In the midst of a battle among lawmakers over a bill to ban texting while driving, a new report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute suggests that voice-to-text technology is no safer than typing out a text message.
Maurice Chammah
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House Shows Support for Innocence Commission Bill
UPDATED: The House on Tuesday endorsed a bill that would create a state panel to investigate wrongful convictions. Similar legislation has been defeated in the past, but this time it has drawn supporters many consider unlikely.
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Criminal Justice
As Execution Date Nears, Debate Continues Over Staffing at State Prisons
Officials of a prison workers’ union say that understaffing had a role in the 1999 murder of a correctional officer, who was fatally stabbed by an inmate. They say such issues continue to exist and put officers in danger today.
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Criminal Justice
Constitutionality of State Law Challenged in Sexual Assault Case
Attorneys presented oral arguments Wednesday at the Court of Criminal Appeals over whether Mark Fleming’s rights were violated because prosecutors didn’t have to prove he knew he was having sexual relations with a minor.
Posted in
State Government
House Passes Bill That Makes Texting While Driving a Crime
UPDATED: A bill that would make texting while driving a crime passed the House on Wednesday after a lengthy debate. The measure now heads to the Senate.
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Criminal Justice
Lawmakers Discuss Race-Related Evidence in Death Penalty Cases
Lawmakers on Tuesday debated a bill that would allow death row inmates to appeal their sentences if they believe that race played a role in their punishment.
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Criminal Justice
Report Urges Reduced Prostitution Punishment
A new report out Tuesday urges lawmakers to reduce penalties for prostitution and send more defendants to diversion and intervention programs. Advocates argue it will save the state money.
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Criminal Justice
Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys Spar Over Child Sex Crimes Bill
A panel of House lawmakers on Tuesday heard prosecutors and defense attorneys debate a bill that would allow prosecutors in child sex crime cases to bring in evidence of prior offenses, including accusations by other children.
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Criminal Justice
Forensic Science Commission Reviews DPS Lab Trouble
The Texas Forensic Science Commission has concluded that the potential reversal of thousands of drug convictions by the Court of Criminal Appeals is due to a DPS employee’s incompetence, but that not all of the drug samples are necessarily compromised.
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Bidness As Usual
Data App: Ethics Explorer
With the addition of more than a dozen statewide elected officials to our Lawmaker Explorer — including Attorney General Greg Abbott and Comptroller Susan Combs and the state’s railroad commissioners and Supreme Court justices — we’re renaming it the Ethics Explorer.
