Bass v. Waller County Sub-Regional Planning Commission
The Waller County Sub-Regional Planning Commission challenged the court's jurisdiction over an appeal filed by James Bass, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Transportation. The appeal concerned interlocutory orders from a district court, which included granting partial summary judgment to the Planning Commission and deferring a ruling on a plea to the jurisdiction by the Executive Director. The Executive Director argued for jurisdiction under Section 51.014(a)(8) of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, asserting an implicit denial of his jurisdictional challenges. However, the appellate court concluded it lacked jurisdiction because the district court's explicit deferral of the jurisdictional ruling contradicted any implied denial, or alternatively, effectively vacated any such implied ruling. Consequently, the Planning Commission's motion was granted, and the appeal was dismissed.