Texas reform advocates want to close all state-run youth lockups
Juvenile justice reform advocates want all the state's youth lockups closed after the department's latest sexual misconduct scandal. Full Story
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What's happening in Harris County now that the sheriff issues bail bonds?
The burden of a federal court order mandating the free release of poor misdemeanor defendants from jail has fallen onto the Harris County Sheriff. County data shows more than 40 percent of the sheriff's bonds fail because defendants aren't showing up to court, but critics say that number doesn't tell the whole story. Full Story
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![The Harris Co. Sheriff's Office and Detention Facility in Houston.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halts state's last execution of 2017
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped the state's last remaining execution of 2017, sending the San Antonio case back to court to resolve claims of false testimony at trial. Full Story
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![Juan Castillo]()
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Days later, cause of Border Patrol agent's death still unclear
Days after a U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed and another seriously wounded, details about what happened to the agents, or even whether they were attacked, are still scarce. Full Story
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![U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at a processing facility in Brownsville on June 18, 2014.]()
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He thought he had a free court-appointed lawyer. Then he got a $10k bill.
Defendants in Texas and across the country are sometimes asked to reimburse the government for the cost of their court-appointed lawyer through a practice called recoupment. Full Story
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![The Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro.]()
Credit: Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0. -
In race against Keller, Republican highlighting infamous death row call
Sharon Keller, the longtime presiding judge of Texas' Court of Criminal Appeals, has tried to move on from several past ethical controversies — including blocking the last-minute appeal of a 2007 execution. A primary challenger hopes voters will reconsider them. Full Story
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![Sharon Keller and David Bridges are both running in the 2018 Republican primary for presiding judge of the state's Court of Criminal Appeals.]()
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Texas executes Mexican national despite international ire
Texas executed a Mexican national late Wednesday night despite a flurry of last-minute appeals and objections from his native country and United Nations human rights experts. Full Story
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![Ruben Cardenas was sentenced to death almost 20 years ago for the kidnap, rape and murder of his 16-year-old cousin.]()
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"Sanctuary cities" law hearing draws debate on free speech, ICE detainers
It was round two in New Orleans on Tuesday for attorneys for the state of Texas and opponents of the state’s anti-“sanctuary cities” law, Senate Bill 4. Full Story
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![A massive protest engulfs the Capitol Rotunda as anti-SB 4 protesters rally on May 29, 2017, the last day of the 85th legislative session.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Air Force: Shooter who killed 26 in Texas church should not have been allowed to buy guns
The Air Force has released a statement that it failed to report Devin Kelley's domestic violence conviction to a national database used to screen firearms buyers. Full Story
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![Mourners gathered for the victims of the First Baptist Church shooting at a candlelight vigil in Sutherland Springs on Sunday night, Nov. 5, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
For Sutherland Springs residents, mass shootings seemed a world away — before Sunday
Mass shootings have become common throughout the nation, but when a community of only about 650 people lost 26 in one event Sunday morning, everyone in Sutherland Springs was impacted. Full Story
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![Lupe Picasso came from La Vernia with her 3-year old son to offer help to the residents of nearby Sutherland Springs, site of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
At least 26 dead after worst mass shooting in Texas history at San Antonio-area church
A lone gunman killed at least 26 people and injured many more at a church in Sutherland Springs. The tiny town was left reeling from the deadliest shooting at a place of worship in American history. Full Story
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![Police tape cordons off the crime scene at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs after the worst mass shooting in Texas history on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Prosecutor asks for current medical standards in death penalty evaluations
The top prosecutor in Harris County is proposing a new way for Texas to determine if a death-sentenced inmate is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution: use the current clinical books. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bobby Moore, a man who has been on death row since 1980, in March 2017.]()
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Trump nominating Ryan Patrick, son of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, to be U.S. attorney
Ryan Patrick, who worked as a state district judge until losing a re-election campaign this past November, would become the top federal prosecutor in one of the busiest districts in the country. Full Story
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![Former Houston prosecutor and district judge Ryan Patrick is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's son.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court examines investigatory funding in Texas death penalty case
A 1995 murder of a Houston woman led a case to the nation's highest court Monday. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue of federal funding in death penalty investigations during the appeals process. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
District attorney closes probe into Paxton legal defense gift
Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley said her office had closed its investigation into whether Attorney General Ken Paxton acted illegally in accepting a $100,000 gift from a CEO whose company was under investigation for fraud. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton speaks at the Texas State Rifle Association General Meeting in Round Rock on Feb. 25, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Legislators mull changing Texas law allowing criminal charges against rent-to-own customers
Texas lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said Friday they are mulling legislative reforms to criminal laws that allow rent-to-own companies to pursue felony theft charges against customers who default on payments for sofas, TVs and other merchandise. Full Story
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![A rent-to-own company threatened to file criminal charges against Austin resident Melinda Sandlin after she stopped making payments. Sandlin looks through her rental purchase agreement and other related documents at her Austin home on Aug. 30, 2017.]()
Credit: Charlie Pearce for The Texas Tribune -
How renting furniture in Texas can land you in jail
While other businesses have to use civil remedies when customers don't pay their debts, the rent-to-own industry has a special tool in Texas law that lets them file criminal charges, an investigation by the Tribune and NerdWallet found. Full Story
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![A rent-to-company threatened to file criminal charges against Austin resident Melinda Sandlin after she stopped making payments. Sandlin looks through her rental purchase agreement and other related documents at her Austin home on August 30, 2017.]()
Credit: Charlie Pearce for The Texas Tribune -
How Harvey-affected kids in jail or on probation are getting help in Houston
Dozens of minors in jail or on probation in Harris County are facing new hurdles after Hurricane Harvey. A local nonprofit is expanding to help youth in the criminal justice system who've lost everything in the storm. Full Story
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![Ron Williams, an outreach worker at Houston reVision, pulls supplies from a stockpile of donations to bring to a Harvey-displaced teen on probation on Oct. 17, 2017.]()
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Admitting error, prosecutors drop charges against Rep. Dawnna Dukes
Attorneys for state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, said Monday all criminal charges against her had been dropped. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has a laugh with state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, during an afternoon budget debate on April 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Victoria Neave pleads no contest to June DWI charge
The Dallas Democrat, who was arrested for driving while intoxicated in June, said Friday she will pay a fine and be put on 12 months of probation. Full Story
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![Mugshot of state Rep. Victoria Neave, D-Dallas, arrested for DWI in Dallas late Tuesday, June 6.]()
Credit: Dallas Police Department