The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Clinton Young was convicted in a 2001 Midland County murder in which he insists he was framed. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said he was denied the right to a fair trial and an impartial judge. Full Story
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A judge recently blocked a similar bill in Florida after a lawsuit brought forward by NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the same groups that sued Texas. Full Story
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Abbott has faced pressure from his right to prioritize property tax relief. One of his challengers in the Republican primary has slammed him for not including it earlier in the agenda, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called it his top priority this session. Full Story
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The Texas fight over mask mandates is confusing. We’re here to help. Full Story
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Getting an abortion in Texas has become more difficult than anywhere else in the nation. Full Story
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At least two lawsuits were filed after Dr. Alan Braid said he performed an abortion prohibited by the law earlier this month. One of the people suing Braid reportedly wants Texas’ new abortion law to be ruled unconstitutional. Full Story
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A federal document also says that misusing a person’s preferred pronouns could be considered harassment in some instances. Texas Republican officials have tried to pass state laws targeting transgender people’s access to bathrooms and school sports teams. Full Story
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The state’s foster care system has been dangerous to children and embarrassing to the state for years. But with state officials constantly chasing other issues, it’s still suffering from neglect. Full Story
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Alan Braid, a San Antonio OB/GYN, says he had performed an abortion that is illegal under the state’s restrictive new law to force a test of its legality. Full Story
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Instead of immediately acting on the request, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Pitman set an Oct. 1 hearing to consider arguments before ruling. The law will have been in effect for one month by that time. Full Story
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The late-night request came less than a week after the Biden administration sued Texas to try to block the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, which bans the procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued nine more school districts over their masking rules. One says it doesn’t mandate them. Another says it doesn’t enforce mask-wearing at Paxton’s request. Full Story
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The federal judge overseeing the decadelong lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this week’s hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, “cut to the chase” to identify solutions. Full Story
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Officials said immigration authorities weren’t interested in taking migrants who had no criminal conviction into federal custody. But without documentation, at least one newly released migrant soon found himself back in detention. Full Story
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Senate Bill 6 will bar those accused of violent crimes from being released from jail before trial unless they can put up cash. That provision of the bill will go into effect Dec. 2. Full Story
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It's usually the state suing the feds, but now the federal government is suing Texas for outlawing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. There are more lawsuits between the state and federal governments to come. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have long threatened to sue school districts that defy Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates. On Friday, Paxton made good on that threat. Full Story
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Most abortions previously performed in the state are now outlawed through a mechanism that makes providers and those who help people get abortions subject to lawsuits. That unique approach has so far allowed Texas to flout Roe v. Wade and other legal rulings, experts say. Full Story
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In May, a three-justice panel of the 1st Court of Appeals sent the case back to Collin, Paxton's home county. Prosecutors asked the full court to reconsider. Full Story
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John Ramirez was scheduled to die Wednesday. His last request to the state had been to let his pastor hold on to him as he died, something the state denied. The high court wants to hear oral arguments on the matter later this year. Full Story
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