Libraries have been at the receiving end of book challenges, threats and new laws. Now, some worry a federal appeals court could chip away at long-standing protections.
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
Higher Education
What the possible end to race-conscious admissions means for Texas universities
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s expected ruling on two cases challenging the policy commonly known as affirmative action in college admissions.
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Courts
Preference can be given to tribes in adoption and foster placement of Native American children, U.S. Supreme Court rules
Texas had joined with other plaintiffs in arguing that provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act were unconstitutional racial discrimination.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas AG sues Biden administration over Title IX interpretation
State law that limits transgender student athletes’ participation in sports runs afoul of the updated federal civil rights law, which was expanded to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ students, potentially putting Texas schools at risk of losing federal funding.
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Politics
Ken Paxton’s securities fraud trial will remain in Houston, court rules
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruling overturns lower-court decisions that had moved the case back to Collin County, where the suspended attorney general lives.
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Redistricting Texas
Where Texas redistricting lawsuits stand after U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Alabama case
The high court left intact a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act in a case many feared would go the other way. The decision’s importance in ongoing litigation over Texas’ political maps will largely be felt in what didn’t happen.
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Politics
Appeals court dismisses GOP megadonor’s lawsuit against Beto O’Rourke
Billionaire Kelcy Warren claimed that he was defamed by the Democratic candidate’s criticism of the power-grid failure in 2021.
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Public Education
“Seems obscene” says federal appeals court judge during hearing for Llano County library book removal case
A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New Orleans heard oral arguments Wednesday for an appeal to overturn a judge’s order that Llano County officials return to shelves books they had removed. It was not clear how or when the appellate panel would rule.
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Politics
Stewart Rhodes, the Texas-based leader of the Oath Keepers militia, given 18 years in prison for sedition
Rhodes was among the many Texans who played key roles in fomenting, planning or fueling the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol.
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Guns in Texas
Mandatory 10-year sentences for some crimes involving guns revived by Texas Senate
The idea appeared to die in the Texas House over the weekend, but senators kept it alive by grafting the proposal on to another piece of legislation.
