The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas has led the way in criminal justice reforms, but advocates say there’s more to do. They’re hoping that federal action to reform sentencing laws will provide momentum for further changes here. Full Story
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Lawmakers this year approved a bill requiring DNA testing in death penalty cases. Some prosecutors worry more testing could simply delay a guilty defendant’s inevitable conviction. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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All Texas hospitals with emergency rooms will soon be required to have staff trained in at least basic collection of forensic evidence from sexual assault victims. This story is part of our monthlong 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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The U.S. consul general in Ciudad Juárez on whether the war in Juárez is over, what the U.S. is doing to help and what the next few months in the border city will be like leading up to the shift in power from one administration to another. Full Story
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U.S. officials on Friday called infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero's release from a Mexican prison deeply troubling, and said they would continue to seek justice over his connection to the 1985 slaying of a DEA agent. Full Story
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Failing to stop and render aid in a fatal accident will become a second-degree felony, increasing the punishment to up to 20 years in prison. The new law will make the punishment for a fatal hit-and-run accident equivalent to that for intoxicated manslaughter. Full Story
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Lawmakers have increased the Commission on State Emergency Services' budget by 33 percent. That will help update its 911 system, which serves 224 of Texas' 254 counties. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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A federal appeals court will hear arguments Thursday in a lawsuit over whooping cranes that could have major implications for Texas water supplies and for natural resource planning across the United States. Full Story
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For only the second time in the state’s history, Texas lawmakers are closing inmate facilities to reduce bed capacity as the state’s prison population continues to drop. Full Story
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The Travis County district attorney’s office’s Public Integrity Unit is reviewing evidence that suggests a state lawmaker illegally released an inmate’s disciplinary file to a victims’ rights advocate in an effort to prevent a high-profile convicted murderer’s release from prison. Full Story
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A new constraint on proxy marriage in Texas — a measure intended to prevent fraud — will have a secondary effect: It will end prison inmates' ability to tie the knot. This story is part of our month-long 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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Thousands of untested rape kits are likely to get processed for DNA evidence after state budget writers included $11 million for the effort in the 2014-15 budget. This story is part of our monthlong 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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The decision by legislators this year to close two privately run jails operated by the Corrections Corporation of America is being met with very different reactions in the communities where the jails are situated. Full Story
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Today, we relaunch one of our most popular news applications: our database of all Texas state prison inmates, which we had pulled down to address inconsistencies in the state's record-keeping. Full Story
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Use this application to explore Texas' numerous prison units, and learn more about the 147,000 inmates housed inside them. Full Story
A recent study of states that implemented court-ordered prison reforms indicates that the cost of updating the lock-ups may cause lasting welfare program cuts. Full Story
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Twenty women at the Harris County Jail are working to ensure that they won't fall back into prostitution when they finish their sentences. A specialized program is helping them gain the tools to do just that. Full Story
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Through a program at the Harris County Jail, 20 women are working to avoid returning to a life of prostitution. The program is led by a woman who knows only too well the struggles they face. Full Story
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The U.S. Justice Department will seek to once more require that a federal court approve Texas’ controversial voter ID law, despite a Supreme Court ruling that such a practice is outdated. Full Story
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The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is considering closing the Corsicana Residential Treatment Center and two halfway houses after a state budget rider cut funds for the agency's secure facilities. Full Story
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