Voters choose dozens of important state officials without knowing a thing about them. So they rely on other cues — like political affiliations, pleasing names and who knows what else.
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
Video: Dogs’ Evidence Stands as Woman Waits in Prison
The dog-sniffing evidence that led to the conviction of her father for conspiring to commit murder was unreliable enough for him to be released from prison. So why is his daughter, Megan Winfrey, serving a life sentence for the same crime based largely on the same evidence?
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Criminal Justice
Dogs’ Evidence Stands as Woman Waits in Prison
If the dog-sniffing evidence that led to the conviction of her father for conspiring to commit murder was unreliable enough for him to be released from prison, why is Megan Winfrey still serving a life sentence for the same crime based largely on the same evidence?
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Criminal Justice
Weekend Insider: Need for Foster Care, Family Accused of Murder
In this episode of Weekend Insider, Claire Cardona explains the rise in the state’s need for foster care, and Brandi Grissom introduces us to a family accused of murder.
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Criminal Justice
In Deposition, Morton DA Can’t Recall Details
Judge Ken Anderson, the former prosecutor who saw to the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton, said during a marathon deposition that he remembered few of the details from the 25-year-old case and that he did nothing wrong.
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Criminal Justice
Court: Business Franchise Tax Isn’t an Income Tax
The Texas Supreme Court turned back a challenge to the state’s primary business tax, saying it doesn’t violate a constitutional ban on personal income taxes.
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Criminal Justice
Lawyer Group Files Grievances Against Morton Prosecutors
A coalition of lawyers today filed grievances with the State Bar of Texas against former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson, his former assistant Mike Davis and current District Attorney John Bradley.
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Criminal Justice
Rep. Joe Driver to Get Five Years Probation
The Garland Republican pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to felony abuse-of-office charges after illegally pocketing state travel money. The humbled legislator agreed to five years probation and said he was thankful that the issue was finally resolved.
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Criminal Justice
Weekend Insider: John Bradley, Michael Sorrell
In this episode of Weekend Insider, we introduce you to two influential Texans: John Bradley, the Williamson County District Attorney, and Michael Sorrell, the president of Paul Quinn College.
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Criminal Justice
A Texas Issue, but Not a National One
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals took some heat off of Gov. Rick Perry when it issued a stay of execution for Hank Skinner this week. And the governor has avoided any link to another case involving two of his appointees and a botched murder prosecution in Williamson County.
