courts

Supreme Court to Hear Texas Challenge to Greenhouse Gas Regulations

By Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal Oct. 15, 2013

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Texas' challenge of federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources like power plants and factories. Full Story

Credit: Louis Vest
Interactive: The Cost of Jailing Undocumented Immigrants in Texas

By Dan Keemahill Oct. 15, 2013

A state law passed in 2011 requires Texas jails to report monthly estimates of the cost to house undocumented immigrants. This interactive table shows the total number of immigrants housed and the cost to each county from October 2011 to September 2013. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Dan Hill
Mexican Exiles Speak Out Against Claims They're Gaming Asylum System

By Julián Aguilar Oct. 10, 2013

As lawmakers in Washington call for a review of how asylum law pertains to Mexicans seeking protection, one Mexican exile is embarking on his own public relations campaign. Full Story

Credit: Mexicanos en Exilio
TDCJ Refuses to Return Execution Drugs to Pharmacist

By Brandi Grissom Oct. 7, 2013

Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials said Monday that they will not heed a request to return a supply of execution drugs from the pharmacist who sent them to the state. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
U.S. House Democrats Make New Immigration Reform Push

By Julián Aguilar Oct. 2, 2013

In an effort to keep immigration reform alive during the debate over the government shutdown, congressional Democrats have filed legislation that includes elements of a border-security measure backed by a key GOP leader. Full Story

Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller
TribuneFest: A Conversation with Three AG Candidates

By Evan Smith Oct. 1, 2013

Full video of Reeve Hamilton's sit-down with three candidates for Texas Attorney General — state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas; state Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney; and Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman — at the 2013 Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
In Texas, More Two-Year Work Deferments for Immigrant Youths

By Julián Aguilar Oct. 1, 2013

One year after President Obama’s decision to allow undocumented-immigrant youths to apply for renewable work permits and a two-year reprieve from deportation proceedings, Texas — perhaps due to its immigration policies — beats the national average of approved applicants. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Jacob Villanueva
An Unreliable Narrator With a Story to Tell

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 30, 2013

Dan Morales, a former Texas attorney general who served time in federal prison, wants the state to look over some sealed documents that he thinks might be worth a lot of money. The hard part is finding someone who will listen. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Liveblog: Keynote Speakers at The Texas Tribune Festival

By Ayan Mittra Sept. 29, 2013

We liveblogged The 2013 Texas Tribune Festival's Keynote track, which included conversations with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and state Sen. Wendy Davis, a talk on the Tea Party's goals and a session on efforts to turn Texas blue. Read the highlights here. Full Story

Credit: Ben Hasson
Liveblog: Immigration at The Texas Tribune Festival

By Ayan Mittra Sept. 28, 2013

We have liveblogged each of the sessions from The 2013 Texas Tribune Festival's Immigration track. The sessions included panels on immigration reform, Latinos and the Republican Party, securing the border, and the Voting Rights Act. Full Story

Credit: Ben Hasson
Liveblog: Criminal Justice at The Texas Tribune Festival

By Ayan Mittra Sept. 28, 2013

We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Criminal Justice track, which includes panels on guilt and innocence, juvenile justice, guns, and a one-on-one conversation with Attorney General Greg Abbott. Full Story

Credit: Ben Hasson
Newsreel: Long Talks, Resignations and a Seuss-Off

By Justin Dehn Sept. 28, 2013

In this edition of the Texas Weekly Newsreel: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz talks and talks, state Rep. Bill Callegari won't seek another term, Judge Ken Anderson resigns and a poetry reading. Full Story
Perry Taps Appeals Court Justice for Texas Supreme Court

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 26, 2013

Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday said he had appointed Houston's Jeff Brown to an open spot on the Texas Supreme Court. Brown, a former state district judge, is currently a justice on Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals. Full Story

Credit: S. Christopher Gillett
After Federal Change, Border Cattle Ranchers, Importers Struggle

By Julián Aguilar Sept. 26, 2013

A federal decision last year to move USDA cattle inspectors from Ojinaga, Mexico, to Presidio, Texas, has crippled the local livestock industry on both sides of the impoverished border, ranchers and cattle importers say. Full Story

Credit: Julian Aguilar
Lawyers, Policy Experts Weigh In on Groundwater Case

By Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal Sept. 26, 2013

A Texas appeals court recently found that the Edwards Aquifer Authority violated a landowner's property rights in regard to groundwater. Use this document with annotations from lawyers and policy experts for a closer look at the ruling. Full Story

Credit: Spencer Selvidge
Abbott: Legal Action Could Follow Arms Treaty Ratification

By Alexa Ura Sept. 25, 2013

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has warned that the state will file its 30th lawsuit against the Obama administration if a United Nations arms treaty is ratified. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Phil Roeder
DPS to Roll Out Mobile Stations to Process Free Voter IDs

By Julián Aguilar Sept. 24, 2013

The Texas Department of Public Safety announced on Tuesday that 25 mobile locations will begin processing free election identification certificates on Oct. 1. Full Story

Credit: Julian Aguilar
Judge Ken Anderson Resigns Amid Ethics Lawsuit

By Brandi Grissom Sept. 24, 2013

Williamson County state district Judge Ken Anderson, who oversaw the wrongful murder conviction of Michael Morton in 1987, has submitted a letter to Gov. Rick Perry resigning his position effective immediately. Full Story

Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell / American-Statesman
Study: Texas Isn't Seeing Dip in Undocumented Immigration Figures

By Julián Aguilar Sept. 23, 2013

Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that of the six states with the largest number of unauthorized immigrants, Texas was the only one that didn’t witness the significant dip in population figures that took place a few years ago. Full Story

Credit: CBP Photography
Interactive: Psychiatric Prisons See More Violence

By Brandi Grissom and Dan Keemahill Sept. 22, 2013

Data from the Texas criminal justice system shows that psychiatric prison units experience the most violence per capita. Use this interactive to examine the violent incidents reported at more than 90 Texas prisons between 2006 and 2012. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman