The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
After years of telling his followers the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged, Jones admitted on the stand that the massacre was real. He is being sued in Austin by parents of one of the shooting’s victims. Full Story
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The parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis are suing Jones for falsely claiming that the 2012 mass school shooting was a hoax meant to take away Americans’ guns. The trial is the first of three to determine monetary penalties against the Texas-based conspiracy theorist for his lies about the tragedy. Full Story
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Free Speech Systems submitted the filing during a two-week trial to determine how much the Texas-based conspiracy theorist will award the parents of a victim in the 2012 school shooting, prompting speculation about the company’s effort to avoid bankruptcy oversight as a small business. Full Story
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The case sparked from a series of lawsuits over Rio Grande water and escalated with Texas arguing that New Mexico pumping prevents Texas from receiving its fair share. Full Story
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The USDA Food and Nutrition Service announced in May that it would expand its definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Paxton and other attorneys general are suing in response. Full Story
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At least 48 Texas children are housed at facilities run by organizations under an investigation launched by two U.S. senators. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment Tuesday in the Mississippi case that revoked a constitutional right to abortion. That means Texas’ “trigger law” severely limiting the procedure will soon take effect. Full Story
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The bar, which licenses lawyers and offers training sessions, is suing Paxton in an attempt to sanction him for trying block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump. Full Story
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While people consider deleting period tracking apps and worry about interstate travel restrictions, most pregnancy-related criminalizations start in a much simpler way: with a report from a health care provider. Full Story
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The administration told immigration officers to prioritize the detention of recent border crossers and immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. A Texas judge said the guidance violated federal laws. Full Story
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The Texas attorney general would be the one to hold True the Vote accountable on allegations that it swindled a $2.5 million donor. But the nonprofit’s founder has been a friend and an ally. Full Story
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Judy Woodruff, Glenn Youngkin, Renu Khator, Marc Veasey, Susan Glasser, John Kasich, Adam Schiff, Sarah Davis, Mary González and Michael Tubbs are among the big names we’ve added to our amazing program. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argues the Biden administration is violating the state’s “sovereign interest” by reassuring the nation’s doctors they can perform abortions in medical emergencies. Full Story
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Coffee was just 30 when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with her argument that the constitutional right to privacy extended to abortion: “I thought, OK, well this is done now. I was thinking the [abortion] question was settled for as long as the country lasted.” Full Story
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The jury sentenced Gonzales to death after a prosecution expert testified that he posed a future danger to society. The expert now says his data was wrong. Full Story
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Griner could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Houston native recently wrote to President Joe Biden begging him not to forget her and other detainees and saying that “I’m terrified I might be here forever.” Full Story
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Because the state is a party in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s cases against the companies, Volkswagen lawyers have argued that allowing the Texas governor to appoint justices to a case for which the state stands to win a substantial amount of money would give “the impression that the State has had undue influence.” Full Story
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The Texas attorney general said that the suit was politically motivated and that the state bar has no authority to police the decisions of his office. Full Story
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The ruling Friday night exposes abortion providers to fines and lawsuits even before the state’s trigger law goes into effect. Full Story
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The high court said a cap on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a “sensible” solution to the climate crisis, but that Congress did not give the Environmental Protection Agency the broad authority to make such requirements. Texas was one of 17 states that joined in the suit. Full Story
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