A survey taken after Travis County state District Judge Julie Kocurek was shot last fall in the driveway of her Austin home found that hundreds of Texas judges have feared for their safety at least once in the last two years.
Texas Supreme Court
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Incumbents Holding Supreme Court Seats, Criminal Court Runoffs Likely
Lawyers arguing in front of the Texas Supreme Court next year likely won’t need to memorize any new faces. All three Republican incumbents running for reelection are winning their primary races.
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Criminal Justice
Analysis: Could Surname Be Key in Republican Supreme Court Race?
Do Republican voters in Texas have an aversion to Hispanic names? Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman is hoping that bit of election folklore is untrue.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: In Supreme Court Primary Race, a Question of Judgment
The Supreme Court race that looks like a name game — it’s Green v. Green on the ballot — actually is about fundamental ideas of what judges ought to be doing. And the two candidates’ views on a recent case make their differences clear.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Three Supreme Court Justices Face Challenges
In all three state Supreme Court seats up for election this year, Republican incumbents face primary challengers on March 1 – but that’s where the similarities end.
Posted in
Economy
Oil Driller’s Lawsuit Could Cost Texas Billions in Tax Refunds
What is the definition of “tangible personal property?” The arcane question is at the center of a lawsuit that could reap energy companies a multibillion-dollar windfall and drain the state’s budget surplus.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: Familiar Incumbents and Familiar Challengers, Too
The candidates for the 2016 elections have filed their papers, and the ballots have some familiar names. There are perennial candidates, former officeholders who want their own jobs back and candidates with the same names as their opponents.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Commission Will Address Texas “Justice Gap”
A large number of Texans — mostly middle class — fall into a “justice gap” where they aren’t poor enough to receive free legal aid provided to indigents but can’t afford basic legal services on their own.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Video: Hecht on U.S. Supreme Court “Lawlessness”
At our 10/29 conversation, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court addressed the recent pushback against the “lawlessness” of the U.S. Supreme Court’s unelected jurists.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Video: Hecht on the School Finance Case
At our 10/29 conversation, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court talked about the timing of a possible ruling on the state’s appeal in the school finance lawsuit.
