Fifth Circuit Hears Texas Land-Ban Case as Chinese Plaintiffs' Standing Takes Focus
Austin, Travis County, Texas — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on Monday, November 2, in a challenge to Texas's law restricting land purchases by nationals of certain foreign countries, with the standing of two Chinese plaintiffs at the center of the hearing.
The judges questioned whether they can decide the standing issue for the two plaintiffs who lost at the lower court while a third plaintiff's claims have remained open there for more than a year. U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, who had handled the case in Austin and carried one of the thickest case backlogs in the country, left the bench at the end of August without resolving the challenge, complicating the appeal.
The case is being closely watched by Texas's Chinese community, which has repeatedly raised concerns about the law's reach. The appeals court has not yet ruled, and the case remains pending.
Source: Bloomberg Law
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：奥斯汀州议会大厦一带实景。 Photo: The Texas Capitol area in Austin. Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
