The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
In a new web video, attorney general candidate Dan Branch focuses on protecting the state's elections laws, concluding with a pledge to "stop Obama's Department of Justice from overturning our Texas voter ID law." Full Story
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The mother of twin sisters Mitzi and Nitza Alvarado Espinoza disappeared from their home in Mexico in 2009. Now exiled in El Paso, the sisters have formed a movement aimed at providing comfort to young victims of the drug war. Full Story
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If the state's Republican leadership succeeds, Texans could find themselves growing accustomed to the sight of openly carried handguns. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the case of a Florida death row inmate — who claims he does not have the mental capacity to face execution — could provide more guidance to states like Texas. Full Story
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Jesse James, best known as a vendor of high-end motorcyles, cited the state's "gun-friendly" attitude as the reason he opened his new firearm business here. Full Story
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Ken Anderson, who oversaw Michael Morton’s wrongful murder conviction as a prosecutor, was sentenced to nine days in jail and will surrender his law license as part of a deal to resolve criminal charges and a civil lawsuit. Full Story
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Prisoner rights advocates often criticize the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, but experts agree that offender burials are one thing the state prison system does well, especially compared with other states. Full Story
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A member of the "DREAM 34" — a group that marched to the Laredo port of entry to criticize U.S. immigration policies and to seek political asylum — is facing deportation. He says his actions were the right thing to do. Full Story
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Leaders from state and national liberal organizations on Monday called on U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn to increase efforts to fill nine vacant federal judgeships that impact Texas. Full Story
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County probation chiefs want new authority to use pepper spray, saying proposed rules would provide more local control over how their facilities are operated. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said that despite reports that some Democrats are urging their colleagues not to work with Republicans on immigration reform, the party wants to see something pass before the year ends. Full Story
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UPDATED: The Court of Criminal Appeals has ordered a new hearing in the case of Marcus Druery to determine whether he is mentally competent to be executed. Full Story
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Months after lawmakers cut millions of dollars in funding for the state juvenile justice department and ordered the closure of a detention facility, movement to shutter a Corsicana facility for mentally ill youths remains stalled as state leaders reconsider its demise. Full Story
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A top immigration lawyer says activist immigrants like the DREAM 9 in Arizona betray the cause they champion and can dilute important cases like that of Carlos Gutierrez, who sought asylum in the U.S. after criminal gangs cut his legs off. Full Story
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A family is fighting to keep jailed the man suspected in their relatives’ deaths, while he pursues a chance to become eligible for parole. Full Story
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In the Eagle Pass area, the number of juvenile felony cases referred to Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bruce Ballou has fallen more than 40 percent since 2012. It's a sign, he says, that his rehabilitative approach is working. Full Story
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Failures in the foster care system put children in Texas and across the nation at greater risk of falling into the sex trade, activists and lawmakers asserted Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Full Story
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Elected officials and business leaders in Presidio and its Mexican sister city, Ojinaga, are drafting their own safety plan, hoping the USDA will consider reopening a cattle inspection site in Mexico. Full Story
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The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday filed a lawsuit against what the advocacy group claims are egregious abuses of power within the ranks of border law enforcement. Full Story
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Roughly a thousand people turned out at the Alamo on Saturday to protest current state law that prohibits the open carrying of handguns and other gun restrictions. Full Story
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