Texas Supreme Court Rejects Crash Victim's Case
For a second time — and likely the last — the Texas Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Michelle Gaines, who suffered debilitating injuries in a 2006 car accident. Full Story
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![Michelle Gaines, 26, and her father Michael Gaines in their home in Palestine, TX, on Sunday, July 22, 2012.]()
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In Death Row Inmate's Case, a Struggle Between Advocates and Lawyers
Preston Hughes III, who faces a Nov. 15 execution date, trusts several advocates without legal training more than his court-appointed attorney. The conflict between advocates and attorneys is not unusual in death penalty cases. Full Story
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![Preston Hughes interview two months before Hughes' first scheduled execution date, TDCJ Polunsky Unit, Livingston, Texas. September 19, 2012.]()
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Court Upholds Ban on Gun Sales to Those Younger Than 21
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court’s ruling that banning the purchase of handguns by people younger than 21 does not infringe on those individuals' constitutional privileges. Full Story
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Willingham's Family Seeks "Posthumous Pardon"
The surviving relatives of Cameron Todd Willingham have sent an application for pardon, hoping to clear his name eight years after his execution for a 1991 fire that killed his three young children. Full Story
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![From Left, Patricia Willingham Cox, Cameron Todd Willingham's cousin, Eugenia Willingham, his stepmother, and Judy Cavnar, his cousin, are seeking to clear Willingham's name from a 1991 arson case for which he was executed in 2004. They spoke at a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, October 24th, 2012.]()
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Report: More Funding Needed for Mental Health in Juvenile Facilities
A Texas Criminal Justice Coalition report says girls in the juvenile justice system don't get adequate counseling for past trauma. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department, however, takes issue with some of the report's conclusions. Full Story
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Texas High Court Rejects Challenge to Franchise Tax
The Supreme Court of Texas has dismissed a challenge by Nestle Inc. and two other businesses targeting the state’s franchise tax. The court said that the tax squares with the Texas and U.S. constitutions. Full Story
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Report: Counties Provide Better Juvenile Services
County juvenile probation agencies produce better results for less money than state youth lockups, according to a report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. The report also says counties need more funds and oversight. Full Story
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![An empty cell at a state a juvenile correctional facility.]()
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Dallas Suburbs Lead State in Attempts to Deny Information Requests
Among the state’s biggest cities, several Dallas-area suburbs tallied the highest rate of requests to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott last year to keep government information secret, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation. Full Story
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Gun-Printing Project Catches Eye of Law Enforcement
A group of civil libertarians led by a University of Texas law student wants to teach people how to use 3-D printing technologies to make their own guns at home. But the buzzed-about project has drawn the attention of federal law enforcement. Full Story
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![A non-functioning 3d gun being printed in a residential basement.]()
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Richards Sets a Politically Fateful Course on Guns
In this excerpt from Jan Reid's Let the People In: The Life and Times of Ann Richards, the author looks at events that sharpened Texans' desire for more liberal gun laws and put them at odds with their governor. Full Story
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"Innocence Commission" Bill Poised to Return but Faces Uphill Climb
State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon plans to revive her efforts to create an "innocence commission" to look into old cases of wrongful convictions. But she acknowledges that the legislation faces a difficult challenge. Full Story
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Death Penalty Expert Witness Condemned by Appeals Court Rulings
Prison investigator A.P. Merillat's court testimony about the violence inmates serving life sentences can inflict has helped send at least 15 murderers to death row. Now, his credibility has been condemned by the state’s highest criminal court. Full Story
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![A.P. Merillat has spent more than 20 years as an investigator of prison crimes and been a go-to expert for prosecutors seeking the death penalty. In June, the courts reversed a second death penalty conviction based on his inaccurate testimony.]()
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Updated: Supreme Court Denies Stay; Foster to Be Executed
The U.S. Supreme Court denied death row inmate Cleve Foster's fourth request for a stay his execution, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening. Full Story
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Kimbrough Leaving Youth Agency, Returning to DPS
Texas Juvenile Justice Department spokesman Jim Hurley said Jay Kimbrough, who served as interim leader of the agency from May until this month, will be returning to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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Wainwright to Resign From Texas Supreme Court
Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright is resigning at the end of the month to join an Austin law firm, the court announced Wednesday. Full Story
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Questions About Old Blood May Have Implications for DNA
Harris County says it is running out of room to store blood in closed investigations. The district attorney is asking the attorney general to allow courts to order the destruction of old evidence. Some worry that could set a dangerous precedent. Full Story
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Dem Judge Candidate Seeking GOP Votes
Democrat Keith Hampton is focusing his campaign to lead the state’s top criminal court on winning over Republicans. That is the key, he says, to defeating controversial long-time Judge Sharon Keller. Full Story
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![Texas Court of Criminal Appeals presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Democratic challenger, lawyer Keith Hampton]()
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Civil Rights Group Questions Open-Records Fee
A civil rights group is protesting a new $30 fee for submitting comments on pending open-records requests to the state attorney general's office. The group also wants to know where the money generated from the fee goes. Full Story
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Innocence Project Set to Grade Lineup Policies
Texas lawmakers passed a law they hoped would prevent faulty eyewitness identifications, which have been the leading cause of wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project of Texas is checking to see if the law is being implemented. Full Story
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Considering Death Row for Organ Donation
Recovering organs from willing convicted murderers may seem like a reasonable method to reduce the organ waiting list, but the proposal is fraught with challenges that make it unlikely to ever be an option. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman