The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
After more than 50 years of tension, normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba is going to take a while, and businesses eager to trade with the island nation best be patient, officials say. Full Story
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The 2014 execution-style killing of a San Antonio-area police officer with ties to the Texas Mexican Mafia is a stark example of how the self-proclaimed "gang of all gangs" operates. Full Story
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As Texas takes on another hurricane season, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has nearly committed all of the 2016-17 emergency funds reserved for state disaster recovery efforts in the aftermath of floods and other natural disasters. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a legal opinion Monday supporting a Montgomery County courtroom chaplaincy program — and the use of prayer to open legal proceedings. Full Story
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In the 30 years since Christine Morton was murdered, her husband Michael Morton has been wrongfully convicted of killing her and fought for sweeping changes to state law. Look back at his case and the developments since his release. Full Story
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Thirty years ago, a Williamson County murder set in motion a shoddy prosecution that led to the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton. It's a miscarriage in justice that's still felt in the state's criminal cases. Full Story
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In the first hearing over a Texas-led lawsuit against the federal government, state attorneys argued that the Obama administration’s guidelines to accommodate transgender students unconstitutionally “hold a gun to the head” of states and school districts. Full Story
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The legal distinction between gender identity and sex will be central as Texas on Friday tries to block the Obama administration's order that public schools accommodate transgender students. Full Story
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Robert Lynn Pruett, convicted in the 1999 stabbing death of a state correctional officer, has won another stay of execution from a Court of Criminal Appeals judge. His lethal injection was set for August 23. Full Story
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Congressional ethics investigators have decided to take a further look at U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, over a legislative amendment he pushed that allegedly benefited his car dealership. Full Story
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Jeff Wood was outside in a pickup when his partner killed a Kerrville convenience store clerk in 1996, but he was sentenced to death under Texas' felony murder statute, commonly known as the law of parties. Full Story
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The main entrance to the Texas Capitol is open and bustling again, a few weeks after the state Department of Public Safety temporarily closed it citing security concerns. Full Story
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Nearly one year after 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a “suspicious-looking” homemade clock to class, his family has filed suit against his former school district, the principal of the high school and the city of Irving. Full Story
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McAllen taxpayers cannot find out how much their city paid Enrique Iglesias to sing at a holiday concert, and that's just one example of the fallout from a Texas Supreme Court decision that is shielding many business secrets from the public. Full Story
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An investigation in Texas has exposed gaping holes in state and federal regulations that undermine the nation's claim to be the best in the world at blocking this potential terrorist threat. Full Story
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It’s been almost a month since a gunman opened fire on police officers in downtown Dallas. Since then, the department has been sorting through a deluge of job applications. Full Story
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With the 2017 state budget dance approaching, the Texas prison system is following instructions to cut 4 percent from its spending. Will that mean closing prisons and releasing more nonviolent inmates? Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing the securities fraud charges against him to the state's highest criminal court, in one last bid to dismiss the case before it goes to trial. Full Story
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On Monday at the University of Texas at Austin, there were few obvious signs that a new state law had taken effect allowing guns in university buildings. But some students and faculty members said the new law left them unsettled. Full Story
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In the sweltering heat Monday, hundreds of mourners gathered in the shadow of the University of Texas Tower to honor the 16 people killed and dozens wounded during Charles Whitman’s shooting rampage exactly 50 years earlier. Full Story
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