The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
After three days of testimony from attorneys for the state and Planned Parenthood, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks is letting the reproductive health provider stay in Medicaid until Feb. 21. Full Story
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Will Texas legislators repeal in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants? One Republican lawmaker is determined to make it happen. Full Story
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The star witness against a Border Patrol agent accused of murder — his own brother — gave tearful testimony in a Brownsville courtroom Wednesday. Full Story
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Showing multiple clips from a video released in 2015 by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, state attorneys and witnesses said the footage was grounds for dismissing Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. Full Story
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A new bill would mandate that people use bathrooms in public schools, government buildings and public universities based on “biological sex.” A business group and families with transgender members are working to oppose it. Full Story
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Planned Parenthood lawyers and witnesses said in front of a packed courtroom that ending the organization’s reimbursements for Medicaid could endanger access to family planning services for Texas’ most vulnerable populations. Full Story
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A state judge ruled that a statement Border Patrol Agent Joel Luna voluntarily gave authorities can be used in his murder trial. Sparring over evidence marked the first day of his trial in South Texas, in a case that has stoked concern about alleged law enforcement corruption on the U.S. side of the border. Full Story
Texas House and Senate leaders are starting out the legislative session nearly $8 billion apart according in dueling budget proposals released Tuesday. Among the sticking points: spending on public education and border security. Full Story
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As a case against State Rep. Dawnna Dukes is scheduled to get a grand jury hearing on Tuesday, some of her constituents worry the case will distract her from fulfilling their needs. Full Story
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The capital murder case began in 2015 with the discovery of a headless body floating off South Padre Island. The trial of two men charged in the case — a U.S. Border Patrol agent and his Mexican-born brother — begins today in South Texas. Full Story
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A year and a half after Sandra Bland was found dead in the Waller County Jail, Texas lawmakers are expected to consider new jail reforms. But rural sheriffs worry the state’s tight budget situation could result in unfunded mandates. Full Story
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Bills targeting "sanctuary cities" failed to pass the Texas Legislature in 2011 and 2015, but similar efforts this session have better chances of making it to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Full Story
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Full video of Evan Smith's 1/13 conversation with civil rights activist and educator DeRay Mckesson at our symposium on race and public policy. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it would review the legal complexities in a Texas death penalty case, where a man killed a 5-year-old and her grandmother. Full Story
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Lawyers for Attorney General Ken Paxton argue the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is scrambling to save its civil securities fraud case against him. Paxton is headed to trial in May on similar criminal charges at the state level. Full Story
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A bill in the Texas Legislature would institute a $25 million grant program to pay for bulletproof vests for all patrol officers in Texas. Full Story
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Attorney General Ken Paxton is accused of misleading investors in a company from before his time as Texas’ top law enforcement official. His trial is scheduled to start on May 1, according to a recent court order. Full Story
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The first execution in Texas and the United States, for the killer of two men in Fort Worth after a fake drug deal, was held Wednesday evening. Full Story
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On the same day that Texas House Republicans doubled down on border security efforts and announced plans to send an invoice to the federal government, Senate Democrats said they were committed to fighting bills to eliminate sanctuary cities. Full Story
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State Rep. Matt Schaefer, a Tyler Republican, proposed a rule Wednesday requiring people in the Capitol to use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex during a House floor debate. Full Story
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