The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas consistently ranks as one of the states with the most open seats on the federal bench, with some judgeships vacant for years. Five nominees are set for U.S. Senate committee hearings Wednesday. Full Story
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If state leaders insist, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department has identified ways to cut its budget by $16.8 million, or 2.8 percent, for the 2018-2019 biennium. Full Story
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State Rep. Cecil Bell, a private contractor, says he has a plan to curb costly and sometimes dangerous strikes to underground pipelines during construction: make sure whoever is responsible pays to fix them. Full Story
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A federal judge considering whether to dismiss the civil fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suggested that the Securities and Exchange Commission was trying to fit a "square peg into a round hole," basing its case on precedents that do not back up their arguments. Full Story
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At least 881 officers were involved in police shootings in Texas’ 36 largest cities between 2010 and 2015, according to data compiled by The Texas Tribune. Seven officers have faced criminal charges for pulling the trigger in that period. None have been convicted, so far. Full Story
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In at least 66 cases — about 10 percent of police shootings in Texas’ largest cities between 2010 and 2015 — the officer pulling the trigger was off duty, according to an analysis of police data obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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Our readers asked a former police chief about his experience and Texas police shootings. Here's what he told them. Full Story
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Lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will try to convince a federal judge on Friday to throw out the federal civil fraud case filed against him for allegedly misleading investors in a technology startup. Full Story
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Public outcries over shootings of unarmed people are often especially pronounced, underpinned with the inference that police should seldom find it necessary to unleash lethal force on unarmed civilians. Full Story
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When police shoot a mentally ill person, calls inevitably follow for providing officers more training in how to de-escalate situations and deal with mental health issues. Full Story
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With the likely election of a new Democratic sheriff in November, Austin is poised to become the first true “sanctuary city” in GOP-ruled Texas if Travis County stops cooperating with federal immigration policies. Full Story
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Policymakers and the public have begun to question with renewed fervor whether police shoot at minorities at a disproportionate rate, whether it’s possible to tell how often and what can be done about it. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Waller County over its ban on guns at its courthouse. The suit, filed Monday afternoon in district court in Travis County, centers on a provision of Texas' new open carry law. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune spent nearly a year collecting data from the state’s largest cities on every incident in which police officers pulled the trigger between 2010 and 2015. Here's a look at what we found. Full Story
Police officers in Texas unholstered their guns and fired at suspects in at least 656 incidents between 2010 and 2015, but that total is undoubtedly incomplete. There is so little reliable, consistent information on police shootings in Texas that the public, lawmakers and police officials are largely flying blind. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune wants to see what your college campus looks like now that campus carry is legal in Texas. Are there any visible changes? Or is it business as usual? Full Story
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A federal judge has denied three University of Texas at Austin professors’ initial attempt to keep guns out of their classrooms under the state’s campus carry law. Full Story
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Only 15 voter fraud cases have been prosecuted by the attorney general's office between the 2012 primary election and July. Eleven of those are cases in which “politiqueras” collect and mail ballots for elderly voters. Full Story
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Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a voter ID law in 2011 that required individuals to present a state-issued photo ID at the polls. But the majority of voter fraud convictions in the state involve mail-in ballots. Full Story
Private companies will lose their contracts to operate five federal prisons in Texas under a U.S. Department of Justice plan announced Thursday to phase out private management of federal lockups nationwide. Full Story
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