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  • 21 House Races to Watch

    By Elise Hu

    Only 10 days out from Labor Day — the unofficial start of the campaign season — we bring you a scouting report on the 21 Texas House races to watch. We based our picks on dozens of interviews with politicos and our own analysis of district voting patterns, campaign coffers, the relative strength of the candidates and issues that could turn each contest. Most of the vulnerable incumbents are Democrats, which is no surprise in a Republican year. But a few veteran R's are at risk, thanks to alleged ethical lapses that could swing voters against the national mood. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • You Be the Judge

    By Morgan Smith

    Do two recent U.S. Supreme Court opinions have the far-reaching effects on Texas judicial elections that some in our legal community fear? Or do the state's current campaign finance laws adequately address the issues presented by both cases? Full Story 

    A joint meeting between the House Elections and Judiciary committees on Aug. 26, 2010
    Credit: Marjorie Cotera

  • Pat Lykos: The TT Interview

    By Brandi Grissom

    The first female district attorney of Harris County on the massive scope of her job, softening her office's tough-on-crime reputation, the link between mental health care and criminal justice, why she set up a Post-Conviction Review Section and what she's learned from innocence cases so far. Full Story 

    District Attorney for Harris County, Pat Lykos.
    Credit: Callie Richmond

  • Hola, Amigas

    By Kate Galbraith

    Texas has always operated its own electricity grid, separate from the two other grids that span the rest of the nation. But a project quietly emerging in eastern New Mexico could curb that independence — and affect energy prices here in ways that remain much in dispute. Full Story 

    There are three electric grids in the continental United States. A project in New Mexico called Tres Amigas plans to interlink all three.
    Credit: Graphic by Tres Amigas

  • The Road to Candelaria

    By Julián Aguilar

    State lawmakers looking for guidance on how to draft immigration legislation that can withstand legal challenges may not have to wait for resolution of the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Arizona. A case now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court could light the path. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • Justice for Aaron?

    By Emily Ramshaw

    He can't read or write, struggles to speak, and at age 19 has an IQ of 47. Yet a judge in the northeast Texas town of Paris still sentenced Aaron Hart to 100 years in prison for performing sexual acts on a 6-year-old neighbor. An appeals court overturned Aaron's conviction this spring. Now he sits in jail facing the same charges a second time, and his family is praying for a different outcome. Full Story 

    Aaron Hart, in a graduation photo (left) and a jail mugshot (right).

  • TribBlog: Defending the Innocent

    By Brandi Grissom

    The Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense today approved money to help establish a public defender's office in Harris County — the largest urban area in the nation without one — along with a slate of measures meant to prevent innocent people from serving time. Full Story 

    Timothy Cole
    Credit: Illustration by Courtesy of the Cole family

  • Tom DeLay's Negative Numbers

    By Elise Hu

    During a break in Wednesday's pretrial hearing, former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, discuss a poll that shows a significant portion of potential jurors in Travis County already believe he's guilty. They're using the numbers to argue for a change of venue in the state's money laundering case against DeLay. Full Story 

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  • A Turf War Over Mental Health

    By Brian Thevenot

    The intent of the law seemed clear: The state’s 39 MHMRs would, wherever possible, stop offering direct medical services and start managing networks of private providers. But a bureaucratic scrum has delayed the privatization of care. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman