The City of Houston has prevailed in multiple legal challenges following Houston First’s decision not to host the Republican Party of Texas in-person convention for health and safety reasons.
Today, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed for lack of jurisdiction two lawsuits brought by the RPT and several individuals seeking to force Houston First to allow the RPT to hold an in-person convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center.
The RPT and individual Republicans also sought such relief in a Harris County District Court last week. Last Thursday afternoon, a state district judge denied a motion for a temporary restraining order.
Finally, in a third, evidentiary proceeding in the Harris County district courts held this morning, the court also refused to force Houston First to host the RPT’s Convention this week and denied the RPT the temporary injunction it had sought.
“These four proceedings before ten different judges have given the RPT several days in court, and it has lost at every turn. As I said from the beginning, the decision to cancel the convention was not political. It was driven by science and data during a pandemic,’ said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “My job is to protect Houstonians during a public health crisis, and that includes the convention delegates, service workers, and the general public.”
Last week, Dr. David Persse, Houston’s EMS Physician Director & Public Health Authority, informed the mayor that holding a convention in the GRB Â presented a ‘clear and present danger’ to attendees, convention staff, hotels and restaurant workers, and all Houstonians.
“I listened to the medical experts, and so did the CEO of Houston First. We let science dictate our actions. It is time to move forward with a virtual gathering and stop the time consuming and expensive lawsuits as we deal with this public health crisis,” said Mayor Turner.