Rodney Ellis leaves Texas Senate with criminal justice legacy
The 2017 legislative session will open without former state Sen. Rodney Ellis, a 26-year lawmaker who became a criminal justice reform titan in the upper chamber. Full Story
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![Retiring Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, listens to testimony during the Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing on religious freedom on Feb. 17, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Whitmire may avoid some pension votes amid conflict-of-interest concerns
After some Dallas City Council members voiced concerns this week over Whitmire’s work at a law firm whose client list includes city pension fund boards, the Houston Democrat said he would likely abstain from voting on Dallas-specific bills. Full Story
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![Sen. John Whitmire D-Houston holds up a copy of newspaper with an article regarding CPS on the front page as he questions John Stephen, a consultant hired to give a report on Texas child protective services during an October 26, 2016 Senate Finance Committee hearing]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Viral arrest video tests Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald
A viral video of a white Fort Worth police officer forcefully arresting a black woman and her daughters has put a spotlight on the city's police chief, Joel Fitzgerald. Many are waiting to see how he handles the fallout. Full Story
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![Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald.]()
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Hey Texplainer: Is it legal for me to shoot my gun into the air in celebration?
Hey Texplainer: A state lawmaker who was hit in the head by a stray bullet during a New Year’s celebration says he plans to file a bill to stop "celebratory gunfire." Isn't shooting your gun into the air already illegal in Texas? Full Story
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Appeals court panel taking up provision in Texas border security law
On Wednesday the U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals will hear arguments over whether an immigrant harboring provision lawmakers passed nearly two years ago should be implemented. Full Story
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![Undocumented youth and allies showed signs to protest the Supreme Court's decision in 2016, which blocked President Obama's DAPA program.]()
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Texas sues FDA over seized execution drugs
More than a year after the feds blocked Texas from importing an execution drug, Texas filed a lawsuit demanding a final decision on whether the drugs can be delivered. Full Story
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After taking bullet to head, Texas lawmaker planning "celebratory gunfire" bill
After being hit in the head with a bullet shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve, state Rep. Armando Martinez plans to file legislation aimed at reducing or preventing celebratory gun firings. Full Story
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![State Rep. Armando "Mando" Martinez, D-Weslaco.]()
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Report: Texas Rep. Armando Martinez shot in head, in stable condition
State Rep. Armando Martinez, D-Weslaco, is in stable condition after being hit by a “stray bullet” early Sunday morning, according to a report from The Monitor. Full Story
![State Rep. Armando "Mando" Martinez, D-Weslaco.]()
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Texas judge issues injunction on federal transgender health mandate
A Texas judge issued a preliminary injunction Saturday against a federal mandate aimed to protect transgender people, finding that the federal health rule violates existing law. Full Story
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Texas Rangers launch criminal probe into Dallas' pension shortfall
Mayor Mike Rawlings blames former pension administration for a "grave breach of trust," but it's unclear who is the target of the state inquiry. Full Story
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Texas judge who questions death penalty won't seek reelection
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Elsa Alcala, a Republican, said the main reason she won't run is because of the “random and unreliable” results from partisan judicial elections. Full Story
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![Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Elsa Alcala.]()
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In light of Arizona ruling, will Texas executions change? A Texplainer
Hey, Texplainer: A federal judge in Arizona just ruled that witnesses have the right to see the full process of an execution, including the administration of lethal drugs. Will this affect how Texas carries out executions? Full Story
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![The view of Texas' execution chamber from a witness viewing room.]()
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Trump's rhetoric, border surge colored immigration debate in 2016
The president-elect's tough border talk propelled him to victory, the U.S. Supreme Court dashed President Obama's deferred action hopes and the Texas border surge drew questions. Full Story
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Lawsuit proceeds against Gov. Greg Abbott over mock nativity display
A lawsuit is moving forward against Gov. Greg Abbott over his order to remove a satirical nativity scene from the Texas Capitol last year. Full Story
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![Winter Solstice scene on display in the Capitol. It was ordered removed after Gov. Greg Abbott objected to it.]()
Credit: Courtesy State Rep. Charlie Geren -
Adult crime, adult time: How Texas fast-tracked kids to life in prison
Before he could vote, before he could drive, before he made it into high school, Miguel Navarro was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Now he’s fighting for a second chance to be seen – in the eyes of the court – as a child. Full Story
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![Miguel Navarro was certified to be tried by Texas courts as an adult at age 16, after stabbing two young men at a party.]()
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For transgender inmate who filed suit, parole and maybe a settlement
Passion Star has spent nearly 14 years in Texas prisons, where she alleges she was repeatedly sexually assaulted, beaten and threatened. State officials have discussed settling the federal lawsuit Star filed over her treatment, court records show. Full Story
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![Joshua Zollicoffer, who now goes by Passion Star]()
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In an unusual year, Texas didn't lead the nation in executions
Texas didn't have the busiest execution chamber this year. In fact, it had the lowest number of executions in 20 years. Full Story
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Forensic video analysis goes under the microscope in Texas
A Texas case shows that as cameras become more omnipresent, disputes over how such recordings are handled and analyzed are more likely to arise. Full Story
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In SEC case, Paxton lawyers zero in on Rep. Byron Cook
Fighting federal civil fraud allegations, Attorney General Ken Paxton is zeroing in on state Rep. Byron Cook's credibility in a new push to discredit the latest claims. Full Story
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![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.]()
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Texas wages a war on drugs at the border. That might be the wrong place.
An estimated 1.6 million adult Texans have substance use disorders, many addicted to drugs that arrive illegally from Mexico. Full Story
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![Patients sit on a bench in the hallway of the detox wing at Charlie's Place Recovery Center in Corpus Christi.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune