Grissom on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to stay Hank Skinner’s execution, Thevenot on the myth of Texas textbook influence, Rapoport on the wild card who was just elected to the State Board of Education, Ramshaw on the price of health care reform, Philpott on the just-enacted prohibition on dropping kids from the state’s health insurance rolls, M. Smith on the best little pole tax in Texas, Ramsey on the first corporate political ad and the reality of 2011 redistricting, Stiles on the fastest-growing Texas counties, Aguilar on the vacany at top of Customs and Border Protection at the worst possible time, Galbraith on the state’s lack of renewable energy sources other than wind and its investment in efficiency, and Hu and Hamilton on the runoffs to come in House districts 52 and 127. The best of our best from March 22 to 26, 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
2010: Rick Green, With Envy
Rick Green and Debra Lehrmann face-off. And Green finds inspiration for a new campaign slogan — from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Barely Speaking
The state says that if it has the power to ban alcohol in strip clubs, then it can levy a $5 “pole tax.” But the clubs argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Thursday that nude dancing is a form of protected speech and that the tax violates the First Amendment.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Skinner Gets a Stay
Hank Skinner was set to die Wednesday for the 1993 murders of his live-in girlfriend and her two mentally disabled adult sons — a crime he insists he did not commit. About an hour before he was to have poison pushed through his veins, the U.S. Supreme Court spared his life.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: U.S. Supreme Court Grants Stay for Skinner
The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay this evening of the execution of death row inmate Hank Skinner, who was scheduled to die today.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Lawmakers Urge Perry to Grant Skinner Reprieve
State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and state Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, wrote Gov. Rick Perry letters today urging him to grant a 30-day reprieve for death-row inmate Hank Skinner, who is scheduled for execution tomorrow.
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Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Read Abbott’s Health Care Lawsuit
President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill into law this morning. Texas and 12 other states promptly filed a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. Read that lawsuit here.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Abbott Explains Health Care Lawsuit
Listen to Attorney General Greg Abbott explain why he and other attorneys general are suing the federal government over the just-passed health care reform bill.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Pardons Board Rejects Skinner Request
The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles today unanimously rejected death-row inmate Hank Skinner’s request for a reprieve from his execution, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
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Criminal Justice
Data App: Even More Payroll
We’ve added 14 school districts (from Aldine to San Antonio) and five counties (Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Travis) to our government payroll app — an addition of 140,000 public employees earning roughly $6 billion.