When civilians and police officers came under fire late Thursday night in Dallas, state officials live-tweeted the latest news, offered prayers and lamented a peaceful protest warping into a shootout between snipers and law enforcement.
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
Bordering on Insecurity
Border Corruption Often Has Family Roots
David Cruz joined the U.S. Border Patrol because he wanted to be “part of the best.” But family pressures, disillusionment, love and greed drove him to begin taking bribes to help immigrants enter the country illegally.
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Criminal Justice
A Year Later, Sandra Bland’s Death Propels Calls for Reform
Sandra Bland’s 2015 arrest, and death three days later in the Waller County Jail, remain catalysts for lawmakers, activists and policy experts seeking reforms in various facets of Texas criminal justice.
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Criminal Justice
Execution Delayed After State Didn’t Retest Lethal Drugs
A Texas execution set for next week has been delayed indefinitely because the state wasn’t able to retest the purity of the lethal drugs in time.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Attorney General Calls Professors’ Campus Carry Lawsuit “Baseless”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling a lawsuit filed by three University of Texas at Austin professors in an effort to block the state’s new campus carry law “baseless” and said he plans to “vigorously defend it.”
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Bordering on Insecurity
Cracks in the Wall: When Border Watchdogs Turn Criminal
Rudy Soliz did it for sex. Sergio Lopez Hernandez blamed depression and financial trouble. The crimes differ, but prosecutors say the actions they’re accused of weakened the U.S. borders and ports of entry they were tasked with protecting.
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Criminal Justice
State Might Let Homeowners Sign Away Right to Sue Insurers
Texas Insurance Commissioner David Mattax heard public testimony Wednesday on whether his department should allow insurers to offer lower rates for homeowners who agree to settle disputes through a mandatory mediation-arbitration process — effectively signing away their right to sue.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Agency Votes to Expand Controversial Coal Mine Near Border
The state’s environmental regulatory agency on Wednesday rebuffed a coalition of border residents and environmental activists who hoped to halt a coal mine from expanding its operations near the Rio Grande.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Love and Money Join Agent, Drug Smuggler
Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Raquel Esquivel still wears a government-issue green uniform, but now it’s a federal prison jumpsuit. She was convicted in 2009 of helping smugglers sneak loads of marijuana across the border.
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Criminal Justice
Ken Paxton’s “Family Friends” Help Foot Legal Bill, Disclosure Shows
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accepted more than $329,000 earmarked for his legal defense from wealthy donors and “family friends,” according to a newly released financial disclosure statement.
