The state’s highest civil court said it wants a lower court to resolve a separation-of-powers issue raised by a group of Texas lawmakers who subpoenaed the death row inmate the night before he was set to be put to death.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
Posted in
Robert Roberson
What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?
The American Academy of Pediatrics embraces the diagnosis, but courts have thrown out some cases, calling it “junk science.”
Posted in
Robert Roberson
With little say over Robert Roberson’s fate, Texas lawmakers take extraordinary steps to buy him more time
With Roberson’s options dwindling, a House panel used its bully pulpit to prove his case and excoriate the failures of the state’s junk science law.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Ag Commissioner Sid Miller’s former political consultant pleads guilty to bribery
Todd Smith’s plea comes days before he was set to go to trial, where Miller was subpoenaed to testify.
Posted in
Robert Roberson
Robert Roberson’s final efforts to stop Texas execution dwindle as support for clemency grows
Few options to avoid death remain for the Palestine man, who is set to be executed Thursday on the basis of a shaken baby syndrome diagnosis.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller subpoenaed to testify in his former political consultant’s criminal trial
Todd Smith was indicted in 2022 on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s office.
Posted in
Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde city officials release missing footage from officers responding to 2022 Robb Elementary shooting
The new videos largely affirm prior reporting and investigations that detailed law enforcement’s failures to confront the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Supreme Court to review death penalty appeal challenging Texas’s DNA testing law
Ruben Gutierrez was sentenced to death for the 1998 Brownsville murder of an elderly woman. His execution was stayed in July.
Posted in
2024 Texas Elections
Texas prisoners, including death row inmates, may be able to vote under little-known elections law
Texas elections law says state prison inmates who are appealing their convictions are eligible to register. Many lawyers and voting rights advocates were unaware of the rule.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas executes Harris County man tied to five killings
Garcia White, who killed twin sisters, became the fifth Texas inmate put to death in 2024 after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to issue a stay of execution.