The head of the state’s Commission on Jail Standards could do time for being too open about a suicide in the Nueces County lockup. Is the indictment of Adan Muñoz retaliation by a sheriff his lawyer describes as a “crazy little bastard”? Regardless, an open government advocate calls it “outrageous.”
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.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
A Conversation With Greg Abbott
For the 11th event in our TribLive series, I interviewed the attorney general of Texas on the politics and constitutionality of gay marriage, why he’s suing the feds over health care and why he filed a brief in support of the Arizona immigration law.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Barbara Ann Radnofsky: The TT Interview
The Democratic nominee for attorney general on how long of a long-shot campaign she’s mounting, the incumbent’s predilection for “show lawsuits” and whether she’s willing to debate her opponent (we’ll give you one guess).
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Greg Abbott TribLive Interview and Audience Q&A
The full interview and audience Q&A with the Texas Attorney General.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Hu compares and contrasts the official schedules of four big-state governors (including Rick Perry) and picks the 21 Texas House races to watch, Ramshaw on a 19-year-old with an IQ of 47 sentenced to 100 years in prison, Stiles on Perry’s regent-donors, Galbraith on a plan to curb the independence of the state’s electricity grid, Thevenot on the turf war over mental health, Grissom on whether the Texas Youth Commission should be abolished, Aguilar on a crucial immigration-related case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, Ramsey’s interview with GOP provocateur Debra Medina and M. Smith on how changes to campaign finance law will affect judicial elections in Texas: The best of our best from August 23 to 27, 2010.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
You Be the Judge
Do two recent U.S. Supreme Court opinions have the far-reaching effects on Texas judicial elections that some in our legal community fear? Or do the state’s current campaign finance laws adequately address the issues presented by both cases?
Posted in
Criminal Justice
2010: Abbott Won’t Commit to Debating Radnofsky
At this morning’s TribLive interview, Attorney General Greg Abbott wouldn’t say whether he’ll square off against his Democratic opponent, Barbara Ann Radnofsky. “That is going to be up to the people who run my campaign,” he said.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Defending the Innocent
The Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense today approved money to help establish a public defender’s office in Harris County — the largest urban area in the nation without one — along with a slate of measures meant to prevent innocent people from serving time.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Should We Abolish the TYC?
Texas Appleseed and a key state lawmaker think that may be the only way to address persistent reports of violence, poor living conditions, and subpar education and mental health care at youth lockups across Texas.