It’s not immediately clear why TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter left the role, which she had held since 2022.
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.
To report a tip, contact Alex on Signal at @alexnguyen.23
Posted in
Politics
Feds charge Fort Bend County official with theft of government money
Carmen Turner, the Democratic tax assessor-collector since 2021, was arrested Thursday morning.
Posted in
Immigration
Dallas man who died in Laredo ICE facility was lawful permanent resident
ICE said Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias obtained his legal status fraudulently because he failed to disclose a 2004 arrest for theft. His daughter disputes that.
Posted in
Immigration
Migrant found dead at Laredo ICE facility
The death was confirmed by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who said the 56-year-old Mexican national was found unresponsive in his cell. He’s the seventh person in Texas to die while detained by ICE this year.
Posted in
Immigration
San Antonio sues to block plans to convert warehouse into an ICE detention center
The city argued that federal officials failed to review the environmental impact of a proposed facility that could hold 1,500 people a day.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas appeals order requiring prison air conditioning, saying it puts operations at risk
TDCJ, which estimates climate control will cost $1.5 billion, said the federal judge’s order imposes “chaos and confusion” on the country’s largest prison system.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Harris County’s cashless bail policy for misdemeanors upheld
The policy dates to a 2019 settlement after the county’s cash bail system was found to exacerbate poverty while not “meaningfully” promoting public safety.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals 2026 election: 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 are the candidates for the 2026 race.
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.
