U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ruled Thursday evening that Texas' voter ID law discriminates against minority voters and was enacted with discriminatory intent, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Furthermore, she ruled that the law creates a poll tax in violation of the 14th and 24th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The state plans an immediate appeal to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who became the first diagnosed U.S. case of infection by the Ebola virus, died Wednesday in Dallas. His death led to renewed questions whether his prognosis would have been better had he been diagnosed earlier. He was sent home with antibiotics the first time he went to the hospital, only to be placed in isolation two days later.

The only debate scheduled in the U.S. Senate contest between incumbent Republican John Cornyn and Democratic challenger David Alameel will be broadcast dubbed into Spanish by Univision a day after the Oct. 24 encounter. Options are being explored to broadcast the debate in English on other outlets or on a secondary audio channel on the Univision feed. But it appeared possible, if not likely, that the debate could end up being broadcast only in Spanish.

Candidates and officeholders submitted their 30-day out campaign finance reports, which detail fundraising and spending from July 1 through Sept. 25. The GOP candidates at the top of the ticket — Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick — raised significantly more than their Democratic rivals. Abbott made further news with his announcement that he still has more than $30 million in his campaign accout, spurring speculation he may keep a healthy reserve to intimidate would-be challengers in 2018.

San Antonio residents asked at a City Council meeting on Wednesday for more time before a decision is made to build a new pipeline intended to bring 16 billion gallons of water to the Alamo City annually. At $3.4 billion, the project would make for some of the most expensive water sold in Texas.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to address lower courts' rulings against bans on same-sex marriage by proposing a constitutional amendment that would prevent a state ban on same-sex marriage from being overturned.

Disclosure: Univision is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Brett P. Giroir was named by Gov. Rick Perry to direct the newly created Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response. A week after the country's first case of Ebola appeared in Dallas, the 17-member task force is charged with better equipping the state to handle a pandemic. Membership includes the heads of agencies who would be involved in pandemic response as well as public health experts and epidemiologists. The group will prepare two reports with findings and recommendations — the first one due Dec. 1 and the second one due Feb. 1.

Surendra Varma of Lubbock was named by Perry to the Texas Medical Board for a term to expire April 13, 2019.

Newly sworn-in state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, has been tapped to join the Senate Higher Education Committee, taking the seat held previously by his predecessor, Robert Duncan.

Marti Johnson has joined Houston-based Strategic Public Affairs as a director after stints in the Texas Department of Agriculture and the staff of state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy.

Caroline Joiner was named executive director for Texas and the southeast region for TechNet, a group dedicated to growing the technology industry. Joiner served in the George W. Bush White House at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Since 2009, she has been an independent government affairs consultant. Her clients include the Texas Cable Association and National Instruments.

Garrett Groves is joining the staff of the Center for Public Policy Priorities next week as Program Director for Economic Opportunity. He is a former National Governors Association (NGA) senior policy analyst.

Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery, has been inducted into the Public Gaming Research Institute's Lottery Industry Hall of Fame. Grief has served as the Lottery's executive director since March 2010.

Deaths: Harley Clark of Austin, 78, retired district judge and the man credited with inventing the Hook 'Em Horns sign, the singular gesture of dedication performed by UT fans.

Disclosure: The Texas Cable Association is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Texas Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.