You have the right to an attorney. But in Texas, don’t count on it.
In some parts of the state, misdemeanor defendants routinely face charges without representation. Full Story
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![HEREFORD, TEXAS - February 26, 2025: The empty courtroom at the Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford, Texas where misdemeanor court takes place. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times -
Gov. Greg Abbott touts his influence on Texas courts to conservative law group
Abbott’s closed-door address to the Federalist Society at UT Law Thursday drew peaceful protests. Full Story
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![From left: University of Texas Interim President Jim Davis, Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Law Federalist Society President Jordan Lamb participate in an event at The University of Texas Law School in Austin on April 3, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Lawyers for Houston-area midwife accused of illegal abortions condemn state’s investigation
Maria Rojas’ attorneys got their first chance to address the claims against her Thursday. She was released on bond but a judge ordered the clinics to remain closed. Full Story
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![On March 27, 2025, Clinica Waller Latinoamericana, one of Maria Margarita Rojas' network of clinics in Waller, Texas, remains closed after a Waller County judge granted a temporary injunction prohibiting the facilities from providing medical services. Rojas, a licensed midwife, has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion and practicing medicine without a license.]()
Credit: Hope Mora for The Texas Tribune -
NY county clerk refuses to file Texas’ fine for doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills
A Texas judge last month ordered Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who practices north of New York City, to pay the penalty for allegedly breaking that state’s law by prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine. Full Story
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Federal judge rules prison heat conditions are unconstitutional, but doesn’t require air conditioning
About two-thirds of Texas prisons are not fully air conditioned, and dozens of inmates have died in the sweltering heat. Full Story
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![Prison staff and inmates move through the Darrington Unit's main hallway on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.]()
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After four prosecutors and nearly six years, El Paso DA decides it’s time to stop pursuing the death penalty for mass shooter
The new DA campaigned on seeking the death penalty for the 2019 massacre, but said he offered the gunman a plea deal of life in prison to avoid dragging out the case for several more years. Full Story
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![The family of Javier Amir Rodriguez, who was killed at the Walmart shooting in 2019, is seen during a memorial service on the third anniversary of the August 3rd Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden, Wednesday, August 3, 2022, in El Paso.]()
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Walmart gunman won’t face the death penalty, family says
The removal of the death penalty as an option could lead to a quick guilty plea and life sentence, as happened with federal charges in 2023. Full Story
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![Guests visit the memorial on the third anniversary of the Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.]()
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Olvidados en la cárcel sin abogado: Así le falla un pueblo de Texas a los acusados pobres
En el condado de Maverick, las autoridades pueden tardar meses en informar a los fiscales de una detención, mientras los acusados esperan en la cárcel. Rara vez se asignan abogados a quien los solicita. Full Story
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![Eagle Pass limita con la cuidad mexicana de Piedras Negras. Muchas personas que viven en Piedras Negras cruzan a diario para trabajar, ir de compras o visitar a sus familiares.]()
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Forgotten in jail without a lawyer: how a Texas town fails poor defendants
People in Maverick County spend months in jail waiting to be charged with minor crimes. Some are simply lost in the system Full Story
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![EAGLE PASS, TEXAS - January 6, 2025: The city of Eagle Pass, Texas with Piedras Negras in the background. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times]()
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Texas A&M can’t ban “Draggieland” drag show, federal judge rules
Judge Lee H. Rosenthal said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment. Full Story
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![Students and supporters gather on campus to protest the Texas A&M University Board of Regents' decision on Draggieland in College Station, TX, on Wednesday, March 6, 2025.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ DEI debate centers on a disagreement about whether programs perpetuate or prevent discrimination
Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit. Full Story
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![Illustrated posters reading “We Belong Here” litter the Capitol’s rotunda floor during Texas Students for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s protest of HB1 Rider No. 186, which would defund DEI initiatives at public universities, on Mar. 23, 2023.]()
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Federal judge strikes down Texas' mail ballot ID requirement
The judge found that the provisions of SB1, the state's 2021 voter security law, discriminate against voters with disabilities. Full Story
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![A ballot is dropped in Austin in October, 2020.]()
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Texas prison staff falsified temperatures records, investigation finds
Two-thirds of the state’s roughly 100 jails and prisons in Texas are not fully air conditioned in inmate housing areas. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary houses the execution chamber of Texas and is located in Huntsville on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
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Texas AG Ken Paxton accuses Coppell ISD of violating Texas’ “critical race theory” ban
The attorney general office’s lawsuit is based on an undercover video published in February by a conservative activist group. Full Story
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![The Texas flags hangs at a classroom, on Aug. 7, 2024.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Two men convicted in the smuggling deaths of 53 immigrants in San Antonio
The 2022 tragedy was the nation’s deadliest smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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![A sign sits on display at a makeshift memorial on Thursday, June 30, 2022 outside San Antonio, TX. Community members paid their respects to the 53 people who died after being left in a truck trailer in a human smuggling operation. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton says trans Texans can’t use court orders to change sex on driver’s licenses, birth certificates
Per the attorney general’s nonbinding opinion, state agencies should change gender markers on government documents back to a person’s sex assigned at birth. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the media during a press conference in front of the Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.]()
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Texas lawmakers push harsher criminal penalties
Proposed legislation includes increased penalties for retail theft, car burglaries and forgery, among others. Full Story
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![Inmates are monitored at a security station at the Harris County Detention Center on April 16, 2024, in Houston.]()
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DOJ drops fight against Texas political maps as Trump administration retreats from voting rights cases
The Biden administration had challenged a Republican-led redistricting plan that diluted the political power of minorities. Other legal challenges will continue. Full Story
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![Census data from 2020 and redistricting maps at The Texas Tribune office in Austin on Oct. 7, 2021. The state population grew by nearly 4 million and was driven mainly by people of color.]()
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Texas House bill would weaken renters’ rights, advocates say
The proposal is part of a push by Republican legislators aimed at helping property owners deal with squatters. Full Story
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![A writ of possession and a notice to vacate are taped to the door at an apartment complex in Houston on April 11, 2023.]()
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DOJ drops lawsuit against company over alleged abuse at child migrant shelters in Texas, other states
The lawsuit against Southwest Key included allegations of abuse at an El Paso facility. The administration said it will no longer use the company’s services. Full Story
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![Southwest Key National Headquarters located in Austin, Tx, as seen on Oct. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune
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