Death and Texas
The state's top criminal judge has inspired a parody website and a complaint from a group of lawyers that's dead serious. Full Story
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Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022. He wrote regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas.
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Its Name is MUD
Clunky as it is, "Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One" is a familiar name in election law circles. Full Story
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Soldier, Legislator, Lobbyist, Candidate
Come March, Democratic primary voters will likely know all about U.S. Senate hopeful Rick Noriega's ties to utility companies. What voters will make of it is still anybody's guess. Full Story
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England's New Flag
Rep. Kirk England of Grand Prairie is switching parties, saying he'll seek reelection as a Democrat. There hasn't been a party switch in the Texas Legislature in a decade, and it's been a long, long time since a legislator left the Republicans for the Democrats and survived the switch. Full Story
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A Herd of Headless Chickens
Maybe nobody will remember this in six months, but the people who want Texans to approve $3 billion in cancer bonds are having a hard time keeping their act together. Full Story
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Sweet Sixteen
The political air is different in sixteen legislative districts: Republicans win statewide races, but Democrats dominate in legislative contests. Full Story
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Campaign Maps, By the Numbers
Redistricting, with just a few exceptions, still has a strong hold on the makeup of the state Senate and the Texas congressional delegation. But several House members continue to confound the mapmakers, winning in districts where, on paper, they shouldn't. Full Story
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Green Pastures
We pulled the numbers from campaign reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission and the Federal Election Commission and ranked officeholders and candidates by how much they had in their accounts at mid-year. Full Story
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An Expensive Favor
Nathan Hecht's battle over Harriet Miers' appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court is lasting longer than hers did. Full Story
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The Speaker Thing
Start with a follow-up to last week's story about the powers of the House Speaker, and the attempts to get Attorney General Greg Abbott to referee. The issue is now in the hands of the lawyers, mostly, and that means there is a large stack of briefs to go through. Full Story