Recent state and local legal maneuvers signal that Texas’ conservative movement could be wading into a complicated constitutional morass the country hasn’t dealt with since before the Civil War.
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
Despite mounting doubts about his guilt, Ivan Cantu running out of time to avoid Texas’ death chamber
Convicted of killing his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée, the death row inmate hopes recanted testimony and other new details spur a review of his case.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bills to fight Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s whistleblower case top $700,000, records show
The lead attorney helping defend Paxton against former top aides is charging $540 an hour.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Federal judge orders Caldwell County to hold bail hearings in public
The Texas Tribune, the Caldwell/Hays Examiner and advocacy group Mano Amiga sued the county over its practice of holding closed magistrations.
Posted in
Demographics
Feds asked to overhaul school discipline at North Texas school district after students jailed
The complaint claims Bonham ISD and a city court discriminated against both Black students and disabled students by creating a hostile environment at school. The groups also filed a separate complaint against Corpus Christi ISD with the Texas Education Agency.
Posted in
Courts
Ken Paxton sues five Texas cities that decriminalized marijuana
Voters in Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin and Denton approved the policies in 2022. The attorney general said the ordinances are inconsistent with laws enacted by the Texas Legislature.
Posted in
Politics
Ken Paxton could face public trial in whistleblower lawsuit after judge’s ruling
A Travis County judge denied the attorney general’s attempt to decide the case without a jury.
Posted in
Ken Paxton Impeachment
Texas Supreme Court pauses depositions in Paxton whistleblower case
The ruling by the all-Republican court came after former President Donald Trump told justices to leave Paxton alone.
Posted in
LGBTQ+ Texans
Texas Supreme Court hears legal challenge to ban on gender-transition care for kids
A fight over allowing transgender children to access puberty blockers and hormone therapies could hinge on justices’ interpretation of parental rights.
Posted in
Politics
Texas’ standoff with the feds in Eagle Pass is igniting calls for secession and fears of violence
The calls for Texas to defend itself and defy the federal government have set fire to a long-simmering fight over states’ rights, emboldening right-wing figures.