The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Paxton was indicted for felony securities fraud in July 2015 but has yet to go to trial as attorneys duke out side battles over venue and prosecutor pay. Full Story
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“The Texas Constitution requires a separation of powers, and that separation leaves policy-making decisions with the Texas Legislature,” argues a lawsuit from five of the Legislature’s most conservative members. Full Story
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A year after the mass shooting in El Paso, where 23 people were killed at a Walmart in what was the worst attack on Latinos in modern U.S. history, we sent Tribune photographers to document a city still in mourning. Full Story
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The state’s board of law examiners said in late July that test takers will be allowed to bring feminine hygiene products in clear plastic bags with them to the grueling, multiday exam that’s needed to obtain a law license. Full Story
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The company didn’t say exactly how many pending lawsuits it would drop in Texas and elsewhere, but it confirmed that “several thousand cases” would be impacted. Full Story
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Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf said that in response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, officials are considering whether to fully rescind the program. Full Story
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Many local governments have implemented their own measures to protect tenants from eviction during the pandemic, and there are groups that help tenants navigate what can be a complicated and traumatic process. Full Story
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Aug. 21 is the deadline for vacancies that trigger a November election to fill open seats. If Green’s replacement is not on this year’s ballot, the next general election will be in November 2022. Abbott will appoint someone to fill the rest of the term. Full Story
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Previous attempts to overturn UT-Austin's admissions policies have proven unsuccessful, including a 2018 lawsuit by the same group that was dropped earlier this month and a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case that sided with the university. Full Story
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Green's term ends Dec. 31, 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott will appoint his successor. Full Story
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The directive comes four weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against an effort to halt the program that protects more than 100,000 Texans from the immediate threat of deportation. Full Story
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President Donald Trump now claims this privately funded border wall in the Rio Grande Valley — touted as the "Lamborghini" of fences — was built to "make me look bad," even though the project's builder and funders are all Trump supporters. Full Story
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Chris Bergeron is one of more than 30 bar owners suing Gov. Greg Abbott for an executive order that effectively shuttered bars. Listen to what Bergeron had to say about the order's impact in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast. Full Story
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The court ruled on the Trump administration's decision to expand the types of organizations that could opt out of providing cost-free access to birth control. Full Story
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Following pleas from law school deans and prospective lawyers, the Texas Supreme Court has canceled the July bar exam and will plan for an in-person exam in September and an online exam in October. Full Story
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The order Thursday leaves in place Texas' more restrictive regulations for the upcoming July 14 runoff. But the case could return to the high court before November's general election. Full Story
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The lawsuit cites a 2020 Department of Justice policy that prohibits judges from speaking about policy or law, even in their personal capacities. Full Story
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The ruling is a defeat for the government, but it's unclear what immediate impact it will have during the ongoing pandemic. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law Monday that would have curtailed access to abortions in the state. It was nearly identical to a measure the court overturned in Texas in 2016. Full Story
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In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, Tiffany Bunton — an officer whose uncle died in the back of a squad car two years ago — discusses the national moment of reckoning around police violence and misconduct. Full Story
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