In the first day of a two-day hearing to evaluate progress the state has made toward resolving a long-running foster care lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Janis Jack excoriated Texas child welfare officials.
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.
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Criminal Justice
Report: Harris County’s bail reforms let more people out of jail before trial without raising risk of reoffending
Texas’ most populous county changed its bail practices for misdemeanor defendants last year after a lengthy lawsuit challenging cash bail.
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Coronavirus in Texas
This loan company was founded to help Latino immigrants. It has sued thousands of low-income Latinos during the pandemic.
A monthslong investigation revealed that Oportun Inc. routinely uses lawsuits to intimidate a vulnerable population into keeping up with high-interest loan payments — even amid COVID-19.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Oportun Inc. has filed nearly 10,000 lawsuits this year against lower-income Texans. This is how we found out.
Justice of the peace courts, where a majority of debt claims are filed in Texas, aren’t required to report case-level information. Here’s how ProPublica and Texas Tribune reporters got around it to reveal one company’s aggressive tactics.
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Courts
For second time, federal judge finds Texas is violating voter registration law
A U.S. district judge found Texas is “legally obligated” to allow voters to simultaneously register to vote with every driver’s license renewal or change-of-address application, and ordered the state to set up a “fully operable” online system by Sept. 23.
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Criminal Justice
Judge won’t be removed from criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Paxton’s team had asked that the judge, Jason Luong, be recused from the case because the Texas attorney general’s office is representing him — along with about 20 other Houston-area judges — in an unrelated lawsuit.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Texas Democrats are successfully suing to kick Green Party candidates off the November ballot
Democrats won legal rulings Wednesday blocking Green Party nominees for U.S. Senate, railroad commissioner and the 21st Congressional District from appearing on the November ballot.
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Public Education
Texas school district’s dreadlocks ban discriminatory, federal court rules
The decision comes a month after the Barbers Hill Independent School District board of trustees voted to keep the dress code policy, which advocates have deemed racist.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants judge recused from his criminal case, promising further delays in years-old prosecution
Paxton was indicted for felony securities fraud in July 2015 but has yet to go to trial as attorneys duke out side battles over venue and prosecutor pay.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Five lawmakers sue Gov. Greg Abbott over $295 million contact tracing deal
“The Texas Constitution requires a separation of powers, and that separation leaves policy-making decisions with the Texas Legislature,” argues a lawsuit from five of the Legislature’s most conservative members.
