Texas claims in filings that challenges to 2023 election are invalid, results are final

Latest News

• Judge overrules Texas, strikes down air pollution permit for Gulf Coast oil terminal

  by Dylan Baddour, Inside Climate News Dec. 6, 2023

  A judge reversed a 2022 decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that involved its controversial “one-mile rule” to deny hearing requests. Full Story 

• Abbott mum on another special session as he charges into voucher opponents’ primary battles

  by Patrick Svitek and Renzo Downey Dec. 6, 2023

  Abbott is promising to continue the fight for “school choice” but staying mum on whether that means he will call another special session as he has previously threatened. Full Story 

• In this East Texas town, a 45-foot tall oil pump is a holiday symbol and connection to the past

  by Jess Huff Dec. 6, 2023

  Rudolph the Red-Nose Pumping Unit has long been a holiday tradition in Lufkin. The machinery, now used worldwide to extract oil from the ground, was invented by a local businessman. Full Story 

• As offices sit empty and housing costs soar, some Texas developers are converting workspaces into apartments

  by Joshua Fechter Dec. 6, 2023

  Not every downtown high-rise is a good fit for an office-to-housing conversion, but some officials and developers see benefits in turning unused space into new residential units. Full Story 

• New Uvalde school shooting documentary and investigation reveal details of law enforcement’s flawed response

  by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE Updated: Dec. 5, 2023

  The “Inside the Uvalde Response” film and related reporting by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE analyze one of the most criticized mass shooting responses in recent history and show real-time insight into officers’ thoughts and actions. Full Story 

• Texas Legislature adjourns fourth special session — leaving vouchers, school safety and elections bills unfinished

  by Zach Despart Updated: Dec. 5, 2023

  The latest casualties were Senate Bill 5, which would spend $800 million on school safety measures through 2025, and Senate Bill 6, which would change the timeline of a trial after an election contest is filed by a citizen or group. Full Story 

• Texas woman asks judge to let her terminate pregnancy after lethal fetal diagnosis

  by Eleanor Klibanoff Updated: Dec. 5, 2023

  In an emergency request, the Center for Reproductive Rights is asking a judge to allow Kate Cox to terminate her pregnancy after she received a lethal fetal diagnosis. Full Story 

• State abandons effort to take back Fairfield Lake State Park land

  by Pooja Salhotra Dec. 5, 2023

  The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will stop pursuing eminent domain to take over the former park property south of Dallas. A private developer plans to turn it into a luxury subdivision. Full Story 

• McKinney state Rep. Frederick Frazier pleads no contest to charges he impersonated a public servant

  by Patrick Svitek and Ayden Runnels Dec. 5, 2023

  Frazier was indicted in June 2022 on two charges of impersonating a public servant, a felony offense. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges as part of a plea agreement. Full Story 

• “Someone tell me what to do”

  by Lomi Kriel and Lexi Churchill, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, and Jinitzail Hernández, The Texas Tribune Dec. 5, 2023

  Across the country, states require more training to prepare students and teachers for mass shootings than for those expected to protect them. The differences were clear in Uvalde, where children and officers waited on opposite sides of the door. Full Story 

• Judge considers holding state in contempt a third time over foster care conditions

  by Karen Brooks Harper Dec. 4, 2023

  U.S. District Judge Janis Jack on Monday considers whether state’s foster care agency has made progress caring for most vulnerable children or should be held in contempt for the third time in an ongoing 2011 lawsuit. Full Story 

• DA drops most charges against Austin police officers accused of excessive force in 2020 protests

  by William Melhado Updated: Dec. 4, 2023

  The Travis County district attorney still plans to pursue criminal charges in four cases. The officers whose cases are being dismissed will be allowed to return to duty. Full Story 

• Appeals court halts ruling that Border Patrol can legally cut Texas’ border concertina wire

  by Uriel J. García Dec. 4, 2023

  Less than a week after a Del Rio-based federal judge ruled against Texas in the ongoing fight over the state’s razor wire, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused that decision while it reviews the case. Full Story 

• Senate confirms Texas Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez to 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

  by Matthew Choi and Keaton Peters Dec. 4, 2023

  Ramirez is currently a U.S. magistrate judge for the Northern District of Texas, serving in that role for over two decades. Full Story 

• After school voucher bill falls apart, supporters and opponents get ready for future fights

  by Maia Pandey Dec. 4, 2023

  The Texas House’s vote to block education savings accounts disappointed voucher advocates and likely spelled doom for additional public school funding. Both bands say they’ll keep pushing for their priorities during next year’s primary elections and the 2025 legislative session. Full Story 

• Texas GOP executive committee rejects proposed ban on associating with Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers

  by Robert Downen Updated: Dec. 3, 2023

  Some members of the committee said such a ban, proposed two months after a prominent conservative activist was caught meeting with a famous white supremacist, might be a “slippery slope” or too vague. Full Story