A federal district judge Friday declined to order Texas officials to institute a temporary fix so children of undocumented immigrants born in the United States can get their birth certificates while a lawsuit filed by their parents is being tried.
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
Inside a Texas Lawyer’s Campaign to Ditch Workers’ Comp
One Texas attorney is helping companies opt out of workers’ compensation insurance and write their own rules. What does it mean for injured workers?
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Criminal Justice
Analysis: Compensating for a Loss on Campus Carry Legislation
Campus carry opponents lost their fight to keep guns off of state college and university grounds, so now they’re making fun of the people who want to carry guns on campus. With sex toys. The next act in this political theater won’t be boring.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Appeals Court Stays Julius Murphy Execution
East Texas inmate Julius Murphy’s execution is off the November calendar – for now. The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals on Monday stayed the 36-year-old’s execution, after his legal team presented claims of prosecutorial misconduct in his 1998 capital murder trial.
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Criminal Justice
Cornyn: Mental Health Legislation Provides New Tools
In Austin on Monday, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn promoted federal legislation that would require mental health checks before denying anyone the ability to purchase firearms.
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Criminal Justice
Abbott Enters Fray Over “In God We Trust”
In a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lent his full support to the Childress Police Department, which recently came under fire for displaying the motto “In God We Trust” on its patrol vehicles.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Politics
God & Governing: Marriage
Check out “God & Marriage” — part 4 of our “God & Governing” documentary-style series — to see how lawmakers’ personal religious beliefs drove the same-sex marriage battle during the 2015 Texas legislative session.
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Criminal Justice
Death Row Inmate Claims Witnesses Coerced
Attorneys for East Texas inmate Julius Jerome Murphy, scheduled for execution in early November for killing a stranded motorist, claimed in court papers filed Friday that prosecutors threatened and coerced witnesses to unjustly convict him.
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Criminal Justice
Patrick Directs Senators to Study Jail Safety, Police Safety
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick added police safety and jail safety issues, as well as sanctuary cities and veteran benefits to the Senate’s to-do list Friday ahead of the next scheduled legislative session in 2017.
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Criminal Justice
To Paxton’s Cheers, Court Blocks EPA Clean Water Rule
A federal appeals court has blocked a major Obama administration clean water rule, handing a victory to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other states trying to drown it in court.
