The U.S. Supreme Court today denied the appeal of Texas death row inmate Duane Buck, who was seeking a retrial based on race-related testimony given during the sentencing phase of his 1997 trial.
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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Inside Intelligence
Inside Intelligence: The Big Issue Facing Texas Is…
In our nonscientific survey of the state’s governmental and political insiders, we asked about big problems, immigration, the death penalty, public education and whether Texans would vote for a Mormon if they agreed with that candidate on issues.
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Criminal Justice
Skinner, Running Out of Time, Awaits DNA Ruling From Skeptical Court
Facing a Wednesday execution date, convicted murderer Hank Skinner is again appealing to the state’s highest criminal court to allow for new DNA tests he says could exonerate him. But the court previously has ruled against him — twice.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The latest UT/TT Poll on the 2012 race and other issues, Root on Herman Cain’s stumble, Ramshaw and Titus on Texas Republicans who don’t support Perry, Murphy maps presidential fundraising in Texas, Philpott on changing the constitution for parks and education, Hamilton on a case of higher ed separation anxiety, Grissom on the state’s breakup with a death penalty witness, Galbraith on a congressman’s search for a big leak, Aguilar on the Border Patrol’s effort to operate in environmentally protected areas and Aaronson on a dramatic drop in government employment in Texas: The best of our best content from October 31 to November 4, 2011.
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Criminal Justice
Morton Investigator, Medical Examiner Testimony Released
Testimony from the Williamson County sergeant who led the investigation that resulted in Michael Morton’s wrongful conviction was made public Friday, along with statements of the medical examiner refuting allegations prosecutors made during the trial.
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Inside Intelligence
Inside Intelligence: On the Issues
The insiders answered questions from the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll for the second week in a row, this time on the death penalty, education, top issues facing Texas, and whether the people they know would vote for a Mormon candidate with whom they agree on issues.
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Criminal Justice
Lower Court Denies Skinner DNA Test, Appeal Planned
A Gray County District Court today denied DNA testing that death row inmate Hank Skinner has been seeking for a decade. Skinner’s lawyers plan to appeal the decision. His execution is scheduled for Wednesday.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
UT/TT Poll: Mormon Candidates Face Hurdle
More than one in five Texas voters say most of the people they know would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate even if they agreed with him or her on the issues, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.
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Criminal Justice
How Do TxDOT’s New Salaries Compare to Other State Agencies?
TxDOT’s plan to hire five new executives — each paid up to at least $250,000 annually — has received heavy criticism. How do the salaries compare to those at other public entities? We checked our government salary database to find out.
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Criminal Justice
TYC Ends Contract With Doctor Who Gave Race Testimony in Court
The Texas Youth Commission terminated its contract Friday with a psychologist who testified repeatedly in death penalty cases that Hispanic and black men were more likely to be dangerous in the future.