The Legislature voted last year to end straight-party voting for the 2020 elections. After a tough night for some down-ballot Republicans, some are wishing they’d done it sooner.
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
Criminal Justice
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals grants new trial for death row inmate Albert James Turner
The court threw out Turner’s conviction because his defense attorneys said at trial that he had committed murder, even though Turner wanted to maintain his innocence.
Posted in
Energy
Amazon picks Crystal City and New York for HQ2, snubbing Texas
The long-awaited decision comes more than a year after Amazon announced the public bidding war in September 2017.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
From staying out to declaring victory, how Dennis Bonnen ended the speaker’s race in a weekend
The Republican from Angleton wasn’t even a candidate a month ago. Now he says he has north of 100 votes — more than enough to win the gavel.
Posted in
Politics
Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson to retire effective Dec. 31
The timing allows Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint a replacement for the remainder of his term.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Democrats’ biggest win on election night may have been the courts
Democrats flipped four major state appeals courts, toppling 19 incumbent Republican appellate judges.
Posted in
Politics
Steve Stockman, former Texas congressman, sentenced to 10 years in federal prison
Stockman — who served two nonconsecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives — was convicted in April of 23 felonies, including fraud and money laundering.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Four top takeaways from the 2018 Texas midterm elections
Historic turnout, unusually tight races and a “blue wave” that didn’t quite break.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Texas Democrats were aiming for historic wins in 2018. What they got instead was hope for 2020.
Republicans won every statewide office in Texas, as they have in every election for the past 20 years. But Democrats are taking heart in their narrow losing margins.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
With days to go, contest for attorney general shows signs of a competitive race
Attorney General Ken Paxton has run a mostly under-the-radar re-election campaign, but new ads and big donations in the final days suggest Republicans aren’t taking anything for granted.