The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Don Willett, a Texas Supreme Court justice, to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday. A confirmation vote on Jim Ho, a former state solicitor general, is expected later this week. Full Story
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A lawsuit filed this fall alleges that Paul Pressler, a former state judge, lawmaker and leader on the religious right, repeatedly sexually assaulted a young man over a period of decades, beginning when the boy was just 14. Full Story
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The prosecutor in the death penalty case of a man who didn't kill anyone has asked the parole board and Gov. Greg Abbott to change his sentence to life in prison. Full Story
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Five months after the death of a severely disabled woman in a state facility, three employees have been indicted on felony murder charges. Full Story
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Several state senators indicated at a Tuesday committee hearing that they would be open to closing at least some of Texas' five remaining remote lockups for committed youth. Full Story
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It appears that Texas will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case against the state's restrictions on language interpreters at the ballot box, letting a lower court ruling stand. Full Story
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The burden of a federal court order mandating the free release of poor misdemeanor defendants from jail has fallen onto the Harris County Sheriff. County data shows more than 40 percent of the sheriff's bonds fail because defendants aren't showing up to court, but critics say that number doesn't tell the whole story. Full Story
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped the state's last remaining execution of 2017, sending the San Antonio case back to court to resolve claims of false testimony at trial. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, a nominee of President Donald Trump to a federal court, defended past tweets about transgender people and same-sex marriage as jokes at a confirmation hearing Wednesday. Full Story
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Sharon Keller, the longtime presiding judge of Texas' Court of Criminal Appeals, has tried to move on from several past ethical controversies — including blocking the last-minute appeal of a 2007 execution. A primary challenger hopes voters will reconsider them. Full Story
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It was round two in New Orleans on Tuesday for attorneys for the state of Texas and opponents of the state’s anti-“sanctuary cities” law, Senate Bill 4. Full Story
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Attorneys for the state of Texas are set to head back before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Tuesday to defend the state’s new immigration enforcement law. Full Story
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Texas has a host of high-profile legal battles in the works, ranging from voting rights to political maps. Full Story
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The top prosecutor in Harris County is proposing a new way for Texas to determine if a death-sentenced inmate is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution: use the current clinical books. Full Story
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Arguments began Thursday in a trial over a state ban on dilation and evacuation abortions, the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. Full Story
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Ryan Patrick, who worked as a state district judge until losing a re-election campaign this past November, would become the top federal prosecutor in one of the busiest districts in the country. Full Story
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A 1995 murder of a Houston woman led a case to the nation's highest court Monday. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue of federal funding in death penalty investigations during the appeals process. Full Story
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Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley said her office had closed its investigation into whether Attorney General Ken Paxton acted illegally in accepting a $100,000 gift from a CEO whose company was under investigation for fraud. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the federal government over a law that seeks to keep Native American children from being separated from their families. Full Story
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Dozens of minors in jail or on probation in Harris County are facing new hurdles after Hurricane Harvey. A local nonprofit is expanding to help youth in the criminal justice system who've lost everything in the storm. Full Story
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