The Week in the Rearview Mirror

It was a different Fourth of July holiday this year as most towns in Texas banned the use of fireworks. Record numbers of wildfires and continuing drought conditions convinced most authorities that the risk of a spark was too severe. Although some metropolitan areas like Dallas and Houston went ahead with their professionally run celebrations, most Texans faced fines if they set off any fireworks in their own backyards.

After reports circulated that families were being prevented from making religious references at veterans' funerals, hundreds of protesters showed up on Independence Day in Houston to express their disapproval. Nonprofit groups have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the director of the Houston National Cemetery, which they say banned them from using religious language at burials unless the text is submitted in advance for approval. VA officials disputed the claim, maintaining that veterans' families across the country are free to use any sacred language or ritual they choose.

Willie Nelson's not quite off the hook yet from his marijuana bust in November. Although the prosecutor in Hudspeth County offered a plea deal that Nelson agreed to and mailed in, the judge overseeing has case, Becky Dean-Walker, has rejected the agreement. Dean-Walker made a statement accusing the county attorney of giving preferential treatment to a celebrity. This isn't the first time she's accused him of working out a deal that is unacceptable to her. In the spring, news leaked that the prosecutor was offering a deal for Nelson to plead out, pay a small fine and sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." The judge quickly quashed that idea.

The first court hearings on Texas' abortion sonogram law, which Gov. Rick Perry signed into law in May, took place Wednesday. The Center for Reproductive Rights is charging that the law is unconstitutional and sued in federal court to stop enforcement of the provision. The group also filed a request for an injunction against the requirement that doctors perform and describe an ultrasound to women seeking abortions. The sonogram law isn't the only legislative action under legal fire. At least 12 lawsuits have already been filed in response to the redistricting maps passed by lawmakers, and more are expected. Controversies abound related to the counting of prisoners, illegal immigrants and minority representation.

Texas once again finds itself in the national spotlight over its death chamber. Mexican national Humberto Leal Jr. was executed Thursday for the 1994 rape and murder of a San Antonio teenager. The Obama administration and international groups said the execution was done in violation of U.N.'s Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. That treaty guarantees consular representation to foreign nationals upon their arrest, which didn't happen in the case of Leal, who was subsequently sentenced to death. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected the argument by a 4-1 vote. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue a stay in the case, and prison officials went ahead with the scheduled execution.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker has found a new weapon in her re-election effort: a letter from an anti-gay activist attacking her for her alleged homosexual agenda. Parker wrote her own solicitation letter and attached a copy of David Wilson's letter, claiming that he was attacking her solely because she is gay. During the 2009 mayoral campaign, Wilson tried a similar tactic, sending out thousands of fliers objecting to Parker's sexual orientation.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker has found a new weapon in her re-election effort: a letter from an anti-gay activist attacking her for her alleged homosexual agenda. Parker wrote her own solicitation letter and attached a copy of David Wilson's letter, claiming that he was attacking her solely because she is gay. During the 2009 mayoral campaign, Wilson tried a similar tactic, sending out thousands of fliers objecting to Parker's sexual orientation.

As expected, the court martial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has resulted in a capital case. The commander of Fort Hood has allowed prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the case against Hasan, consisting of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 of attempted premeditated murder. The trial is expected to take place in about a year.