Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst issued a harsh rebuke of the Mexican government on Thursday for issuing what he called an “offensive” statement on the border surge that coincided with the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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
Death Row Inmate Trottie Executed for 1993 Murders
UPDATED: Texas death row inmate Willie Tyrone Trottie was executed by lethal injection Wednesday evening in Huntsville for the 1993 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her brother.
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Criminal Justice
Senator: State Not Moving to Make Voter IDs Available
Texas Senate Democrats say their request for more mobile units on Texas streets to give voters without an acceptable photo ID a chance to get one before November’s election have been virtually ignored.
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Criminal Justice
Death Row Inmate’s Attorneys Say Execution Drugs Have Expired
The latest battle over the efficacy of lethal injection drugs made by compounding pharmacies surfaced on Tuesday in an eleventh-hour appeal filed on behalf of a Texas inmate scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday.
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Criminal Justice
Video: Program Unites Veterans Serving Time
They served their country, then ended up on the wrong side of the law. But many of Texas’ veterans serving time behind bars are getting the guidance to stay out of the legal system upon their release, thanks to a new Texas Department of Criminal Justice program.
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Criminal Justice
Lawyers File Motion To Quash Perry’s Indictment
Gov. Rick Perry’s lawyers have filed a second challenge to the governor’s indictment on Monday, asking a judge to dismiss the charges against him as unconstitutional.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Politics
New in TribTalk: Henson, Blank on the Real Stakes of the Perry Indictment
UT/Texas Tribune pollsters Jim Henson and Joshua Blank take a look at whether the indictment, in calling attention to Gov. Rick Perry’s view of the governor’s authority, will affect the power of the office after his departure.
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Criminal Justice
Democratic Lawmakers Ask For More Mobile Voter ID Units
Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, concerned over the low number of residents eligible to vote who have no photo indentification to do so have asked Secretary of State Nandita Berry to work on making mobile ID units more available between now and November.
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Criminal Justice
Corruption Case Casts Shadow Over Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Race
Former Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño, a Democrat, was sentenced to prison in July for taking money from a drug trafficker. But analysts say it’s unlikely that the case will lead to a Republican taking the reins as sheriff after the next election.
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Criminal Justice
Testimony Begins in Trial Over State’s Voter ID Law
In a trial that’s expected to last two weeks, plaintiff’s lawyers are arguing that Texas’ voter ID law is designed to neutralize the voting power of Texas’ growing minority population. But lawyers with the AG’s office say that the law is focused on stamping out fraud.
