Wiretap: Texas immigration politics lifeline likely to slip away from Capitol Hill Republicans

A Texas federal judge has caused a headache for Barack Obama and may have, at the same time, tossed a lifeline to House Republicans. The question is, will they grab it? U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen ruled against Obama’s immigration authority, issuing a temporary stay. The Obama administration will appeal. And House Republicans, who have been threatening to partially shut down the Homeland Security Department if Obama won’t halt his immigration plan, can now place the decision-making on the courts and simply send Obama a clean bill to fund the department. If only it were that simple. Via the National Journal.

It looks like much of Obama’s legacy won’t be decided by the electorate or by the Republican Congress, but by a series of judges. The Texas judge is the latest, but he won’t be the last. Via the Washington Post.

Ruth Marcus writes in the Washington Post that immigration foes got just the judge they wanted.

The war on smart kids –> Good news for members of the Jefferson County School Board: They now have a role model. In Oklahoma, a legislative committee has voted overwhelmingly to ban Advanced Placement U.S. History courses in the state for not teaching a sufficiently positive version of the country’s past. But that may be just the beginning. At least one Oklahoma representative wants to ban AP courses altogether. Via ThinkProgress.

Egypt, Libya and ISIS: how the lines are changing and what it could mean. Via Jon Lee Anderson in the New Yorker.

Scott Walker may be the candidate that true conservatives have been looking for. How can you tell? One political scientist says it’s easy: Follow the money. Via Vox.

To the surprise of no one, Rand Paul has decided to run for president. To the surprise of some, he’s going to announce in April, putting himself out there ahead of most of the pack. Via the New York Times.

Why do Republicans keep stumbling on evolution? The easy answer can be seen clearly in the results of every poll taken on the subject. Via Byron York at the Washington Examiner.

They’ll be out in force, once again, digging up dirt on the Clintons. The question is: Will it work this time or will it once again backfire? Via the Atlantic.

Statetap:

There’s a lot of stats to parse, but the Gazette reports it appears that basically El Paso County surpassed Denver in number of marijuana related DUIs.

On Tuesday, the state Senate unanimously supported a bill that would allow victims to report sexual assault to medical professionals without necessarily having to file a police report. Tessa Cheek reported on the bill. The hope is that victims will feel more comfortable seeking the help they need. Via the Denver Post.

The state GOP let go of Super Political Action Committee director Tyler Harber after he pled guilty to coordinating campaign contributions with political candidates and lying about the matter to the FBI. Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party Ryan Call, who appointed Harber, said “we all sometimes make mistakes and put our faith in folks who perhaps we shouldn’t,” but insisted “there really is zero chance” of Harber having done anything illegal while working with the Colorado GOP. Via the Durango Herald.

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