The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reaffirmed a November ruling removing a block on Senate Bill 12 and denied a request by plaintiffs for a rehearing.
Alex Nguyen
Alex Nguyen is a general assignment reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Before joining the newsroom in 2025, she was a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously was a reporting fellow for the Tribune and a reporting intern at Bloomberg News. A graduate of Columbia University’s Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, Alex was raised mostly in Vancouver, Canada, and she has reported for various regional and national outlets there. She speaks Vietnamese and conversational Spanish and will be based in Austin.
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State Government
Gov. Greg Abbott deploys DPS to “prevent spillover” of Mexican cartel violence
The increase in public safety operations along the border comes after the Mexican army killed “El Mencho,” a powerful cartel leader.
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2026 Texas Elections
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to know
The criminal court decides death penalty case appeals and rules on petitions for those who believe they’ve been wrongfully detained. Here’s a look at who’s running for the court’s three seats on the 2026 ballot.
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Transportation
El Paso airspace reopened after FAA quickly rescinds 10-day flight restrictions
A source told the Tribune that Defense Department drones spurred the announced closure, but the White House said unmanned craft were flown by Mexican cartels.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
New poll finds Jasmine Crockett, Ken Paxton leading in their primary bids for U.S. Senate
The survey findings released Monday come just eight days before the start of early voting.
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Politics
Lawyer for prominent Houston law firm among victims identified in fatal plane crash in Maine
Tara Arnold was an attorney for Arnold & Itkin, whose PAC has donated to lawmakers fighting tort reform.
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Criminal Justice
Texas jails have more than 400 pregnant inmates monthly. The state is trying to understand what happens to them.
As a part of a yearlong study, Texas county jails are collecting data about pregnant inmates’ prenatal care, mental health indicators, pregnancy outcomes and more.
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Immigration
Two cases of measles detected at Dilley immigrant family detention center
The cases come amid renewed nationwide scrutiny of the facility following the transfer there of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy who federal agents arrested along with his father in Minneapolis.
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Courts
AG Ken Paxton cannot shut down Texas Latino voting group, judge rules
Paxton had accused Jolt Initiative of an “unlawful voter registration scheme,” but a federal judge found the AG failed to offer “any plausible proof” of wrongdoing.
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Public Education
Low test scores on one campus can trigger a state takeover in Texas, affecting Black, Hispanic and low-income students most
The demographic makeup of the trigger schools raises questions about whether Texas’ accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.