The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
In Texas, very few jails allow electronic cigarettes, but some say that could change as sheriffs begin to warm up to the smokeless technology as a way to supplement revenue and help inmates suffering from withdrawal. Full Story
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A handful of Texas communities have passed resolutions barring immigrants from being housed there on an emergency basis. Full Story
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As attention centers on the thousands of unaccompanied minors crossing the Texas-Mexico border, activists in the Rio Grande Valley are working hard to ensure that their ongoing campaigns continue to gain traction after the current crisis subsides. Full Story
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UPDATED: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz filed a bill Thursday that he says would immediately halt the flow of unaccompanied Central American children who are now crossing into the United States. Full Story
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Ask Texas Attorney General and gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott about his record on government transparency and he will tell you it is one worth bragging about. Open government advocates say his record is more varied. Full Story
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A district court judge ruled against death row inmate Hank Skinner on Tuesday in the wake of new DNA testing, saying it was “reasonably probable” he would still have been convicted had the evidence been available at trial. Full Story
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Proposed legislation to address the surge of unaccompanied Central American children crossing into the U.S. is dividing Texas’ border lawmakers. Full Story
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While thousands of women across the country are engaged in lawsuits against manufacturers of pelvic mesh implants, a Texas group is trying to get the state to take action against a company that makes the medical devices. Full Story
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Immigrant rights groups began a three-day vigil in McAllen on Thursday in support of the thousands of unaccompanied and undocumented Central American children in Texas detention centers. Full Story
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Humanitarian relief efforts in McAllen will cost local governments more than $1.1 million by the end of the year, officials said on Thursday. Law enforcement officials also praised the state security surge that began last month. Full Story
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Texas border Democrats are pushing back against Republicans who have said that current White House policies are responsible for the swell of Central American migrants breaching the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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More than 20 years after the Texas Legislature passed a law establishing a 24-hour work safety hotline, real people are answering the telephone calls around the clock. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Rick Perry will meet with President Obama on Wednesday to discuss the continuing crisis on the border, an aide to the governor confirmed Tuesday. Full Story
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Texas used a three-drug lethal injection cocktail for nearly three decades. But since 2011, a dwindling drug supply has forced Texas and other states to find other drugs to administer the death penalty. Full Story
UPDATED: A woman who sued a border-area hospital and agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection after being subjected to what she argued was an unwarranted body cavity search for drugs has settled part of the lawsuit for $1.1 million. Full Story
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The former Burleson district attorney who sent Anthony Graves to death row in 1994 will now face a formal hearing on allegations prosecutorial misconduct by the State Bar of Texas. Full Story
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Here's a look back at our four-part Hurting for Work project, a series on how disdain for government regulation sparked a "Texas miracle" economy — while tearing down protections for the workers who built it. Full Story
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A state senator will have to testify in response to allegations that he exerted improper political pressure on the state windstorm insurance agency, a judge ruled Thursday. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday doubled down on his stance that tens of thousands of children crossing into Texas illegally from Central America should be sent back to their countries without delay. Full Story
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Greg Abbott made big headlines this week for suggesting that citizens get information about the storage of hazardous chemicals in Texas not from state officials but from the businesses that house them. Check out his full remarks. Full Story
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