The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The man had told a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper that his truck contained hemp, not weed. He was released from detention after a federal crime lab tested the cargo. Full Story
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After Texas legalized hemp and threw marijuana prosecution into chaos last year, prosecutors filed far fewer criminal charges, police departments paid for private testing and public crime labs were struggling to catch up. Full Story
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Fierro was sentenced to death in El Paso in 1980 for the murder of a taxi driver. Full Story
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Caught off guard by the increase in teen vaping, schools are grasping every tool at hand, including expulsions and suspensions. In some districts, students can face harsh discipline and jail time for having a vape pen in their backpack. Full Story
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Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo made the remarks after one of his sergeants was killed while responding to a domestic violence incident. Full Story
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U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison said the lawyers can further probe the Texas prison agency's violations of a court order to provide air conditioning for some inmates — and agency officials’ false claims that they were in compliance. Full Story
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A Texas court has twice overturned death sentences because of one man’s false testimony on restrictions placed on prisoners. Runnels argued the same man’s testimony should have stopped his death, too. Full Story
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Although there are fewer people in prison than there were a decade ago, costs have surged along with the share of inmates who are older — and sicker. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune takes a look at Reed's case as it is sent back to the local court, which will review claims that he is innocent of the murder that put him on death row. Full Story
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The ruling came hours after the Texas parole board recommended that Gov. Greg Abbott delay Reed’s death for 120 days. Full Story
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The Eagle Pass Democrat was caught on video surveillance dropping an envelope of cocaine on the ground at the Austin airport. Full Story
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Dozens of lawmakers — both Republicans and Democrats — have asked Gov. Greg Abbott and the parole board to stop Reed's execution. There are also multiple appeals in the courts. Full Story
The store where a gunman killed nearly two dozen people and shot dozens more in August opened its doors Thursday, setting off a wave of mixed emotions in a community still grieving. Full Story
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On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Emma and Jolie about Ag Commissioner Sid Miller’s latest Facebook rhetoric, the escalating pressure on the governor in the Rodney Reed death penalty case and a court of criminal appeals race that has everything going for it but an actual election. Full Story
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A U.S. Border Patrol Agent in El Paso fired across the border and killed a Mexican teen in 2010. The justices will decide whether the teen's family can sue the U.S. government. Full Story
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Texas has a history of deadly mass shootings. Many have sparked public debate about what legislation should be passed to prevent another one. Full Story
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"If there is credible evidence there’s a real chance a defendant is innocent, that evidence should be weighed carefully," Cruz tweeted Friday night. Full Story
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Amid confusion over the state’s mandatory retirement law, a state official confirmed to the Democratic Party months ago that the race for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 would appear on the 2020 ballot. It probably won't. Full Story
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For the second time, a court has stopped Murphy's execution over concerns that the Texas prison system's execution procedures discriminate against non-Christian inmates. Full Story
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Hall told a trial judge he needed "to be put down" in 2016. Lawyers questioned his mental health and asked an El Paso court to delay the execution until Hall's competency can be evaluated. Full Story
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