Ron Wilson, a Democrat who served as state representative between 1977 and 2004, pleads guilty to one count of tax evasion after trying to hide some of his income and failing to pay taxes over two decades.
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 inState Government
Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to dismiss abortion funds’ defamation case against anti-abortion activist
Several abortion funds have sued anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson, who called them “criminal organizations,” for defamation.
Posted in
Texas Abortion Restrictions
How Texas’ abortion laws turned a heartbreaking fetal diagnosis into a cross-country journey
“It was just a matter of time before the baby died, or maybe I’d have to go through the trauma of carrying to term knowing I wasn’t bringing a baby home,” said 27-year-old Lauren Hall. “I couldn’t do that.”
Posted in
Guides
Texas’ elected Supreme Court: What to know before voting for justices
The nine-member Texas Supreme Court has the power to make sweeping decisions that interpret the meaning of the state’s constitution, impacting the lives of Texans across the state. Three seats are on the ballot this year.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Voter fraud charges dismissed against Hervis Rogers, Houston man who waited hours to vote in 2020
Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued charges against Rogers, who was on parole when he voted in the 2020 primary election. But a judge tossed the case after a higher court said Paxton can’t unilaterally prosecute election crimes.
Posted in
Foster Care in Texas
Texas should place more foster kids with families rather than in residential treatment, report finds
Residential treatment centers are meant to be a last resort for children in the state’s care, reserved for those with histories of severe trauma caused by neglect or abuse.
Posted in
Economy
Cryptocurrency firm FTX, billionaire CEO focus of Texas securities investigation
The state is looking at whether FTX is selling unregistered securities to Texans. The firm’s CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, is a major donor to Beto O’Rourke’s campaign.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Connecticut jury orders Alex Jones to pay nearly $1 billion to Sandy Hook families
The award is the largest the Texas conspiracy theorist has been ordered to pay as part of three defamation lawsuits against him for falsely claiming that the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court rejects request to review Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas’ case
Thomas’ attorneys appealed saying that some members of the jury that sentenced him had expressed racist views. In their dissent, the court’s three liberal justices wrote that Thomas’ conviction and death sentence were unconstitutional.
Posted in
El Paso shooting
Chaos surrounding rookie El Paso DA Yvonne Rosales fuels concerns about Walmart massacre prosecution
Mistakes and backbiting have engulfed the El Paso County district attorney’s office. Some question whether she is competent to handle one of the most high-profile death penalty cases in recent Texas history.
