One of the oddest moments of the GOP presidential primary debate occurred when the audience burst into applause in response to a recap of Gov. Rick Perry’s record of presiding over 234 executions. Should anyone be surprised by the reaction?
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
With Wildfire Risk High, Military Alters Training in Texas
As the worst one-year drought in Texas history wears on, officials at some military installations around the state have banned the use of tracer fire and other pyrotechnics.
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Criminal Justice
Smith Eyes a Return
Austin lawyer and anti-affirmative-action advocate Steven Wayne Smith is planning a return to the Texas Supreme Court.
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Criminal Justice
Video: Sam Bassett: The TT Interview
The former chairman of the Forensic Science Commission on why he believes the governor replaced him and why he argues it is critical for the Texas justice system that the commission finish its investigation into the Willingham arson case.
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Criminal Justice
Fact-Checking Romney’s Claims About Texas Jobs
Mitt Romney says Rick Perry has “substantially underperformed his predecessors on job creation” and that the state’s unemployment rate has doubled on his watch. Is Romney right?
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Criminal Justice
Forensic Panel Urged to Continue Willingham Arson Probe
The Innocence Project is urging the Texas Forensic Science Commission to forge ahead with its investigation of arson cases despite a recent ruling from the state’s top lawyer that seemed to limit the panel’s authority.
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Criminal Justice
Lawyers, Victim Seek Clemency for Death Row Inmate
Phyllis Taylor survived the 1995 shooting spree that ended with two others dead and Duane Buck on death row. Buck is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 15. Today, Taylor asked state officials to halt his execution.
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Criminal Justice
On the Records: FEMA’s Wildfire Spending
As wildfires continue to sweep across the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized seven more grants to help Texas manage the flames. Although the figures for the grants given to Texas after June are not yet available, the Tribune has a look at the $3.8 billion FEMA has given Texas to mitigate disasters.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on the stats behind the Texas Miracle, Aguilar on an area of the budget that didn’t get cut during the session, Dehn and Tan wrap-up our 31 Days, 31 Ways project, Galbraith talks to Todd Staples about the drought, Grissom on controversial executions during Rick Perry’s tenure (plus a visualization by Murphy and Seger), Hamilton on the Rodney Dangerfield of Texas universities, Philpott on the search for clues in past Perry debates, Ramshaw on Perry’s opposition to abortion rights and Root on Perry’s assurances to conservatives that his past won’t embarrass them: The best of our best content from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 2011.
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Criminal Justice
On the Records: How We Got the TDCJ Execution Data
This morning @TribData released a visualization of all executions in the state of Texas since Gov. Rick Perry took office in late 2000. Here’s how we made it happen.