The criminal court decides death penalty case appeals and rules on petitions for those who believe they’ve been wrongfully detained. Here are the candidates for the 2026 race.
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.
Posted in
Courts
Crystal Mason prevails in fight over illegal voting conviction
The court ruling means the Fort Worth woman will not have to serve a five-year sentence for casting a provisional vote in 2016 while on supervised release.
Posted in
Politics
Garnet Coleman, longtime Democratic Texas House member, dies at 65
Coleman served for more than 30 years. He championed several healthcare and mental health bills.
Posted in
Immigration
Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer needs surgery to remove the bullet, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar says
The man was shot by a recent ICE recruit who was not wearing a body camera, according to news reports.
Posted in
Immigration
After ICE shooting, Venezuelan man’s quick release from Austin hospital raises questions
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was discharged after four hours into ICE custody and taken 135 miles to an immigration detention center.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Federal judge orders Texas to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029
High temperatures violate the Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment, the judge ruled. Texas will appeal.
Posted in
Immigration
Migrants who planted roots in Texas are being swept up in the immigration crackdown. Here are five of their stories.
Some detained Texans were pursuing pathways to stay here legally. None had criminal convictions.
Posted in
Immigration
Venezuelan man shot by ICE in Austin said he tried to pull over before officers fired at him
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez legally entered the country in 2024 via the CBP One app and applied for asylum, his attorneys said. But he missed a court hearing after the notice went to the wrong address.
Posted in
Immigration
ICE officer shoots, injures man in Austin, officials say
The shooting in Austin, which injured Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, came more than two months after an ICE officer fatally shot a man in Houston.
Posted in
Immigration
Minnesota drops extradition lawsuit against Abbott after ICE officer’s arrest
Minnesota prosecutors accused Christian Castro of injuring a Venezuelan man and lying about what led to the shooting. He also faces federal charges.
