The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
A coalition of Texas-based attorneys filed an emergency request to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to order the United States to end the practice of family separation at the border. Full Story
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In El Paso, attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union and representatives from the Border Network for Human Rights said a lawsuit that seeks to end family separations at the border could hinge, in part, on the case of a woman detained in 2017. Full Story
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Friday's ruling doesn't directly address regulations implemented by some Texas cities restricting homeowners' use of services like Airbnb. But it bolsters the case against the City of Austin's short-term rental ordinance in several major ways, lawyers said. Full Story
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Olga Zuniga, who worked as a secretary on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for 14 years, claims she was fired by her Republican boss for her social media posts favoring Democrats. Full Story
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After a decade of seeking asylum, a Mexican reporter and his son have been granted a new asylum hearing. The pair has been detained in Texas since last December. Full Story
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A former director at the university's law school is accused of fraud in a case potentially involving millions of dollars. Full Story
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Following a ruling last month that Texas was violating a law designed to ease the voter registration process, a federal judge ordered the state to submit a plan to fix it. Texas' response offered few specifics. Full Story
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The administrative law judges who oversee disputes involving state agencies typically don't attract much attention, but the forced departure of a judge has critics questioning whether the agency's independence is at risk — and calling on the governor to replace her. Full Story
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A Texas death row inmate was executed Wednesday — his fourth execution date in a year. Though advocates and his attorneys insisted on Juan Castillo's innocence, he lost all his fights in court and was put to death for a 2003 San Antonio murder. Full Story
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A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund can represent a group of young undocumented immigrants in opposing a lawsuit aimed at ending an Obama-era immigration program shielding people like them from deportation. Full Story
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The Texas Attorney General's Office says Purdue Pharma fueled "the nation's opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing prescription painkillers," including OxyContin. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders have shown resistance to expanding gambling in the state in recent years. Full Story
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Texas is one of just a handful of states that doesn't offer online voter registration. Advocates are hoping a recent ruling from a federal judge could change that. Full Story
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Civil rights advocates hope that the ruling by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia could force Texas to adopt a version of online voter registration. Full Story
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The Texas Rangers have been investigating Karolyi Ranch since January, but lawyers for survivors say action from the state attorney general is needed as well. Full Story
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Paul Storey's case had been granted another review less than one week before he was scheduled to be executed. Full Story
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“I never dreamt we’d get the Pack Unit air-conditioned,” the federal judge said at a Houston hearing. Full Story
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Two years ago, Texas won a case blocking an immigration policy just one letter different from DACA. As it challenges the narrower, more popular program, Texas has come armed with the same legal arguments that succeeded last time around. Full Story
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Texas charter schools are sometimes private and sometimes governmental — a legal framework that has helped them avoid costly lawsuits. Full Story
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Jason Shoumaker, the law school's former facilities director, was arrested Thursday. The alleged fraud could involve "several million dollars of questionable expenses," a source familiar with the probe said. Full Story
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