ROUND 2 IN HASSE VS. MORRIS ON AUGUST 15

By Juan Montoya
In a case where Judge Menton Murray kept two Boy Scouts seeking their civic merit badges out of the courtroom while he presided over a dispute where a Cameron County Republican precinct chair wanted to hold county GOP honcho Frank Morris to keep his word and resign, observers will have to wait until August 15 to see what he decides.
From the outset Murray expressed misgivings about whether his court – originally the 445th then transferred to the 107th District Court – had jurisdiction over what he called an "intra-party fight" between county chairman Frank Morris and Precinct 120 chairman Tad Hasse.

"There is this lingering problem over the issue of jurisdiction," Murray
said at the outset. "But, I'll decide that question as we go along."
Few GOP faithful attended the courtroom where the hearing on a motion by Hasse for an injunction to prevent Morris from exercising his authority as county chair was held.
Hasse, who represented himself, introduced emails and letters from Morris to GOP officers where he apparently resigns from both the term that expired June 16 and the next two-year term that began the same day.
In them, Morris says he feels glad that his term is over and in one he states that he's "free at last."
However, in the Republican primary election, Morris won the chairman's position that would extend his authority for two more years until June 2016.
The move to resign on May 14 was apparently a ruse to keep from facing a challenge from a group of dissatisfied Cameron County party members before state convention's credential committee. Since he had resigned, it was reasoned, the challenges would be moot. At the core of Morris' argument was that he had resigned his expiring term, but not the upcoming two years for which he had won the election in the primary.
Morris, however, swore in the precinct chairs during a July 17 party meeting held at the Best Western Motel in Harlingen, including Hasse.
This, his attorney argued, coupled with a letter from the Cameron County Elections Administrator Chris Davis and a canvass of the vote declaring Morris the county chair proved that he continued to be the legitimate chairman of the county party.
However, Hasse argued that in one of the May 14 email where Morris announced his resignation, he included the phrase "If I need to resign June 16, I will do so again."
Hasse also cited the sections in the Texas Election Code gave jurisdiction to the court.
Come August 15, county Republican faithful will see whether Murray ducks the issue by claiming non jurisdiction or whether Morris' ruse to resign twice to avoid the challenge in the state's credential committee will succeed.