State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, a former prosecutor and judge, has filed a bill that would allow prosecutors to include accusations by other victims in child sexual assault cases. Defense attorneys worry it would lead to wrongful convictions.
Maurice Chammah
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bill Renews Debate on Merging Top Two Courts
State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond has filed a bill to abolish the Court of Criminal Appeals and bring all of its related cases under the Texas Supreme Court. He’s triggering a debate that goes all the way back to Reconstruction.
Posted in
State Government
DPS Marks 10,000th DNA Match in Open Cases
The Texas Department of Public Safety announced Wednesday that it has now found suspects in 10,000 open crime investigations using a federal DNA database.
Posted in
State Government
Head of CPRIT Resigns Amid Investigations
As the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas is set to face investigations into a grant that bypassed a mandated review, the executive director of the state agency has resigned his post.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Abbott Backs Federal Measure Increasing Child Porn Penalties
Attorney General Greg Abbott expressed support Friday for a federal measure that increases penalties for viewing child pornography. Federal judges and advocates have said that the penalties are already steep enough.
Posted in
Public Education
TEA Commissioner Strips El Paso ISD Board of Authority
In the wake of a cheating scandal in the El Paso school district, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams announced Thursday that he’s stripping authority from the district’s board and installing a new board of managers.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bill Would Require Police to Record Interrogations
Advocates for a bill requiring police to record interrogations argue it could prevent innocent people from confessing to crimes they didn’t commit. Some in law enforcement worry the requirement would make it harder to try cases.
Posted in
State Government
Report: Adjust Policy on Who Gets Sent to State Jails
A new report recommends reforming the state-run jail system by mandating probation for certain types of nonviolent felony offenders and only using the jails for those who violate their probation.
Posted in
Public Education
Case May Affect Future of High-Tech Student IDs
Between a legal challenge and a proposed bill, the usage of radio frequency ID cards — which can track the whereabouts of students while on campus — is coming under increasing pressure.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas High School Graduation Rates Among Highest in U.S.
According to new U.S. Department of Education data, Texas has the fourth-highest graduation rate in the nation.
