John Steen, a lawyer from San Antonio, will be Texas’ next secretary of state. He is replacing Hope Andrade, who resigned Friday. The appointment takes effect Tuesday.
Maurice Chammah
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State Government
Employee Union Says Low Prison Pay Jeopardizes Security
Prison employee union leaders are pressuring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Legislature to provide better pay, arguing that understaffing is particularly dangerous during the holidays.
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State Government
Lawmakers Expect Fight Over Anti-Trafficking Bill
Lawmakers have proposed allowing victims of human trafficking to sue advertisers for damages in civil courts. Advocates say they expect to battle advertisers over free speech.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Sexual Assault Case Could Open Door for Reviews
Could wrongful convictions for sexual assault be the next frontier for Texas junk science cases? Advocates for four San Antonio women accused of sexually assaulting two young girls 15 years ago say their case could open the door.
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Criminal Justice
Preston Hughes Executed for 1988 Murder
Preston Hughes was executed Thursday night for the fatal 1988 stabbing of two youths in Houston. Hughes was the second Texas inmate executed in two days.
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State Government
Perry, Dewhurst Back Drug Testing for Welfare Applicants
Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Tuesday expressed support for a bill that would require welfare applicants to take drug tests. Critics of the bill say it needlessly targets the poor.
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State Government
Petitioners Renew Talk of Texas Secession
A petition calling for Texas to “peacefully” withdraw from the United States of America was filed on a White House website Friday. It already has enough signatures to warrant an official response.
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Criminal Justice
Llano County Jail Death Prompts Lawsuit
A woman who has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against administrators with the Llano County Jail says they neglected her son, who died last year. An attorney for the administrators has said they have done nothing wrong.
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State Government
Get to Know the Newest Lawmakers From Texas
The state House, state Senate and U.S. House delegations from Texas have more than four dozen new members between them. Get to know their backgrounds and faces.
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State Government
Woman Released on Parole Seeks Exoneration in Child Sex Assault
Amid questions about whether she and three other San Antonio were wrongfully convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls, Anna Vasquez will be released on parole Friday.
