Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti to get further competency review
Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti, diagnosed with schizophrenia, will be given a new shot to prove his incompetency after a federal appeals court ruling on Tuesday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/11/26/PannettiChamber_copy.jpg)
-
![Death row inmate Scott Panetti.]()
Credit: TDCJ -
With 2018 election looming, Texas back in court over political maps
Texas and its legal foes are back in court this week to hash out whether the state can hold the 2018 elections with its existing political maps. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/06/05/RedistrictingNew.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Federal judge throws out effort by UT professors to overturn campus carry
A federal judge said that three professors suing the state to block campus carry didn't present any "concrete evidence to substantiate their fears" that the law would have a chilling effect on free speech. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/08/Protest.jpg)
![Stephanie Odam of Austin marches in a campus carry protest in Austin, Jan 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: The advantages of having really, really good “friends”
Raising money for a politician for non-political purposes raises a question: Were the donors politically motivated, or just friends with a lot of cash on hand? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/01/12/7C2A6012.jpg)
![AG Ken Paxton at a press conference to recognize January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month on January 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Paxton's "friends" are still helping attorney general pay for his legal defense
"Family friends" of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are continuing to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into his effort to fight securities fraud charges. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/01/12/UP9A0072.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a news conference on Jan. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
My grandfather was a death row doctor. He tested psychedelic drugs on Texas inmates.
An Austin-based writer's quest to learn his grandfather's story leads to death row — and a little-known series of experiments that involved giving hallucinogens to inmates in the early 1960s. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/06/30/BenHartmanStory_lead.png)
![Photos, newspaper clippings and journal entries from Dr. Lee Hartman helped his grandson, Ben Hartman, piece together the details of his years as a prison physician and psychiatrist.]()
-
Some counties question need of special courts for law enforcement
Texas police officers and other first responders who have job-related mental health issues can soon be diverted into pretrial treatment programs if they commit a crime, but many large counties don't appear interested in creating the new specialty courts. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/09/14/CourtRoom-Scales.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
What the Texas Supreme Court decided — and didn't — in its 2017 term
After 10 months and 81 decisions, the Texas Supreme Court wrapped up its 2017 term on Friday. Here's a look back at what the nine justices decided — and didn't. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/01/TexasSupremeCourtBuildingTT.jpg)
![Texas Supreme Court Building]()
-
School boards, cities sought to stop Gov. Abbott from signing drone bill
Organizations representing hundreds of Texas cities and school boards unsuccessfully urged Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill aimed at restricting drone use around the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/01/Drone-2.jpg)
![Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi engineering student Adam Ersepke and lab coordinator Jack Edward Esparza prepare for the take off of the University’s RS-16 unmanned aerial vehicle, otherwise known as a drone, for a test flight over the Kennedy Ranch near Sarita, Texas on January 18, 2013.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
Texas Supreme Court rejects Tea Party challenge to campaign finance laws
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state’s ban on direct corporate campaign contributions, denying a challenge from a Tea Party group that called it unconstitutional. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/01/31/Ballots-MoneyBags.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Court throws out ruling that favored same-sex marriage benefits
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a lower court ruling that said spouses of gay and lesbian public employees are entitled to government-subsidized same-sex marriage benefits. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/04/TxTrib-GayWedding_014.JPG)
![Couples embrace at the conclusion of the "Big Gay Wedding" ceremony on the south lawn of the Texas Capitol on July 4 after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in June.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Trump slow to fill judicial seats in Texas (video)
All four U.S. attorney seats, 11 district judgeships and two slots on the historically conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sit open. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/063017_Roundup_Still.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Trial date still uncertain as new judge holds first hearing in Paxton case
The securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton kicked off Thursday in Harris County with no new trial date being set. Paxton has had two previous trial dates scrapped due to legal disputes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/09/02/Pax-1.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton entered a federal courthouse in Sherman on Sept. 2, 2016. Paxton's lawyers argued in a hearing that the federal civil fraud case against him should be dismissed.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Perjury charge dropped against trooper who arrested Sandra Bland
Brian Encinia, the ex-trooper who arrested Sandra Bland in 2015, has had his perjury charge dropped. The prosecution moved to dismiss the charge after Encinia agreed to give up his police license. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/16/Encinia-Bland.jpg)
![Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia]()
Credit: Waller County Sheriff's Office -
Trump has left 17 legal vacancies in Texas
The Trump administration has begun to appoint U.S. attorneys and federal judges. But so far those efforts have not reached Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/11/11/IMG_2981_1.jpg)
![Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in The Woodlands on June 17, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
City of El Paso joins plaintiffs in suit against Texas immigration law
The border city of El Paso on Tuesday voted to add its name to the list of local governments that have joined a lawsuit to stop Texas' immigration bill, Senate Bill 4, from going into effect. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/05/13/EL-PASO-2.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Christopher Rose -
Man behind Fisher affirmative action case files new lawsuit against UT-Austin
After years of challenging the University of Texas at Austin's use of affirmative action in federal court, Edward Blum will now try to end the practice in state court. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/09/TRIBUNE_FISHER_UT_004_web.jpg)
![Abigail Fisher, right, plaintiff in Fisher v. University of Texas, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court with Edward Blum of the Project on Fair Representation after oral arguments in the case, in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 2015.]()
Credit: Allison Shelley for The Texas Tribune -
Attorneys spar over Texas immigration law in federal court
Monday was the first day of what could be a lengthy legal battle over Senate Bill 4, which has been billed as the toughest state-based immigration bill in the country. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/06/26/SB4_Hearing_SA_RJ_3_TT.jpg)
![People demonstrating against Senate Bill 4, the "sanctuary cities" ban, march near the Riverwalk in San Antonio on June 26, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
What the latest U.S. Supreme Court rulings mean for Texas
With its current term ending this week, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a handful of rulings on high-profile cases. Here's what they mean for Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/06/26/6F6A7717.jpg)
![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas death row inmate loses at U.S. Supreme Court, could face execution date
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Texas death row inmate Monday, making Erick Davila's case ineligible for review in federal court. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/04/19/Erick_Davila_SCOTUS.jpg)
![Death row inmate Erick Davila.]()
Credit: TDCJ