The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
A Senate committee hearing turned explosive on Tuesday when the brother of a wrongfully convicted man who died in prison railed against a senator who opposes the creation of an innocence commission. Full Story
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House lawmakers on Tuesday approved two bills meant to ensure that wrongful convictions, like the one that Michael Morton behind bars for nearly 25 years, don't happen to others. The measures will stop next on Gov. Rick Perry's desk. Full Story
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To address a gap between Texas law and a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, a House panel Monday approved a bill to allow life sentences with parole eligibility after 40 years for defendants younger than 18 charged with capital murder. Full Story
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On the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brady v. Maryland decision, the Texas House is set to vote on a law that some legal experts say would ensure that the ruling’s tenets are carried out to help prevent wrongful convictions. Full Story
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UPDATED: The legislation authored by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, that would require court approval for most requests to view or copy crime scene photos that show murder victims passed the Senate Monday without debate. Full Story
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Death row inmate Robert Pruett will get a 60-day reprieve from his May 21 execution date after his lawyers filed a request for DNA testing Thursday, arguing that it could prove Pruett did not murder a prison guard in 2002. Full Story
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A path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is akin to rewarding lawbreakers, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples wrote Thursday in a letter to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Full Story
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UPDATED: State Rep. Lance Gooden’s bill to prevent unmanned drones from capturing indiscriminate surveillance won approval in the lower chamber on Friday. Full Story
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The House clock may not be on the side of a bill to regulate the use of cellphone records in law enforcement investigations. Full Story
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The tone on immigration this session is vastly different compared with 2011, when the Legislature entertained more than 100 immigration-enforcement measures. But legislation that would benefit undocumented immigrants is still unlikely to pass on its own. Full Story
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Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, in jail on a drunken driving conviction, could be released as early as Thursday. Full Story
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Analysts and lawmakers say Mexico’s recent decision to change the access that U.S. law enforcement agencies have in that country should not be considered a slap in the face. But the strong ties between the two nations could be impacted. Full Story
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State Rep. Phil King on Tuesday pulled an amendment that would transfer power over the state’s public integrity away from Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg. But King said he has the support to attach it to future bills. Full Story
The House on Monday approved a bill that allows the state's sprawling prison system to continue operations but doesn't specifically shutter two privately operated lockups that legislators in the upper chamber have voted to close. Full Story
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A handful of gun rights expansion bills debated over the weekend received final passage in the House Monday, including two measures that could impact how students of Texas colleges, universities and public schools see firearms carried and used on campus. Full Story
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Texas colleges, universities and public schools could see more firearm-carrying students or authorities under two gun rights expansion bills that got preliminary approval in the House on Saturday. Full Story
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Members of the National Rifle Association gathered in Houston on Friday at their annual convention to listen to a wide array of national figures — but it was Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz who got the warmest welcomes. Full Story
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In what some consider a dramatic shift from the anti-immigration rhetoric that dominated the state Capitol just two years ago, a House committee on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would protect immigrant victims of and witnesses to crimes. Full Story
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A private company that runs 12 of the state's prison facilities is being sued by a publication that says the company is failing to release information related to deaths and health care at the Dawson State Jail in Dallas. Full Story
State Rep. Lance Gooden’s bill to prevent unmanned drones from capturing indiscriminate surveillance — a measure that has more than 80 co-authors in the House — is facing opposition from some law enforcement officials. Full Story