The State of Texas: Dec. 12, 2013

Slideshow of the Day

Because when you think of “Texas fashion,” you think of cowboys, Indians, and leather-clad franken-punk Karl Lagerfeld.

Twitpic Of The Day

Nick Saban and Mack Brown are both 62. Here’s what they would look like if they traded hair (ht @dpshow) pic.twitter.com/1avjQljXNd

— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) December 11, 2013

Daily Roundup

No Suit For You — A judge ruled Wednesday against the suit that would have removed Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg from office, ending an ugly, eight-month political fight performed in full view of the public. The main question was whether Lehmberg could and had been serving the public interest despite her problems with alcohol (and investigating politicians with her Public Integrity Unit). After the judgment, Lehmberg was very contrite, apologizing “for her conduct the night she was taken into custody,” and she pledged to do everything in her power to “make sure there’s never a repeat.”

How The Other Half Pleads — It’s the most infuriating news item you’ll read all week, month, maybe this year. After stealing beer from a store, then driving around drunk (three times the legal limit), a Fort Worth sixteen-year-old from a wealthy family hit and killed four people. During his sentencing on Tuesday, the teen faced up to twenty years in prison. He was given probation. Part of the reason is that during the hearing, a psychologist for the defense said the teen suffered from “affluenza,” in which his family’s wealth caused to him have “no rational link between behavior and consequences. The judge agreed the boy needed better treatment than prison.” Unsurprisingly, the outrage over the ruling has made national headlines. Justice isn’t completely blind, but she’s also not supposed to be a flagrant butler for the rich.

Same-Tex Marriages — Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a San Antonio judge has “scheduled a hearing in February to consider temporarily blocking Texas’ same-sex marriage ban,” according to the Express-News. “The case is a part of seven similar ones filed in other states with the goal of eventually getting the constitutionality of a ban on same-sex marriage in front of the U.S. Supreme Court,” according to the story. They’ve got an uphill battle. Attorney General Greg Abbott pledged to defend the law approved by 76 percent of voters.

Obamacare, Y’all — Second time’s almost a charm for Obamacare in Texas with 14,000 enrolling for health insurance in October and November. That’s “nearly five times more than successfully navigated the site” during the law’s disastrous inaugural month, according to the Austin American-Stateman. The figure put Texas second, after Florida, as the state with the highest number of enrollees. As the Statesman notes, however, “Because the state has the highest rate of uninsured Americans — more than 23 percent — there’s still a long way to go.”

Hello Greens — Great news for someone who loves leisurely sports, likes country music, enjoys getting high and has $3 million: Willie Nelson’s golf course is for sale! The house-hunters over at the Austinist picked up the advertisement, which declares the 75-acre, nine-hole entertainment field, a “relaxing and refreshing divergence from a formal country club scene is all about having fun even if it gets a little irreverent.” Why the broker didn’t add a final, punny line—maybe, “be like Willie and pull the ‘trigger’ on this great deal now”—is a dern shame.