Advocates fear Texas lawmakers are about to worsen the state’s homelessness crisis
Republican lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen the state’s ban on homeless encampments and speed up the eviction process. Full Story
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![Tents are pitched in front of Austin City Hall protesting camping bans on May 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers want to exempt police from deadly conduct charges
Local prosecutors have used the charge to punish police accused of misconduct. Legislation that would prevent that is advancing through the Legislature. Full Story
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![Police tactical officers prepare for confrontation during a march against police brutality in Dallas on March 29, 2020.]()
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Texas inmate executed for murder of ex-classmate
Moises Mendoza, who was convicted in 2005 of killing a Farmersville woman, became the third inmate Texas has put to death this year. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary houses the execution chamber of Texas and is located in Huntsville on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
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In act of forgiveness, woman hugs the El Paso Walmart mass shooter who killed her brother
A day after the shooter pleaded guilty to killing 23 people and wounding 22 others, Yolanda Tinajero gave the judge an unusual request. Full Story
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![Adriana Zandri, right, hugs the mass killer who murdered her husband, Ivan Filiberto Manzano, at the conclusion of the second day of victim impact statements in District Judge Sam Medrano’s courtroom. Crusius pleaded guilty Monday to capital murder and aggravated assault charges for killing 23 people and wounding 22 others at an El Paso Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019.]()
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Prosecutor cites anti-immigrant rhetoric as El Paso shooter is sentenced to 23 life terms
”This community will always remember those whose lives you stole … Their light will never fade,” the judge told the shackled shooter. “While you, your name and your hate, will be forgotten.” Full Story
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![Mass shooter Patrick Crusius, center, stands up to listen to the charges from Judge Sam Medrano in the 409th district Commissioners Courtroom at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse for his sentencing in El Paso, Texas, on April 21, 2025. Crusius was convicted of massacring 23 people in a racially motivated mass shooting nearly six years ago at a Walmart in the Cielo Vista area of East El Paso.]()
Credit: Omar Ornelas/USA Today Network via REUTERS -
Second shooting at Dallas high school in a year injures four students
Hours after the shooting, officials said the suspect had evaded security protocols at Wilmer-Hutchins High School. Full Story
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![Police blocked off the scene July 8 where chaos erupted the night before when officers were targeted by sniper fire following a peaceful Black Lives Matter Protest in downtown Dallas.]()
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Former U.S. Attorney John Bash first to announce run to replace Attorney General Ken Paxton
Bash served as special assistant to President Trump during his first term and is Elon Musk’s lawyer. Full Story
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![John F. Bash, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas resigned from his position.]()
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Bill to create a Texas Homeland Security Division passes state Senate
Senate Bill 36, a priority bill for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, would create an office within the Department of Public Safety focused on immigration enforcement, organized crime and threats to state infrastructure. Full Story
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![DPS airboats on the bank of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, seen from Piedras Negras, on June 6, 2024.]()
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House panel passes bill requiring air conditioning in Texas prisons by 2032
Weeks after a federal judge declared hot conditions in Texas prisons unconstitutional, a bill requiring air conditioning in those facilities by 2032 has gained traction in the House. Full Story
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![Mountain View prison in Gatesville on September 19, 2019.]()
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You have the right to an attorney. But in Texas, don’t count on it.
In some parts of the state, misdemeanor defendants routinely face charges without representation. Full Story
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![HEREFORD, TEXAS - February 26, 2025: The empty courtroom at the Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford, Texas where misdemeanor court takes place. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times -
Ken Paxton’s legal woes are lifting, clearing a path for a likely Senate run
The federal criminal investigation into corruption allegations was the most serious inquiry Paxton faced. Its end nearly clears his slate of numerous legal battles. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
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Despite Texas defendant’s death in Louisiana prison, lawmakers unlikely to end reliance on out-of-state lockups
Lawmakers are pursuing legislative changes that would keep more people locked up in overcrowded county jails while awaiting resolution to their cases. Full Story
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![Sarah Knight poses for a portrait at her home in Houston with a birthday card she made for her son Jaleen Anderson on May 13, 2024. Anderson died earlier in the year while being held in LaSalle Correctional Facility in Louisiana.]()
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Officer previously accused of excessive force confirmed for state board by Texas Senate
One Senate Democrat joined Republicans, providing the margin needed to approve Justin Berry to the state law-enforcement board. Full Story
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![Former Austin Police officer Justin Berry holds a weapon with non-lethal rounds during a protest in front of Austin City Hall on May 31, 2020. The protestors had gathered in response to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
More than 40 people arrested at Texas home amid Tren de Aragua investigation
Authorities did not say how the individuals arrested in Hays County may be tied to the Venezuelan gang. It was also unclear what criminal charges people may face, though drugs were seized. Full Story
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![A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent’s badge in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building in downtown Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.]()
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Lawyers for Houston-area midwife accused of illegal abortions condemn state’s investigation
Maria Rojas’ attorneys got their first chance to address the claims against her Thursday. She was released on bond but a judge ordered the clinics to remain closed. Full Story
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![On March 27, 2025, Clinica Waller Latinoamericana, one of Maria Margarita Rojas' network of clinics in Waller, Texas, remains closed after a Waller County judge granted a temporary injunction prohibiting the facilities from providing medical services. Rojas, a licensed midwife, has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion and practicing medicine without a license.]()
Credit: Hope Mora for The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG investigating insurance company accused of spying on lawmakers, journalists, other Texans
Superior HealthPlan’s CEO, whom lawmakers grilled about the company’s alleged hiring of private investigators, was reportedly fired after the inquiry was announced. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.]()
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Federal judge rules prison heat conditions are unconstitutional, but doesn’t require air conditioning
About two-thirds of Texas prisons are not fully air conditioned, and dozens of inmates have died in the sweltering heat. Full Story
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![Prison staff and inmates move through the Darrington Unit's main hallway on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.]()
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After four prosecutors and nearly six years, El Paso DA decides it’s time to stop pursuing the death penalty for mass shooter
The new DA campaigned on seeking the death penalty for the 2019 massacre, but said he offered the gunman a plea deal of life in prison to avoid dragging out the case for several more years. Full Story
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![The family of Javier Amir Rodriguez, who was killed at the Walmart shooting in 2019, is seen during a memorial service on the third anniversary of the August 3rd Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden, Wednesday, August 3, 2022, in El Paso.]()
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Walmart gunman won’t face the death penalty, family says
The removal of the death penalty as an option could lead to a quick guilty plea and life sentence, as happened with federal charges in 2023. Full Story
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![Guests visit the memorial on the third anniversary of the Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.]()
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Forgotten in jail without a lawyer: how a Texas town fails poor defendants
People in Maverick County spend months in jail waiting to be charged with minor crimes. Some are simply lost in the system Full Story
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![EAGLE PASS, TEXAS - January 6, 2025: The city of Eagle Pass, Texas with Piedras Negras in the background. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times