Last year the Trump administration launched a policy of keeping all immigrants arrested by ICE in detention without the right to request bond, reversing decades of established law.
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
Ken Paxton wanted to limit forum shopping. Now lawyers say he’s improperly seeking favorable courts.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have identified at least 30 lawsuits filed by the attorney general over the past nine years that have a tenuous connection to the counties in which they were filed.
Texas Supreme Court rejects Abbottโs request to remove Democratic Rep. Gene Wu from office over redistricting protest
More than 50 Democrats, including Wu โ the House Democratic leader โ left the state last August to shut down the Legislature and stall passage of the GOPโs map.
Trump administration sues Catholic diocese to seize land on religious site near El Paso for border barrier
The lawsuit argues that 14 acres on Mount Cristo Rey, which features a 29-foot-tall statue of Jesus, are needed for barriers and other technology to secure the border.
State asks to continue monitoring Dallas-area foster care contractor until August
The state said EMPOWER needed more time to improve conditions after two children died under the contractor’s care over the years.
Hours after statewide ban is reinstated, smokeable hemp is temporarily back on Texas shelves, court rules
After a dizzying string of court actions on smokeable hemp this week, Texas 15th Court of Appeals agreed to allow the sale of the drug.
Former Texas lottery director was indicted by grand jury before case got dismissed
The indictment accused Gary Grief of misusing his position to defraud the state in a highly scrutinized $95 million 2023 Lotto Texas drawing.
UT-Austin defends its handling of pro-Palestinian protest in federal trial
Student Ammer Qaddumi is suing the university after he was suspended for his involvement in the 2024 demonstrations, calling it a violation of his free speech rights.
Civil rights groups sue to stop Texas immigration law
Senate Bill 4, scheduled to take effect next week, lets Texas police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Rule that lets Texans obtain out-of-state abortion pills can continue for now, Supreme Court says
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that mifepristone must be obtained in person, a decision the countryโs highest court has temporarily blocked.

