Courts

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Wednesday said he thinks lawmakers should keep to their promises to vote on an immigration bill this week. But he added that whether that happens is anyone's guess. 

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A federal appellate court on Wednesday mostly upheld a ruling claiming that Harris County’s bail practices unfairly discriminate against poor misdemeanor defendants.

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New state Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Blacklock is the latest judge to face a familiar challenge in Texas: On the bench, he has to appear impartial. But to keep his seat, he has to win the approval of Texas' deep-red electorate. 

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For the second time in a matter of months, a top legal adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott has been named to a prominent judicial post. 

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Both sides revealed the outlines of their cases Monday in a federal court trial testing Texas' nearly 150-year-old system of statewide elections to the state's two highest courts. 

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A judge said Hidalgo County's lawsuit against former drainage district manager Godfrey Garza Jr. wasn't strong enough to take before a jury. But the county judge says the county will appeal.

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State Sen. Carlos Uresti's criminal fraud trial has entered its third week. The case could hinge on the testimony of one of Uresti's former legal clients.

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Federal officials said this week that a change to how the federal government decides asylum cases is meant to stamp out fraud. But immigration attorneys and human rights watchdogs said the policy would probably do more harm than good. 

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Across Texas, kids are getting into less trouble with the law even though the state population is exploding. So why is Harris County's juvenile detention center bursting at the seams? 

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Texas filed suit in 2013 over an Obama-era policy aimed at making it easier for convicted criminals to find work. In 2012, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advised employers to use criminal background checks during job screenings only when job-related or necessary for the business.

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U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra ruled Monday afternoon that Texas cannot move forward with the rule, citing that the Texas Department of State Health Services’ arguments “lack merit.”  

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In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday stated that if the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program still exists in June, his office would consider filing suit to eliminate the program.

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In opening arguments in the federal criminal case against state Sen. Carlos Uresti, prosecutors alleged that he used his reputation as a public official to lend credibility to a frac-sand company's Ponzi scheme. But defense attorneys for the San Antonio Democrat claim he was never aware of the company's criminal activity.

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The bail reform fight has made its way to Dallas County, where poor inmates sued officials over the claim that the county's money bail system discriminates against them.

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State Rep. Dan Huberty's only primary challenger was on Friday declared ineligible to run to represent House District 127. Reginald C. Grant's name will remain on the ballot.

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State Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, a two-decade veteran of the Texas Legislature, is heading to trial in a criminal fraud case.

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Texas immigrants and their advocates said they're pleased that a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in place. But they said they remain focused on the push in Congress to make the program permanent. 

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A federal judge in California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking the Trump administration’s decision to phase out a program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation.

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Chris Evans, who is challenging state Rep. J.D. Sheffield in the Republican primary, pleaded guilty in 2001 to making a pipe bomb. "Growing up, I blew up tree stumps recreationally," he told the Tribune.

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The legal battles over the state's political maps and voter ID requirements will extend into 2018. Here's what to expect.

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