The state carried out its fourth execution of the year, putting to death 61-year-old James Bigby. He was convicted in the 1987 murders of his friend and a 4-month-old during a killing spree in Fort Worth.
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
Criminal Justice
Senators grill one another in tense hearing on property tax bill
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s attempt to limit when cities and counties can increase property tax collections without an election drew bipartisan opposition Tuesday. But many supporters also came to the bill’s defense.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Politics, State Government
Here’s what the revised Texas bathroom bill means in plain English
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, the author of the so-called “bathroom bill,” last week unveiled a revised version of Senate Bill 6. We’ve updated our plain English annotation of the bill to explain how it would impact communities across Texas.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Advocates hope to end policy in Texas of jailing poor for unpaid fines
Thousands of Texans are at risk of being arrested at any given moment for not paying fines often related to traffic offenses or other city ordinance violations, according to a recent report.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Proposed law would crowdfund donations to help with rape kit backlog
As Texas faces a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits, lawmakers appear unwilling to spend state dollars to address the problem — but they’re considering crowdfunding.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Mayors say Texas, U.S. politics increasingly undermine city needs
A major source of division among cities and state officials is differing opinions on what local control means — and to whom it provides the power to govern.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Paxton prosecutors want to delay May 1 trial until they can get paid
The special prosecutors handling the securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are asking to put off his trial until they can get paid.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas counties rally against statewide court records portal
Texas counties are trying to kill an effort to allow public access to court records from all 254 counties through an online portal, and they’ve found friendly ears in the Legislature.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Homeland Security notes sharp drop in illegal crossings in February
The Trump administration on Wednesday celebrated what the Department of Homeland Security said was an unprecedented drop in illegal crossing on the country’s Southwest border since the president took office Jan. 20.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Senate passes bill on inappropriate teacher-student relationships
Senate Bill 7 would punish school principals and superintendents who fail to report teachers with a history of inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships with students.
