illinois River Watershed remains in procedural gridlock in federal court. A 2023 liability finding has not produced a confirmed cleanup path, and proposed settlements have been rejected. Grower contracts, land values, and discharge-related diligence in the watershed remain exposed while appeals and negotiations continue.

Agribusiness, real estate, and environmental counsel should keep this docket on the watch list. A “settled in principle” headline is not the same as an enforceable cleanup plan.

Why we publish briefings

Insights is this firm’s content library. Briefings cover court and regulatory developments. Practice notes explain how Texas and Oklahoma processes actually run for clients. Neither replaces a case-specific review. If a related municipal, tort, agribusiness, or complex civil matter needs attention, check case eligibility or call 866-230-7236.