The Austin-based non-profit has received $1.1 billion in federal funds since the start of 2016 and currently houses 3,644 migrant children at shelters across the state.
Emma Platoff
Emma Platoff was a reporter at the Tribune from 2017 to 2021, most recently covering the law and its intersection with politics. A graduate of Yale University, Emma is the former managing editor of the Yale Daily News.
Posted in
Health care
By gutting Obamacare, Judge Reed O’Connor handed Texas a win. It wasn’t the first time.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office has made a habit of filing lawsuits against the federal government that land in O’Connor’s court.
Posted in
Health care
Federal judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional, handing Texas an early win
Fort Worth U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the individual mandate — a critical component of Obamacare — is unconstitutional, rendering the rest of the law invalid as well.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Is “revenge porn” protected free speech? Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to weigh in.
A state appeals court ruled Texas’ “revenge porn” law unconstitutional. Now, the state’s highest criminal court will decide.
Posted in
Politics
Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos — the state’s chief elections officer — stepping down
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Pablos in January 2017. The secretary of state is Texas’ chief elections officer and a top adviser to the governor on issues related to the border.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturns death sentence for inmate Kenneth Wayne Thomas
Thomas’ conviction stands, but he is entitled to a new punishment hearing based on modern standards for assessing intellectual disabilities, the court ruled.
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Politics
Why did the Texas AG get into — and then out of — a controversial lawsuit in his home county?
On Nov. 19, the Texas Attorney General’s Office backed Plano in a heated lawsuit over the city’s development plan. On Nov. 20, the agency said it had made a mistake.
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Criminal Justice
Ken Paxton prosecutors to seek rehearing in pay decision
The court ruled Nov. 21 that six-figure payments for the prosecutors’ work were outside legal limits.
Posted in
Immigration
AG Ken Paxton sues San Antonio, saying the city is violating Texas’ anti-“sanctuary cities” law
The attorney general’s office seeks more than $11 million in fines against San Antonio and accuses the city of “thwarting federal immigration enforcement.”
Posted in
Politics
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rules against prosecutors in Ken Paxton payment case
The court agreed in December to weigh in on an obstacle to Paxton’s long-running legal drama, a fight over more than a year’s payment for the prosecutors working on the case.