TABC Looking to Speed Up Alcohol Permitting
The director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission told lawmakers on Wednesday that the agency is working on plans to make obtaining a beer or liquor license simpler and faster. Full Story
The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission told lawmakers on Wednesday that the agency is working on plans to make obtaining a beer or liquor license simpler and faster. Full Story
Freedom Place, outside of Houston, is Texas' first privately run safe house that provides long-term housing for American girls who are victims of sex trafficking. Full Story
A Texas Supreme Court GOP runoff has eight-year incumbent David Medina defending his spot against John Devine, a former district court judge known for his battle to keep the Ten Commandments displayed in his courtroom. Full Story
For Yokamon Hearn's scheduled execution on July 18, officials plan to administer a lethal dose of pentobarbital instead of the three-drug cocktail that has been used since Texas reinstated the death penalty in 1982. Full Story
Michael Morton’s exoneration last year brought to a crescendo in Texas calls for change in the way that prosecutors are regulated. Morton and others discuss whether there is a need for more accountability for state lawyers and how it ought to be accomplished. Full Story
Kerry Max Cook is battling with prosecutors to clear his name of a 1978 murder conviction, and says his mission is doomed if he must fight in Smith County. That's where a court ruled misconduct had “tainted this entire matter from the outset.” Full Story
At least 86 Texans' convictions were overturned between 1989 and 2011. A Tribune analysis finds that in nearly 25 percent of those cases, courts ruled that prosecutors made mistakes. Full Story
UPDATED: The Texas Juvenile Justice Department's board voted on Friday to implement new reforms aimed at reducing violence in the state's troubled youth lockups. It also named Jay Kimbrough interim executive director. Full Story
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned a death sentence for Manuel Velez, citing inaccurate testimony during Velez's sentencing. Full Story
Attorneys for the state of Texas and death row inmate Hank Skinner have filed a joint motion with the Court of Criminal Appeals to send his case back to district court so he can obtain DNA testing. Full Story
Our primary night scoreboard and liveblog, Aguilar on runoff strategy, Root and Batheja on Round two of Dewhurst vs. Cruz, M. Smith on how public education candidates fared, Ramshaw on what surprised pundits and pollsters, Galbraith on concerns over our electric grid, Aaronson on which government entities have access to your personal info, Grissom with the latest on the Hank Skinner case, Ramsey on Hispanic Republicans and part three of Tan's family planning series: The best of our best content from May 28 to June 1, 2012. Full Story
For years they’ve been the Butch and Sundance of Texas criminal justice policy. Republican state Rep. Jerry Madden and Democrat state Sen. John Whitmire have helped lead a sea change in the adult and juvenile prison systems. But the team is breaking up. Full Story
After nearly fours years leading the state's juvenile justice agency, Cherie Townsend announced on Tuesday that she will retire next month, following reports of increasing violence at Texas' youth lockups. Full Story
Texans favor the death penalty, even with the alternative of life without parole. They are also nominally in favor of abortion rights and are more likely than not to favor medically assisted suicide for terminal patients. Full Story
Endorsements stack up, so we've prepared a big spreadsheet to show you who is getting the political support of some prominent interest groups, trade groups and political action committees. Full Story
Researchers at two law schools Monday released an unprecedented listing of all the exoneration cases from the last 23 years. Only two states had more exonerations than Texas, according to the report. Full Story
The Columbia University law professor on the in-depth investigation his team conducted that they believe revealed that Carlos DeLuna did not commit the murder for which he was executed in 1989. Full Story
An administrative judge has again denied Kerry Max Cook's request to move his case out of Smith County, a decision the former death row inmate worries will doom his fight to legally prove his innocence. Full Story
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday stayed the execution of a severely mentally ill inmate convicted of a 1989 robbery and murder at a Fort Worth Steak and Ale restaurant. Full Story
Defense lawyers argue that judges in Harris County — ordered to review a psychologist's work in two death penalty cases — are simply rubber-stamping the conclusions of the psychologist, who was reprimanded last year. Full Story