Emma Platoff

@emmaplatoff

justice / politics / COVID-19 for — talk to me eplatoff@texastribune.org

Austin, TX
Joined March 2011
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  1. Pinned Tweet
    20 Apr 2020

    It’s impossible to know for sure how the new coronavirus got to rural Donley County, but locals bet it took U.S. 287, like everything else. On the Panhandle county state data indicate is Texas' hardest hit—and its only doctor, who's also the county judge

    10 replies 54 retweets 138 likes
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  2. Retweeted
    20 hours ago

    Confirmed: Join me and in Washington D.C. this Wednesday, January 6th. All Patriots need to be present to stand with President Trump. Register at .

    436 replies 253 retweets 996 likes
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  3. Retweeted
    30 Dec 2020

    There it is — Paxton sues Austin over curfew:

    14 replies 40 retweets 76 likes
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  4. 23 Dec 2020

    In staff news: Tonja Michelle Smith returned to the agency as of early December, records show. She's now earning $150k as a senior advisor to —a significant uptick from her $90k salary when she left in August 2017. Smith recently ran the campaign.

    1 reply 9 retweets 5 likes
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  5. 23 Dec 2020

    Michigan AG said she'll seek sanctions against attorneys who sought to overturn election results. I asked whether that list will include and other staff. A spox tells me "no final decisions have been made."

    2 replies 1 retweet 4 likes
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  6. Retweeted
    22 Dec 2020

    New: Trump commutes Steve Stockman’s prison sentence

    6 replies 27 retweets 18 likes
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  7. Retweeted
    22 Dec 2020

    The Texas Attorney General’s office spent nearly twice as much time working on voter fraud cases this year as it did in 2018, yet resolved half as many — just 16 minor prosecutions. My latest:

    3 replies 38 retweets 44 likes
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  8. 22 Dec 2020

    Per , Texas AG Ken Paxton urged the federal government to scrutinize and consider rescinding millions in CARES Act money that Harris County planned to use for mail-in ballots:

    15 replies 95 retweets 169 likes
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  9. 21 Dec 2020

    “That discussion of ‘Oh, it’s all the really old people’ — that’s a white people’s story,” one expert said. In Texas, the COVID death rate for Hispanic people ages 25–64 is more than 4 times as high as the rate for non-Hispanic whites, found:

    6 retweets 4 likes
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  10. Retweeted
    19 Dec 2020

    Texas Attorney General has spent years dodging legal and PR blows. But he’s now facing a formidable new opponent: A federal prosecutor with a team of seasoned FBI agents and a track record of getting corrupt public officials sent to prison.

    10 replies 79 retweets 211 likes
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  11. 18 Dec 2020

    Also, because these are such low-information races, voters reach for whatever they can glean from the ballot. That's why we saw women outperform men in *every single* contested Democratic primary for judge this year—dozens of races:

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  12. 18 Dec 2020

    Why does this issue matter? According to one analysis, billion-dollar companies working with certain donor law firms are 5.4 times more likely to win at the Texas Supreme Court. Judges say they need $ to run, but it can create the appearance of bias.

    1 reply
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  13. 18 Dec 2020

    Notable opposition came from Texas senators. Lt Gov has signaled he opposes a change. Many judges hate this system, which forces them to run as partisans for impartial jobs. But lawmakers are hesitant to take away any decisions from voters.

    1 reply 1 retweet 3 likes
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  14. 18 Dec 2020

    Commission on judicial selection in Texas votes 8–7 to recommend ending partisan judicial selection. But many who support current system are members—suggesting it's unlikely to change. Background on this issue, which has always been impossible:

    6 replies 23 retweets 35 likes
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  15. Retweeted
    17 Dec 2020

    Cox is the latest Trump-nominated U.S. attorney to step down. Three of Texas four federal districts now have an acting US attorney.

    It was the job of a lifetime working on behalf of the citizens of the Northern District of Texas. I’ll continue to give it my all until the last minute on January 9. I am forever grateful to those that have supported me throughout this journey.
    1 reply 2 retweets 2 likes
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  16. 16 Dec 2020

    Paxton is now tweeting reports that Ken Starr will be joining Texas' legal team. He's not listed yet, but there are others from his law firm, Lanier

    1 reply 1 retweet 1 like
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  17. 16 Dec 2020

    Odd: , which employs ~800 lawyers & has 9 partner states, has hired outside lawyers from Houston, Chicago and DC to lead this case. That's after the top deputy who was leading it left the agency — one of eight whistleblowers who said Paxton might be breaking the law.

    4 replies 27 retweets 70 likes
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  18. 16 Dec 2020

    Here's the lawsuit, which includes nine other states

    1 reply 3 retweets 15 likes
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  19. 16 Dec 2020

    Paxton announces Texas will lead a lawsuit against Google, the expected result of an investigation into the company that has been delayed by his personal legal troubles. The office has not yet released the lawsuit.

    1:55
    : Texas takes the lead once more! Today, we’re filing a lawsuit against for anticompetitive conduct. This internet Goliath used its power to manipulate the market, destroy competition, and harm YOU, the consumer. Stay tuned…
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    12 replies 13 retweets 31 likes
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  20. 14 Dec 2020

    In the past, Paxton has gotten docked for paying outside attorneys more than $300/hour — because his defense team objects to the special prosecutors appointed to take Paxton to trial making that much.

    4 retweets 7 likes
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  21. 14 Dec 2020

    New: is paying William Helfand $540/hour to defend the agency, which has been sued after firing five whistleblowers who told authorities they believed had broken the law. The AG's office has denied that they were fired in retaliation:

    2 replies 17 retweets 15 likes
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