The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Buddy Barfield, once an adviser to former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from Dewhurst’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Full Story
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State agencies are operating on the honor system when it comes to former Gov. Rick Perry's December mandate that they use E-Verify to screen their workers. Two months after his order, there isn't a state office tasked with enforcement. Full Story
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The state's highest criminal court on Monday issued a stay of execution for Rodney Reed so new evidence can be considered that defense attorneys say proves their client's innocence. Full Story
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An amended indictment against Rick Perry is "woefully deficient" and should be rejected, the former governor's attorneys said in a court document filed Monday. Full Story
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Retired state District Judge John Dietz, who found the Texas school finance system unconstitutional last year, told teachers Sunday that Texas is "dooming a generation" of children. The Legislature, not the courts, should fix the problems, he said. Full Story
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At our 2/19 conversation, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, talked about a federal judge's decision to block President Obama's executive order on immigration — and what happens next. Full Story
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On the campaign trail, Republican Greg Abbott argued for expanded gun rights — with certain limits. But now that he's been elected governor, the nuance he initially proposed appears to be gone. Full Story
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At a celebratory press conference Wednesday, Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Ken Paxton and Dan Patrick hailed a federal judge's ruling to block President Obama's immigration plans, and confidently predicted that Texas will keep winning on appeal. Full Story
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UPDATED: Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht on Wednesday called on state lawmakers to continue their support for legal aid to the poor and military veterans and to complete unfinished work on student truancy reform. Full Story
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Texas immigration attorneys are telling their clients not to panic following a federal court ruling that temporarily halted President Obama’s November executive action. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Greg Abbott, delivering his first major policy address to the Texas Legislature, laid out an ambitious agenda, including an expansion of pre-kindergarten, massive tax cuts and roads as far as the traffic-glazed eye can see. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott hailed a federal judge's decision Monday to halt President Obama’s executive action on immigration — a decision that gave the state of Texas an initial victory in its battle against what state leaders call federal overreach. Full Story
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Prosecutors on Friday followed a judge's direction and sharpened their two-count indictment against Rick Perry, providing the clearest look yet at the crimes they believe the former governor committed. Full Story
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The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected BP's $750 million insurance claim for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 people and spewed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Full Story
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The multimillion-dollar influx of state police on the border is stemming the tide of illegal immigration, but parts of the operation are largely inefficient, the state’s top law enforcement officer told the House budget-writing committee. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Tuesday that drug cartels are ramping up efforts as the Texas National Guard is preparing to leave the Rio Grande Valley next month. He's hoping to extend the Guard's presence in the region. Full Story
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Michael Morton, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for murdering his wife before DNA evidence exonerated him, said he wouldn’t have had access under current testing requirements to the evidence that set him free. A new bill by state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, would expand access to DNA testing in criminal cases. Full Story
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A week after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said there weren’t enough votes in the Texas Senate to pass legislation allowing the open carrying of handguns, Gov. Greg Abbott said on the radio that he thinks such legislation will pass. Full Story
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At our 2/5 conversation, Admiral William McRaven, the chancellor of the University of Texas System, explained his opposition to campus carry legislation. Full Story
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Donald Keith Newbury, 52, who was part of the "Texas Seven" gang of prison fugitives, was executed Wednesday night for the 2000 murder of an Irving police officer. Full Story
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