State appeals court says Austin's paid sick leave ordinance is unconstitutional
The case was being challenged in the Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals. Full Story
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![The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals grants new trial for death row inmate Albert James Turner
The court threw out Turner's conviction because his defense attorneys said at trial that he had committed murder, even though Turner wanted to maintain his innocence. Full Story
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Texas executes Robert Moreno Ramos, amid pleas for case review
Lawyers for Ramos had argued that he wasn’t aware of his rights under an international treaty, and therefore didn't receive proper legal counsel during his trial and sentencing. Full Story
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![Mexican national Robert Ramos is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 14, 2018, for the Feb. 1992 murder of his wife and their two children.]()
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Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson to retire effective Dec. 31
The timing allows Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint a replacement for the remainder of his term. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson on Jan. 10, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats’ biggest win on election night may have been the courts
Democrats flipped four major state appeals courts, toppling 19 incumbent Republican appellate judges. Full Story
![The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
2018 was the year of the woman in Texas. Candidates say it's "not a one-time deal."
Texas women were poised for potential wins after multiple upsets in March primaries. On Tuesday, in race after race, Texas women won up and down the ballot including races for Congress and the Texas House. Full Story
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After losing election, Houston juvenile court judge releases defendants en masse
The Houston Chronicle reports that Judge Glenn Devlin asked juvenile defendants whether they planned to kill anyone, then let nearly all of them go the day after his defeat at the polls. Full Story
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![The Harris County Juvenile Justice Center in downtown Houston. The youth detention center has been overcrowded for years.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Steve Stockman, former Texas congressman, sentenced to 10 years in federal prison
Stockman — who served two nonconsecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives — was convicted in April of 23 felonies, including fraud and money laundering. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, right, leaves the United States District Courthouse in Houston on Monday, April 9, 2018, after closing arguments in his federal corruption trial.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
At federal appeals court, Texas asks to enforce its ban on a common abortion procedure
Texas state attorneys and lawyers for the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood argued over a law that would ban abortions in which a doctor uses surgical instruments to grasp and remove pieces of fetal tissue. Full Story
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![The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018.]()
Credit: Cheryl Gerber for The Texas Tribune -
In midterms, Democrats see a chance to disrupt GOP dominance of state appeals courts
Enough judicial seats are up for election that Democrats could flip the four sprawling appellate court districts that serve Austin, Dallas and Houston. Hillary Clinton won those districts in 2016. Full Story
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![The Texas Third Court of Appeals in Austin on Oct. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
In Harris County, private juvenile attorneys are overwhelmed while public defenders struggle to get work
A handful of private lawyers represent an enormous number of poor kids in Harris County's juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Meanwhile, the county's public defenders say they aren't getting enough work. Full Story
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![Houston attorney Oliver Sprott pauses to look into the camera before walking into a courtroom at Harris County Juvenile Justice Center on Oct. 25, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans remain huge Donald Trump fans heading into 2018 midterms, says UT/TT Poll
Ask Texas voters what they think about any particular Trump administration policy, and their answers will tell what parties they're in, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Emily Albracht for the Texas Tribune -
In campaigns for Texas’ top courts, judicial candidates must rely on party ID
In these down-ballot, low-information races, judges' success often depends on the party leaders at the top of the ballot. Full Story
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![Judge Ravi K. Sandill smiles after he is introduced during a Meet & Greet at the Sweetwater Country Club in Sugar Land on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Business groups launch coalition to push for statewide pre-emption of paid sick leave ordinances
Several members of the new coalition are also part of a legal challenge to Austin's paid sick leave ordinance. Full Story
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![Austin City Council members and staff listen to testimony on paid sick leave on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. After hearing from more than 200 people, council members passed the ordinance, the first of its kind in Texas, by a vote of 9-2.]()
Credit: Waylon Cunningham for The Texas Tribune -
Federal appeals court finds Texas foster kids were endangered — but strikes down some attempts at reform
A 2011 lawsuit over Texas' beleaguered child welfare system has ping-ponged back and forth between an appeals court in New Orleans and a district court in Corpus Christi. Full Story
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![The John Minor Wisdom United States 5th Court of Appeals building in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Oct. 3, 2017.]()
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Austin urges an appeals court to allow its paid sick leave ordinance to take effect
Austin's paid sick leave ordinance was supposed to go into effect Oct. 1, but was blocked in August after business groups filed a lawsuit saying the ordinance violated state law. Full Story
![Austin City Council members and staff listen to testimony on paid sick leave on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. After hearing from more than 200 people, council members passed the ordinance, the first of its kind in Texas, by a vote of 9-2.]()
Credit: Waylon Cunningham for The Texas Tribune -
Two conservative groups are suing Austin over its nondiscrimination ordinance. LGBTQ advocates say they're not worried.
The advocates say lawsuits challenging the city's code prohibiting employers from discriminating against an "individual’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability" won't hold up in court. Full Story
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Five days to vacate: How a sudden setback can lead to an eviction
Since 2017, 12 families a day on average have been evicted from their homes in Travis County. Many people had lost a job, experienced a medical emergency or had a roommate leave without notice. Full Story
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![Brittany Phillips tucks in her daughter Leah's shirt before taking her to school.]()
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Judge recommends new trial for Texas death row inmate Rigoberto Avila
The state's highest criminal court will now weigh the recommendation. Full Story
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Texas court halts Juan Segundo execution amid questions of intellectual disability
For the second time this year, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday halted an execution based on a 2017 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Full Story
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![Juan Segundo was sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of 11-year-old Vanessa Villa in Fort Worth, Texas.]()
Credit: TDCJ