How Ken Paxton is paying for his high-octane legal defense team is one of the ongoing puzzles in the criminal case against the Texas attorney general. Paxton has said he is not using public money or government funds, but that leaves more questions than answers.
Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality.
In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas.
A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Take a Closer Look at How Texas Jails Work With ICE
The arrest of an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. kicks off a complicated interplay between local and federal authorities. Use this flowchart to see the different steps in the process.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Texas Sheriffs, Jails on Immigration Front Line
The federal government stands poised to deport immigrants who commit serious crimes in the United States — provided someone else catches them first. The success of federal efforts to detain criminal immigrants depends largely on local sheriffs.
Posted in
Politics
Old Rivals Face Off in Dallas House Race
Bennett Ratliff lost his Dallas-area Texas House seat to Tea Party-backed Matt Rinaldi in 2014, and is running to win it back in a March 1 GOP primary that parses the definition of conservative.
Posted in
Politics
Jonathan Stickland Eats His Words in Vigorous Re-election Primary
Bedford state Rep. Jonathan Stickland’s challenger in the GOP primary for Texas House has dredged up more than 3,000 of Stickland’s old posts on a fantasy football forum. It ain’t pretty.
Posted in
Politics
Open Carry Confusing for Police, Businesses and Public, Senators Hear
Continued uncertainty over the provisions of a new state law allowing the open carry of handguns may prompt future legislative tinkering, Texas lawmakers said Tuesday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Lawmakers to Review Open Carry and Campus Carry Laws Tuesday
Supporters and opponents of two controversial new gun laws passed last year — open carry and campus carry — will update Texas lawmakers Tuesday on how the measures are working so far.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Jails Refused to Hold Thousands of Immigrants Sought by Feds
More than 18,000 times over the last two years, local jails across the country — including in almost three dozen in Texas — failed to hand over deportable immigrants to federal authorities.
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Politics
Texas Zoos Struggle to Limit Guns Under New Open Carry Laws
Zoos that want to limit firearms on their property are walking a legal tightrope under a pair of new Texas gun laws.
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Politics
As Open Carry Takes Effect, Local Officials Predict Lawsuits
The state’s handgun license holders, who previously had to keep their firearms concealed, can now carry them openly. Across Texas, law enforcement officials, city leaders and business owners are bracing for lawsuits.