By Elena M. Marks and Mike NellisElena M. Marks is president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation. Mike Nellis is CEO of Austin Community Foundation.If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that we must work together and find creative solutions to our biggest issues. This year, we’ve observed the philanthropic sector quickly and decisively […]
2020
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Immigration
Supreme Court says challenge to Donald Trump’s plan to not count undocumented people in congressional reapportionment must wait
A Pew Research Center study this summer found that if the country’s undocumented immigrants were excluded from apportionment, Texas would end up with one less U.S. House seat than otherwise expected.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Supreme Court rules Alfred Dewayne Brown must be compensated for his wrongful imprisonment
In 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals tossed out Brown’s conviction and death sentence in the 2003 murder of a Houston police officer. Phone records found in the prosecution’s possession, but not shared with the defense at trial, supported Brown’s alibi that he was at his girlfriend’s house during the crime.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas unemployment rate rises to 8.1% in November
The latest unemployment rate will be a crucial data point for the Texas Legislature, which will convene in January.
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Immigration
A Texas case challenging the legality of DACA is back in federal court
Texas and other states will try to convince U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who previously declined to strike down DACA, to change his mind.
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Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott campaigns hard for Drew Springer in Texas Senate runoff with Shelley Luther
Ahead of the 2021 legislative session — and the 2022 primary season — Abbott is determined to make an example out of Luther, who has become an avatar of his intraparty detractors.
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State Government
Analysis: Some Texas officials would love to redirect your attention
President Donald Trump is a master of changing subjects, benefiting from our collective tendency to forget about what happened a year ago, or a week ago, or yesterday. Ambitious politicians lower on the food chain have been taking notes.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Here’s how the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded in Texas since March
We put together a timeline of the state’s efforts to protect public health during the pandemic, and how those restrictions and provisions have changed over time.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas officials expect it to take months for coronavirus vaccine to be available to anyone who wants it
Gov. Greg Abbott said he has not yet gotten the vaccine but will “at the appropriate time.”
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Demographics
Beth Van Duyne could be the GOP’s antidote to high-profile progressives when she joins Congress
The former Housing and Urban Development official will be part of the largest group of House Republican women ever elected to Congress in the same year. Van Duyne’s supporters expect she’ll bring her brand of outspoken conservative fire with her to the Capitol.