In tough-on-crime Texas, Rick Perry has overseen the executions of 230 prisoners — more than any other modern governor. As he eyes a White House bid, his support of the death penalty could have mixed consequences.
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
Comptroller Pays Anthony Graves $1.4 Million
Anthony Graves got a check for $1.45 million today from Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, money the state owed him for keeping him behind bars for nearly two decades for a crime he did not commit.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Intervene in Death Penalty Case
Ten days before death row inmate Humberto Leal’s scheduled execution, his attorneys and the Mexican government have asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay of execution.
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Criminal Justice
On the Records: Twitter Visual Tool Useful — and Pretty
A new data visualization tool, the Tweet Topic Explorer, makes analyzing a user’s Twitter feed quick, painless and beautiful. Check out what Gov. Rick Perry tweets about most on his personal twitter feed, and see how his tweets compare to others.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
An Everybody-in-the-Pool effort on what’s left to do in the special session, Ramshaw on a doozy of a congressional race shaping up, Aguilar on the debate over sanctuary cities and other immigration proposals, M. Smith on the state’s used-up Rainy Day Fund, Grissom on efforts to kick the special interests out of an insurance fight, Dehn and Tan on whether the special session helps or hurts the governor’s national ambitions, Galbraith and KUT Radio team up for a series on the long-term outlook for Central Texas water, Aaronson on government attempts to balance openness and privacy with data releases, yours truly on Amazon’s run at a sales tax break, and Hamilton on an ethnic gap in higher education: The best of our best from June 20 to 24, 2011.
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Criminal Justice
The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for June 23, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Could ghosts of Gov. Rick Perry’s past affect his presidential intentions? Meanwhile, parents prepare for budget cuts in the classroom, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says he’ll reveal his next campaign move in July.
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Criminal Justice
Updated: Advocates Say Change to Strip Club Fee is Dead
Advocates for a $5 “pole tax” on strip club patrons that raises money for state services say their effort to change which programs benefit from the fee is dead.
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Criminal Justice
Laws Push Transparency, Protect Privacy
In the wake of high-profile data breaches that left the personal information of millions of state workers exposed, state lawmakers are trying to strike a balance between promoting transparency and protecting records.
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Criminal Justice
Perry Signs, Abbott Lauds Sexting Bill
Prosecutors will be able to punish kids who send explicit photos to each other without resorting to putting them on the sex offender registry, under a bill Attorney General Greg Abbott lauded in a press release today.
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Criminal Justice
Anthony Graves: The TT Interview
The state of Texas incarcerated him for nearly two decades — and nearly executed him twice — for murders he didn’t commit. Now, the state is balking at giving him the $1 million he’s owed for all the years he spent wrongfully imprisoned. Despite it all, Anthony Graves remains positive.