Priorities for Republican leadership last legislative session have either been stuck in the courts or left to linger in the state rulemaking process.
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Immigration
Judge blocks Biden-era immigration rule hours after Texas AG and Stephen Miller’s group sued DOJ
On Monday, Ken Paxton’s office asked the judge to block the rule, a request the federal agency then agreed with. The suit echoes a similar move in 2025 that killed a 24-year-old state tuition law.
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Courts
Judge blocks feds from using immigration database to check voter eligibility
A federal judge cited Texas’ use of the SAVE database, which flagged several voters who were actually citizens, and said the checks violated privacy and voting rights.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court denies Texas death row inmate’s intellectual disability claim
Attorneys and experts for both the state and for death row inmate Victor Saldaño agree that he should be allowed to present evidence of his disability to a state criminal appeals court.
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Criminal Justice
SCOTUS orders Texas court to reconsider man’s 1997 murder conviction
The ruling came after Cooke County District Attorney John Warren told the U.S. Supreme Court that “the State no longer had confidence in the verdict.”
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Health care
A Houston drowning tests whether Texas law gives the right to deny brain death testing
State leaders and pro-life groups are siding with 2-year-old Annelise Camp’s family, who are suing to stop Texas Children’s Hospital from testing her for brain death.
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Courts
Texas Supreme Court rejects attempt to block beach closures for SpaceX launches
The state constitution preserves public access to Texas beaches, but it doesn’t give private groups the right to sue to enforce that access, the court ruled.
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Courts
U.S. Supreme Court unanimously sides with Texas man, rules it’s not a crime for marijuana users to have guns
Ali Danial Hemani successfully challenged a federal law prohibiting people who illegally use drugs from owning guns. Justices said that ban is a Second Amendment violation.
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Politics
Texas Tech QB who placed bets will not play amid Big 12 lawsuit, legal threat from Paxton
A Lubbock judge blocked the NCAA from banning quarterback Brendan Sorsby despite an acknowledged gambling addiction.
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Environment
Conservation groups sue to stop SpaceX land deal
The groups suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife want to preserve land that holds an endangered ocelot. They also argue SpaceX’s test launches send rocket debris into the refuge lands.
