The family of Botham Jean, who was fatally shot by a Dallas police officer in his apartment, sent state Rep. Jasmine Crockett a cease-and-desist letter.
James Barragán
James Barragán was a politics reporter for The Texas Tribune with a focus on accountability reporting. Prior to joining the Tribune, James worked as a statehouse reporter for The Dallas Morning News and previously had stints at the Austin American-Statesman and the Los Angeles Times. In 2021, he was a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Reporting for his coverage of Texas politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. James was selected as a 2023-24 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. A Southern California native, James received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was based in Austin and is a native Spanish speaker.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
National Guard troops were dispatched to famous Texas ranches with private security as part of border mission
The dispatching of troops to the sprawling private ranches, far from the border, raises questions about the use of National Guard troops, who have widely decried the mission as aimless, political and oversized, as the cost of the effort has already ballooned to $2 billion a year.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
Gov. Greg Abbott replaces Texas military leader who has overseen heavily criticized border mission
Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer will take over as the military department’s new leader. He replaces Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, who was criticized for her handling of Operation Lone Star, as adjutant general of the Texas Military Department.
Posted in
Transgender Texans
Apple, Google among dozens of corporations condemning Texas’ order to investigate families of trans kids
The letter, published as a full-page ad in The Dallas Morning News, was also signed by Salesforce, Johnson & Johnson, Dow and Capital One. The companies said they do business, create jobs and serve customers in Texas and are committed to creating safe communities for LGBTQ people.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Rochelle Garza is headed into Democratic AG runoff, but her opponent is still undetermined
Former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt are in a heated battle for second place and a spot in a runoff in May.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Debate between Texas GOP attorney general candidates got heated, even though incumbent Ken Paxton wasn’t there
Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman repeatedly criticized each other. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert focused on the incumbent, who didn’t participate.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt takes heat for lack of Texas law license in his bid for attorney general
Merritt is licensed in Pennsylvania. The state constitution doesn’t require the attorney general to be a licensed lawyer, but Merritt’s opponent has criticized his legal record.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Former Texas state Sen. Kirk Watson running for Austin mayor
Watson was mayor of the city from 1997 to 2001 and is focused on tackling the rising cost of living, homelessness, public safety and transportation.
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Texas 2022 Elections
Whistleblowers say Ken Paxton is misleading Texans about his bribery and abuse-of-office allegations
The whistleblowers made their first statement about Paxton’s decision to fire them since filing a lawsuit against the attorney general.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s challengers take aim at his ethics, relationship to indicted political aide
Miller’s top challenger is state Rep. James White, a Hillister rancher, who is running a hard-charging campaign calling out the incumbent for creating a scandal-prone culture at the commission.
