The governor’s threats have produced quick wins on hot-button issues important to the GOP base – immigration and perceived threats posed by Islam.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
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Criminal Justice
Texas agency that inspects jails doesn’t go far to find its new director
Ricky Armstrong had been interim director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which monitors county lockups that mainly hold people awaiting trial, since February.
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Criminal Justice
Austin bar shooter didn’t have international terrorism ties, FBI says
Three people died and 15 were injured in the attack, now considered an “impulsive” act. Investigators don’t know why the gunman chose Austin’s busy entertainment district to open fire.
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Criminal Justice
Two killed, three injured in shooting at Carrollton shopping mall
Police said the shooting was not a random act and that the suspect had been arrested.
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Immigration
How the unreported killing of an American by ICE shattered two Texas families
Josh Orta was the sole witness of Ruben Martinez’s death to dispute the government’s account. Months later, he died in a crash after learning an ICE agent killed his friend.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes James Broadnax after Supreme Court rejects final appeal tied to cousin’s confession
Broadnax, who was convicted of killing two music producers in Garland in a 2008 robbery, is the third inmate executed by the state this year.
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Criminal Justice
Texas inmate James Broadnax faces Thursday execution amid final appeal arguing he wasn’t the shooter
The death row inmate has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his execution, pointing to a codefendant’s confession in the shooting death of two people.
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Criminal Justice
Two years after a judge recommended her murder conviction be tossed, Melissa Lucio still waits for freedom
A district judge provided two recommendations to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2024, but the court’s process provides no details on when it will rule on the death row inmate’s innocence.
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Criminal Justice
Houston City Council approves gutting policy limiting ICE cooperation, civil rights groups say
In contrast to the civil rights groups’ assessment, Houston’s city attorney told council members that the amendment — crafted by the mayor’s staff and the governor’s office — brings no major changes.
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Criminal Justice
Austin expands encampment clean-ups, as shelter shortage leaves few options
The city has ramped up encampment enforcement while officials concede there aren’t enough beds for those displaced.