Six people were arrested on Monday in front of the Travis County Jail during a civil disobedience protest against a federal immigration program.
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
In Laredo, Gambling Law Draws Mixed Opinions
After a crackdown a few years ago in Laredo, gaming halls are on the rise again. But local officials aren’t quite on the same page about whether to enforce the gambling laws or to try to change them.
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Criminal Justice
Hearing to Look at DNA Evidence in Skinner Case
After more than a decade of fighting for DNA tests and two years of analysis on decades-old evidence, a court in Pampa will hear evidence that death row inmate Hank Skinner says should stop his execution.
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Criminal Justice
Legal Status, Not Citizenship, Included in GOP’s Immigration Plan
Congressional Republicans unveiled a set of guidelines for comprehensive immigration reform on Thursday, saying immigrants should have a path to legal status only after paying fines and passing background checks.
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Criminal Justice
Widow Gets Closure, Targets Law Enforcement in Mexico
Months after her husband was killed in Mexico, Lorena Acosta finally laid her husband to rest on Monday in West Texas. Acosta hopes to use her personal tragedy to spotlight what she said are deep-seated problems within law enforcement south of the border.
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Criminal Justice
Advocates Urge Prison Officials to Reconsider Death Row Isolation
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is reviewing its Death Row Plan, and inmates’ rights advocates, along with the prison employees union, are urging less restrictive housing for the condemned.
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Criminal Justice
More Apprehensions at Border, but Spotlight Shifts Away From Mexico
The number of immigrants apprehended while attempting to cross the United States’ southern border rose last year, but most of the increase can be attributed to immigrants coming from countries other than Mexico.
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Criminal Justice
AG Candidates Weigh In on Execution of Mexican National
Wednesday night’s execution in Texas of a Mexican national convicted of killing a Houston police officer has given the candidates vying to be the state’s next attorney general an opportunity to weigh in on the death penalty.
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Criminal Justice
After Failed 911 Call, Family Seeks Changes to Hotel Phone Systems
A gruesome murder in a Texas hotel room and a 9-year-old’s futile effort to call 911 has sparked a national petition — and prompted federal officials to seek a legislative remedy.
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Criminal Justice
Border Reps Split on Using Drones for Security
Texas’ recent designation as one of six test states for a federal project that seeks to expand the use of drones is spotlighting how far apart border lawmakers are on using more unmanned aircraft for border security.
