This fall, Houston voters will decide whether the Houston Police Department should deprioritize misdemeanor marijuana enforcement. The timing looks like a response to Ken Paxton. In 2024, he sued five Texas cities over their marijuana ordinances, citing a state law that bars cities from adopting policies that do not fully enforce drug laws. Then I … Read more
Imagine opening your mailbox to find a letter from a debt collector claiming you owe $2,000 for an old credit card debt. The document looks official. There’s a summons, a complaint, legal language about judgments and garnishment. But something’s off. There’s no court case number. You do what any reasonable person would do: you try … Read more
In the summer of 2023, Keisha missed her rent. The Maryland mom was taking care of her daughter’s life threatening illness, and the rental assistance didn’t arrive in time. The landlord filed an eviction. As soon as Keisha showed up to the courthouse, she met an attorney from Maryland Legal Aid in the hallway. Immediately, … Read more
When people get sued for debt, most can’t afford a lawyer. In many states, they also can’t simply show up to court to defend themselves. They have to file a formal written answer within tight deadlines, sometimes paying hundreds of dollars in filing fees to participate in their own case. Only then will the court … Read more
Debt collection lawsuits are surging. After years of pandemic-era decline, case filings are climbing back toward pre-pandemic levels across the country. Our recent analysis found that courts in eight states saw dramatic increases in debt collection filings in 2024, with some jurisdictions reporting their highest volume in years. The New York Times covered these findings … Read more
Consumer debt lawsuits dropped sharply during the pandemic, but new data shows they are surging again in 2024 and 2025. Across the country, cases where businesses sue consumers over unpaid debts have increased significantly. In some places, filings have climbed well past pre-pandemic levels. This analysis examines the scope and drivers of this trend, drawing … Read more
Browse maps of bills filed by Texas lawmakers as they come in. Updated every day!
Here at January Advisors, we’ve been expanding our research on civil courts to include not just evictions but also debt collection lawsuits. Consumer debt lawsuits, as they are also known, are among the most common cases in civil courts, often involving unpaid medical bills, credit card defaults, and overdue utility bills. Yet, their impact extends … Read more
Every third Tuesday of the month, thirty-seven local policymakers pack themselves into a conference room in Greenway Plaza to determine the shape of Houston’s future. Although this particular conference room is in the geographic center of the Houston region, the policymakers represent the interest of people in the suburbs. This isn’t by accident. It’s how … Read more
The Texas legislative session kicked off this week, and lawmakers have a $32.7 billion surplus to work with. What are they going to do with it? I’ve got an idea. It’s just an IT line item in a budget request, and it would only cost 0.018% of that surplus. But it’s meaningful, and it could … Read more