Second-in-command Bryan Collier will be the next executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the agency’s governing board announced Friday.
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
U.S. Supreme Court Tie Deals Blow to Obama’s Immigration Order
Dealing a blow to President Obama’s executive immigration order, the U.S. Supreme Court has deadlocked on a lower court’s decision to block the plan, which would’ve provided relief from deportation and work permits to millions of people.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Boats off the Water Little Help in Border Security
Boats are one of the most effective ways to patrol the 300 miles of river and lakes under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Station. But the boats aren’t in the water around the clock.
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Criminal Justice
Appeals Court Halts Texas Man’s Execution in Shaken Baby Syndrome Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday halted the upcoming execution of Robert Roberson. Roberson’s legal team argues that Roberson’s conviction in the death of his daughter was based on junk science.
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Criminal Justice
Texas’ Voter ID Defense Has Cost $3.5 Million
Texas taxpayers are still picking up the tab for defending the nation’s strictest voter identification law more than five years after Republicans fast-tracked it through the Legislature.
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Criminal Justice
Cornyn Warns Democrats Focusing on Wrong Issue in Orlando Massacre
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn expressed concerns Thursday that the Orlando massacre was leading to a push for legislative action that would violate the Second Amendment.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Loses Fight to Keep Syrian Refugees Out
Texas on Thursday lost its fight against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state, ending a monthslong battle during which refugees from the war-torn country continued to arrive.
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Criminal Justice
Former Officer Escapes Death Sentence in Police Chief’s Murder
After a five-day sentencing trial, David Risner, a former police officer, was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the shooting death of Little River-Academy Police Chief Lee Dixon.
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Criminal Justice
Appeals Court Changes Texas Death Row Inmate’s Sentence to Life
A man who sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed a 68-year-old woman during a 1995 burglary in Hidalgo County will no longer face execution after he has been determined to be intellectually disabled.
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Bordering on Insecurity
State Scrambles to Fund Border Security Project
Wiping out the tall stands of Carrizo cane that give drug and human smugglers easy cover along the Rio Grande was deemed a border-security priority by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015, but the program wasn’t funded.
