Texas Supreme Court hears legal challenge to ban on gender-transition care for kids
A fight over allowing transgender children to access puberty blockers and hormone therapies could hinge on justices’ interpretation of parental rights. Full Story
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![People line the railing on all three levels of the outdoor rotunda of the state Capitol in Austin, and wave signs during the "Fight for our Lives" rally in opposition of anti-LGBTQ+ bills on March 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Bidens invite Kate Cox, Dallas mom who sued to terminate pregnancy, to State of the Union address
The Supreme Court of Texas ruled against Cox’s lawsuit to block the state’s abortion ban. She traveled out of state to have an abortion. Full Story
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![Kate Cox of Dallas is asking a Travis Co. district judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the state abortion ban so she can terminate her pregnancy.]()
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Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challenge
In August, a judge ruled that the state’s near-total abortion ban should not apply to medically complicated pregnancies. The state appealed that ruling to the Texas Supreme Court, putting it on hold. Full Story
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![President of Center for Reproductive Rights Nancy Northup speaks at a press conference announcing the filing of Zurawski v. State of Texas, at the Capitol on March 7, 2023. The lawsuit demands clarity from the state on what constitutes a “medical emergency” exception to abortion bans.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge’s refusal to marry gay couples goes before state supreme court
Texas Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday in the case of a Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples. It is unclear when the high court will issue a ruling. Full Story
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![Judge Dianne Hensley.]()
Credit: Screenshot via KXXV-TV Waco -
Lawsuit by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s accusers can continue, Texas Supreme Court rules
The whistleblower lawsuit, which argues that four senior staffers were improperly fired in retaliation for reporting Paxton to the FBI, returns to a Travis County trial court for action. Full Story
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![Suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, walks back to his seat after speaking privately with defense attorney Dan Cogdell before starting the ninth day of his impeachment trial on the Senate floor on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
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Texas Supreme Court lets state law eliminating Harris County elections chief stand, for now
The ruling means the November elections in the state’s largest county will be overseen by two other county officials. Legislators targeted Harris County’s elections department after taking issue with the way the 2022 elections were run. Full Story
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![Ballots and scanning machines arrive at central counting after polls close in Houston, Tuesday Nov 8, 2022. (Michael Stravato for the Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge who doesn’t want to perform gay marriage ceremonies hopes web designer’s Supreme Court case helps her fight
McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley filed a lawsuit after a state agency warned her about refusing to marry gay couples. She hopes a recent U.S. Supreme Court case about religious freedom helps her cause. Full Story
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![Gay marriage supporters hold a pride flag in front of the Supreme Court before a hearing about gay marriage in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2015.]()
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ERCOT can’t be sued over power grid failures during 2021 winter storm, Texas Supreme Court rules
The all-Republican court narrowly found that the nonprofit corporation operating the state’s electrical grid qualifies for sovereign immunity, which protects government entities from lawsuits. Full Story
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![A variety of power lines in Dallas near Greenville Avenue during a winter storm on Feb. 16, 2021. Thousands of Dallas residents have been without power for multiple days.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for higher judicial salaries, business courts
In his biennial state of the judiciary, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht also warned against politics’ encroachment into the third branch of government. Full Story
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![Chief Justice Nathan Hecht delivers the State of the Judiciary speech at the Texas Supreme Court building in Austin on April 5, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans, once allied with prosecutors, seek to rein them in
Some local district and county attorneys have said they will not pursue abortion-related cases, or prioritize certain drug, property and election crimes. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court clears way for state’s education agency to take over Houston ISD
The decision from the state’s highest court would allow the TEA to move forward with its plan to replace Houston ISD’s school board members over low academic scores. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court of Texas on the Capitol grounds in Austin on Jan. 9, 2023.]()
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Texas executes Robert Fratta after high courts reject challenges to expired lethal injection drugs
Fratta was convicted in the 1994 murder-for-hire of his wife. Lawyers unsuccessfully challenged Texas’ routine of extending the expiration dates of its lethal drugs, a practice begun when many pharmacies began refusing to provide doses for executions. Full Story
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![The view of Texas' execution chamber from a witness viewing room.]()
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Texas Supreme Court says it can’t force the state to process deluge of applications for tax break expiring this year
The program, known as Chapter 313, provides companies with billions of dollars in property tax breaks. The court said it is up to the Legislature to make the call on what to do as the program is set to expire and the state is swamped with applications. Full Story
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![State Comptroller Glenn Hegar speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022.]()
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Texas Supreme Court orders Harris County to include more than 2,000 late-cast ballots in certified election results
After a last-minute challenge from the attorney general, county commissioners agreed to certify those provisional votes in time for the canvassing deadline. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line after 7 p.m at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Nov. 8, 2022. The polling location was one of the Harris County polling locations open until 8 PM on Election Day.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for the Texas Tribune -
Republican dominance continues for the two highest courts in Texas
Three seats were up for election in the Texas Supreme Court, which handles civil cases, and three in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Democrats haven’t been elected to either court since the late 1990s. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ elected Supreme Court: What to know before voting for justices
The nine-member Texas Supreme Court has the power to make sweeping decisions that interpret the meaning of the state’s constitution, impacting the lives of Texans across the state. Three seats are on the ballot this year. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to allow state’s education agency to oust Houston school board
Among other issues, the court will consider whether a law that updated the education code last year has any bearing on TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s attempt to replace HISD’s board members over low academic scores. Full Story
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![Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety at the state capitol in Austin on June 23, 2022.]()
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Volkswagen argues that Greg Abbott’s choice of judges in lawsuit could tilt emissions case in Texas’ favor
Because the state is a party in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s cases against the companies, Volkswagen lawyers have argued that allowing the Texas governor to appoint justices to a case for which the state stands to win a substantial amount of money would give “the impression that the State has had undue influence.” Full Story
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![The Volkswagen Group logo at a car dealership in Germany in 2020.]()
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Supreme Court again declines to intervene in challenge to Texas abortion law
The case is currently before the Texas Supreme Court. Abortion providers were hoping the U.S. Supreme Court would reroute the case into federal district court, where a judge had previously blocked the law. Full Story
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Texas abortion law challenge heads to state's supreme court, likely adding more delays to case
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision means it could take months before abortion providers’ challenge to the restrictive law returns to a federal court. Full Story
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune
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