Lawyers criticize a provision they say erodes the separation of powers between Texas’ executive branch and its courts. It’s been used repeatedly this year as Texans try to block new state laws from going into effect.
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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Politics
Federal judge sides with West Texas A&M University president who canceled campus drag show
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the student fundraiser featuring drag performers was not protected, raising the stakes for a battle over First Amendment rights and drag shows.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
Ken Paxton acquittal could quiet future whistleblowers, experts say
The Texas attorney general was exonerated by the state Senate, but a lawsuit from former employees still lingers.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
The many times Ken Paxton refused to defend Texas agencies in court
The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
An emboldened Ken Paxton returns to a battered attorney general’s office
The impeachment proceedings, and the events that precipitated them, have left the Texas Office of the Attorney General in turmoil. Can Paxton steady the ship of an institution vital to the conservative cause?
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
After winning impeachment fight, Paxton still faces felony fraud case and an FBI investigation
The attorney general’s long-simmering securities fraud case appears closer to resolution, while the FBI has probed the same allegations that played a major role in his impeachment.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
Paxton trial, Sept. 12: Whistleblower says he feared Paxton had “turned over” his office to donor
A Paxton whistleblower testified that the attorney general took an unusual interest in Nate Paul’s litigation against a charity in 2020. Another said Paul benefited from an opinion on foreclosures.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
Texas AG Ken Paxton’s habit of refusing to defend state agencies cost taxpayers
Records obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune give deeper insight into how Paxton’s representation denials often pushed agencies to look for outside legal counsel that was ultimately funded by taxpayers.
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Health care
Texas highways are the next anti-abortion target. One town is resisting.
Even in conservative corners of Texas, efforts to crack down on abortion travel are meeting resistance with some local officials who support Texas’s strict abortion laws, expressing concern that the efforts go too far.
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Public Education
Federal judge bars Texas from enforcing book rating law
House Bill 900 requires book vendors to rate all their materials based on their depictions or references to sex before selling them to schools. Vendors say the law aims to regulate protected speech with “vague and over broad” terms.