Supreme Court says federal courts don’t have a role in deciding partisan gerrymandering claims
The 5-to-4 decision could impact looming redistricting processes in Texas and across the country. Full Story
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Children can still be charged with prostitution in Texas after Greg Abbott veto
Lawmakers praised a bill for protecting victims of human trafficking, but the governor said it it would have "unintended consequences" and could provide an incentive for human traffickers to use underage prostitutes. Full Story
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![A detainee prays before eating lunch in the cafeteria at the Travis County Juvenile Detention Center in Austin, Texas, Monday, June 24, 2013]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
New Texas law protects rent-to-own customers against criminal prosecution
Texas made it easy for rent-to-own companies to press criminal charges against people who fell behind on their payments for household goods. A new law, passed after a Texas Tribune and NerdWallet investigation, gives broad new protections to their customers. Full Story
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![SEPTEMBER 22, 2017: A Rent-A-Center in Newport News, Virginia. (Julia Rendleman for NerdWallet)]()
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Detained migrant children got no toothbrush, no soap, no sleep. It’s no problem, government argues.
A three-judge panel questioned whether government lawyers sincerely believed they could describe the temporary detention facilities as “safe and sanitary.” Full Story
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![A migrant holds an infant child inside a holding area under the Paso Del Norte International Bridge to be taken to area processing facilities in El Paso on March 27, 2019. Carlos Antunez, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman for the El Paso Sector, said they were among the latest group of about 3,000 migrants who presented themselves to border agents along the border fence in the El Paso area. The migrants mostly come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, he said, adding that local Border Patrol resources are being diverted to dealing the with increase in migrant arrivals in order to provide shelter, food, water and transporting the sick to local health facilities. This has led to the closure of checkpoints along I-10, U.S. 54 and U.S. 62-180 in New Mexico. U.S. Coast Guard emergency medical technicians are also on hand to assist, Antunez said.]()
Credit: Rudy Gutierrez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted 5 years ago. He still hasn't gone to trial.
Read our timeline covering delays and side battles in the long-running securities fraud case against Paxton. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state capitol. Jan. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains threatened after court upholds prosecutor pay decision
Texas' highest criminal court reiterated that a six-figure payment to the prosecutors fell outside legal limits. The prosecutors have indicated they may withdraw if they cannot be paid. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference on Jan. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Advocates say lawmakers largely exempted themselves from Texas' public records law, prompting calls for a veto
Critics say a bill awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott's signature would mark an expansion of lawmakers’ ability to wall off their records from public scrutiny. Full Story
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![State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, works from his desk on the House floor as the House debates the budget on April 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas police can seize money and property with little transparency. So we got the data ourselves.
A Texas Tribune study analyzed 560 cases from four Texas counties to shine a light on how the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture is used by law enforcement. Full Story
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After blocking David Whitley's confirmation, Senate Democrats see bills die on Abbott’s desk
A monthslong push from the governor’s office to confirm his longtime aide as secretary of state heated up in the session’s final days. Some Democrats feared retribution for defying the governor. Full Story
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![Texas Secretary of State David Whitley at a state Senate Committee on Nominations hearing on Feb. 7, 2019. Whitley was appointed to the job by Gov. Greg Abbott, but Whitley must first clear the committee, then win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Despite bipartisan support, Texas bill tackling intellectual disability in death penalty cases fails
Negotiators in the House and Senate couldn't come to an agreement on a bill addressing how Texas handles capital murder defendants who may be intellectually disabled. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing people with intellectual disabilities amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Full Story
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![Interior of Death Chamber in Texas.]()
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Federal judge temporarily blocks part of Trump’s plan to build border wall
The judge said opponents had a good chance in prevailing on their claims that the administration is acting illegally in shifting money to pay for the wall. Full Story
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![The border fence and levee passes through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Hidalgo, Texas on Feb. 7, 2017.]()
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Lawmaker grills Department of Public Safety over disclosure of Sandra Bland cellphone video
State Rep. Garnet Coleman suggested that the newly released video showing some of Bland's confrontation with a state trooper before her death may have been buried in a “data dump” of information given to lawyers and lawmakers. Full Story
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![Memorial for Sandra Bland in Prairie View, the town where she was arrested. Bland was later found dead in her jail cell. The street has been re-named in her honor.]()
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Paid sick-leave ordinances likely survived the Texas Legislature. But businesses still want to kill them.
Angry that the Legislature failed to overrule local ordinances requiring private employers to offer paid sick leave, many business groups are hoping the courts will finish the job for them. Full Story
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![The Justices of the Texas Supreme Court hear the Texas Department of Criminal Justice v. Maurie Levin, et al. case on Jan. 23, 2019.]()
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Texas prosecutors want to keep low-level criminals out of overcrowded jails. Top Republicans and police aren't happy.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot ignited a firestorm of controversy when he announced he wouldn't prosecute some low-level crimes, including certain theft offenses. But he's among many prosecutors turning their focus away from nonviolent offenses. Full Story
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![Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.]()
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Texas House passes bill allowing handgun owners to carry weapons in church
Consideration of the bill comes more than a year after a gunman killed 26 in a Sutherland Springs church. Full Story
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![The interior of St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin on Jan. 30, 2019.]()
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Texas House passes religious liberty bill amid LGBTQ Caucus' objections
What started as a sweeping religious refusals bill has been significantly watered down as it moves through the Texas Legislature. But LGBTQ advocates still fiercely oppose it, saying it perpetuates hateful rhetoric. Full Story
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![State Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Carrollton, speaks against Senate Bill 1978 on the House floor on May 20, 2019. Behind her, left to right: state Reps. Jessica González, D-Dallas, Mary González, D-Clint, Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, and former Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin.]()
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In a nod to Texas, U.S. Department of Justice says FDA can't regulate execution drugs
Texas has been fighting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ban on the state's attempted import of lethal injection drugs. But the Justice Department says federal law doesn't give the FDA oversight. Full Story
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In long-winding case, court considers federal oversight of Texas redistricting
A panel of three judges heard arguments in the high-stakes fight that could return Texas to the days of federal supervision of its political maps. Full Story
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With business groups’ backing, House panel adds non-discrimination protection to Senate bill
State Rep. Dade Phelan added the provision to a Senate bill that would bar cities from enacting rules on how businesses schedule their employees’ shifts. LGBTQ groups worried that without the language, businesses could pick which employees get certain benefits. Full Story
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![Chairman Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, listens to testimony during the State Affairs committee hearing in Austin on Feb. 27, 2019.]()
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joins fight targeting Texas State Bar
The lawsuit has the potential to upend the structure of the entity responsible for regulating Texas' legal profession. Critics suggest that Paxton's involvement may be politically motivated. Full Story
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference on Jan. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune
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