Busby, a Republican judge and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, served on an appellate court in Houston until voters rejected him in November as part of a Democratic sweep.
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.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Gov. Greg Abbott’s influence has shifted Texas bail reform efforts toward a bill that would give him more control
There are now two sets of bail reform bills named after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who was murdered while the suspect was out of jail on a $15,500 bond after allegedly assaulting a sheriff’s deputy.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
A fight over paid sick leave is turning into a fight over LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinances
A now-erased provision in Senate Bill 15 explicitly said a potential new state law would not supersede local nondiscrimination ordinances. Without that language, many LGBTQ advocates fear Texans could be exposed to some discriminatory employment practices.
Posted in
Politics
Trump to nominate Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Brown to the federal bench
If the U.S. Senate confirms Brown, the state’s highest civil court would see its second vacancy in a period of months.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Prosecutor declares freed Texas death row inmate Alfred Dewayne Brown innocent, paving way for state compensation
Brown was freed from nearly a decade on death row in 2015, but because he was never declared “actually innocent,” he couldn’t get compensation for wrongful imprisonment — until Friday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas executes Billie Coble, the oldest man put to death in the state during modern era of the death penalty
As the state put the 70-year-old to death, his son banged on the death chamber window. After an altercation with law enforcement, Coble’s son and another relative were removed from the witness room and arrested.
Posted in
Politics
Texas Senate panel advances bill banning cities from adopting sick leave ordinances
The bill would also nullify mandates some local city councils in major Texas cities have already tried to put in place. The measure is now eligible to be taken up by the full Senate.
Posted in
Courts
Greg Abbott tells state agencies to continue to “follow the spirit” of Texas’ open meetings law
A day earlier, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals struck down a provision of the law that makes it a crime for public officials to deliberate privately in small groups.
Posted in
Texas Voting Rights
Federal judge temporarily blocks Texas from purging voters in citizenship review
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery called the review “ham-handed” and ordered counties not to remove voters from the rolls without his approval and “a conclusive showing that the person is ineligible to vote.”
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas’ highest criminal court strikes down provision of Open Meetings Act as “unconstitutionally vague”
The ruling only pertains to a slice of the law, but open government advocates say the decision “removes a powerful disincentive” put in place to keep public officials from hiding public business.
