Leader planning Texas county 'takeover' faces renewed injunction

MENTONE, Texas (CN) — A hearing in a Far West Texas courtroom on Friday represented the latest salvo in a ongoing legal fight between state officials and a man promising free homes and a political takeover.

On paper, it should have been an uneventful hearing: Texas District Court Judge Alan Nicholas was merely considering whether to extend an expiring temporary injunction.

Alas for Loving County, things have been anything but uneventful since a charismatic settler arrived from Indiana and began recruiting others to join him.

That man, Malcolm Tanner, earlier this year purchased 10 acres of undeveloped land just outside the town of Mentone. Using social media, he promised his thousands of followers free homes and $5,000 per month if they moved in.

The goal is for these settlers to register to vote, then stage a local political takeover.

That’s a relatively obtainable goal in Loving County. With fewer than 100 residents, it’s among the least populated counties in the United States. The landscape here is parched and barren. It’s the kind of place where shade is a scarce resource and where fierce desert winds can push an 18-wheeler right off the highway.

https://www.courthousenews.com/leader-planning-texas-county-takeover-faces-renewed-injunction/