The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon plans to revive her efforts to create an "innocence commission" to look into old cases of wrongful convictions. But she acknowledges that the legislation faces a difficult challenge. Full Story
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Prison investigator A.P. Merillat's court testimony about the violence inmates serving life sentences can inflict has helped send at least 15 murderers to death row. Now, his credibility has been condemned by the state’s highest criminal court. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court denied death row inmate Cleve Foster's fourth request for a stay his execution, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening. Full Story
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Texas Juvenile Justice Department spokesman Jim Hurley said Jay Kimbrough, who served as interim leader of the agency from May until this month, will be returning to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright is resigning at the end of the month to join an Austin law firm, the court announced Wednesday. Full Story
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Harris County says it is running out of room to store blood in closed investigations. The district attorney is asking the attorney general to allow courts to order the destruction of old evidence. Some worry that could set a dangerous precedent. Full Story
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Democrat Keith Hampton is focusing his campaign to lead the state’s top criminal court on winning over Republicans. That is the key, he says, to defeating controversial long-time Judge Sharon Keller. Full Story
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A civil rights group is protesting a new $30 fee for submitting comments on pending open-records requests to the state attorney general's office. The group also wants to know where the money generated from the fee goes. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers passed a law they hoped would prevent faulty eyewitness identifications, which have been the leading cause of wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project of Texas is checking to see if the law is being implemented. Full Story
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Recovering organs from willing convicted murderers may seem like a reasonable method to reduce the organ waiting list, but the proposal is fraught with challenges that make it unlikely to ever be an option. Full Story
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The incoming director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department on how his experience has prepared him for his new role and how he'll solve the problems that have long plagued the state's juvenile system. Full Story
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For youths who are considered some of the most troubled in the juvenile justice system, the Phoenix Program is a last chance to straighten their paths. For the troubled juvenile system, it may be the road to reform. Full Story
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The Texas Juvenile Justice Board on Friday voted to hire Michael Griffiths to be the next leader of the youth justice agency as it struggles to improve security and safety at its juvenile correctional facilities. Full Story
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Instead of continuing to spend millions on problem-plagued secure facilities operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, juvenile justice reform advocates say legislators should invest more in local probation departments. Full Story
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A Lubbock County judge is making headlines after suggesting that President Obama might hand over sovereignty of the United States to the United Nations, possibly igniting in a civil war. Full Story
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A judge in Montgomery County plans to recommend that the state move forward with the execution of Larry Swearingen, who argues that science proves he is innocent of the 1998 murder for which he was condemned to die. Full Story
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Despite recent high-profile shootings in Texas and other states, advocates on all sides of the gun-control debate say there is little chance for change to gun laws. Full Story
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Lawmakers say they want transparency and that the public should be able to see their finances. But state requirements allow officeholders to report their financial interests vaguely enough to hide conflicts. Full Story
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For years, beers sold in Texas have had to have special labels if they contained a certain amount of alcohol. After a rule change finalized by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission last month, brewers can now just call a beer a beer. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court declined a request to stay the execution of Marvin Wilson scheduled for this evening. Wilson's lawyers argue that he is mentally disabled and should be exempted from the death penalty. Full Story
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