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.
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
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.
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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.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Calendar Club
When Bill White criticized Rick Perry in June for “working part time” after his schedule for the first six months of 2010 showed an average of seven hours of state business per week, Perry responded that he doesn’t write down much of his work for the state. By contrast, Perry’s counterparts in California, New York and Florida do write down what they do, and they make their schedules readily available to the public.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: IBM Fires Back
An IBM official has penned a strongly-worded reply to the state’s claims that the IT powerhouse has failed to meet its contractual obligations.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Other BP Catastrophe
BP’s problem-plagued Texas City refinery — where a 2005 explosion killed 15 and injured 170 — now faces two civil lawsuits stemming from its release this spring of more than 500,000 pounds of cancer-causing pollutants over 40 days. One suit seeks $10 billion on behalf of 2,000 exposed workers; the other, filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, seeks more than $1 million in fines. Both aim to punish the company for one of the largest chemical emissions events the state has ever seen.