First Roadrunner Drafted • It took five seasons, but a University of Texas at San Antonio football player was finally selected in the NFL Draft.
David Morgan II, a former tight end for the Roadrunners, became the first player from the school to be selected in the league's annual rookie acquisition event. Although other Roadrunners have played in the NFL, they've all been signed as free agents.
The Minnesota Vikings drafted Morgan on Saturday, April 30 in the sixth round with the 188th overall pick in the draft. The Marble Falls native racked up over a thousand yards to go with eight touchdown receptions in his collegiate career. His performance in 2015 was good enough to garner second team All-American honors, another first for the school.
But just because he was drafted doesn't mean Morgan's place on the Vikings' roster is assured. In fact, it could be quite a challenge — he's the lone rookie among the five tight ends currently on the team, so the competition will be tough.
Voter ID Law Remains Intact • The U.S. Supreme Court opted to leave in place a Texas law that requires certain types of photo identification in order to vote.
The law, passed in 2011, is one of the strictest in the nation. Forms of ID such as concealed handgun licenses and driver's licenses satisfy the requirements, while others — such as student and workplace IDs — don't.
Those who favor it — primarily conservatives — argue the law is a common-sense measure to prevent election fraud. The mostly liberal opposition says it is intended to restrict voter turnout, especially among the poor and minorities. They argue that Republican voters are more likely to hold the approved forms of ID, and that the law constitutes a poll tax.
Although the court's eight justices didn't strike the law down, the door is open for them to do so later this year. A federal appeals court has until July 20 to make a ruling on the law, but the Supreme Court might take its own action after that date. And there's a time crunch here, since opponents of the law hope to dismantle it before Election Day in November.
Blue Jeans Battle • Well, this is stupid.
The most heated battle at the Bexar County Courthouse these days isn't a legal squabble. It's over the dress code — specifically whether prosecutors who work in District Attorney Nico LaHood's office can wear jeans in Judge Steven Hilbig's courtroom.
The fight, first reported by the San Antonio Express-News, started when LaHood gave his office's employees permission to wear jeans on certain workdays as a reward and morale booster. But Hilbig, himself a former district attorney who now presides over the 187th District Court, didn't play along.
Hilbig banned anyone wearing jeans from his courtroom when LaHood allowed prosecutors to wear them during Fiesta. LaHood responded by mandating jeans be worn for three days last week. Hilbig didn't budge, so lawyers were forced to congregate in a nearby conference room, where defense attorneys met with their jeans-wearing prosecutorial counterparts.
LaHood told the Express-News that the jeans themselves aren't the issue, but rather Hilbig's refusal to recognize the prosecutors' hard work. And there's a precedent for wearing jeans on certain days at the courthouse — former District Attorney Susan Reed allowed the practice during her tenure. Surely, that's a relief to the citizens of Bexar County.
