The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Rep. James White's House Bill 1676 would create a state-funded office to represent death-sentenced inmates who can’t afford their own lawyer in their direct appeals to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Full Story
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How do you help sex trafficking victims like Sarah who’ve learned that the way to survive is to flee? Full Story
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After Harris County’s move to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, Texas lawmakers disagree about whether local jurisdictions have the discretion to enact such policies. Full Story
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A week after immigration agents launched surprise raids in Austin and surrounding areas, hundreds marched downtown in protest, saying fear has engulfed the Central Texas immigrant community. Full Story
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Prosecutors in the criminal case against the Texas attorney general argue the trial should be moved out of Collin County. They fear they won't get a fair shake there. Full Story
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FBI and IRS agents raided the law offices of Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti on Thursday morning, confiscating documents and other items. Full Story
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Laws the state uses to put sex traffickers behind bars can sweep up their prey, too. A few years in age can mean the difference between a chance at rehabilitation and a lengthy prison sentence, as Yvette learned. Full Story
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A 2006 settlement between an El Paso County resident and his local sheriff's department could come back and haunt the border town if the Texas Legislature passes its anti-"sanctuary cities" bill. Full Story
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The UT Tower shooting is infamous as America’s first mass school shooting. Meet the survivors and heroes of that day in “Tower,” an animated documentary film. Full Story
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No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go. Full Story
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A Senate Finance committee workgroup has been tasked with exploring ways to improve the Texas Juvenile Justice Department as the agency defends itself from claims of inefficiency. Full Story
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After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet. Full Story
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After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton insisted in a letter last week that Texas' anti-"sanctuary cities" bill would survive a legal challenge, immigration attorneys are trying to convince members of the Legislature that he's wrong. Full Story
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Over the past five months, The Texas Tribune has investigated the hidden world of sex trafficking. Now, we want to hear about your experiences. Full Story
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Texas leaders have publicly battled sex trafficking for more than a decade, but they’ve devoted hardly any resources to helping victims. Full Story
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Texas Tribune reporters talked to three convicted traffickers to try to understand the power they wield over victims and the attraction of what they call "the lifestyle." Here they are in their own words. Full Story
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Texas Tribune reporters Neena Satija, Morgan Smith and Edgar Walters hosted a live discussion about sex trafficking with Chuck Paul, a former child welfare investigator. Full Story
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You don't have to dredge the backwaters of the Internet to find underage girls sold for sex online. Take a tour of the commercial sex trade's most recent marketplace, hidden in plain view. Full Story
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Fifty years after a gunman opened fire from the tower at UT-Austin – the first recorded mass shooting in U.S. history – students can carry loaded handguns on campus. Hear from proponents and opponents of the law. Full Story
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Immigrant communities in Texas and nationwide are swirling with reports of large-scale immigration enforcement by federal agents, but so far details are scant and ICE says its activities are routine. Full Story
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