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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 executes David Renteria for 2001 murder of El Paso girl
Renteria’s attorneys unsuccessfully argued that the El Paso District Attorney’s Office violated his constitutional rights by not releasing all documents in his case. He was the eight person executed in Texas in 2023.
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Criminal Justice
Mexico “rejects” Texas’ proposal to allow state police to deport undocumented immigrants
Mexico said Texas’ Senate Bill 4 will violate the human rights of Mexican immigrants living in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott said he plans to sign the proposal into law.
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Criminal Justice
Voters in one of West Texas’ largest cities will decide whether to decriminalize marijuana in 2024
Voters in several Texas cities have sought to decriminalize marijuana. However, their efforts have been met by reluctant city councils that say they can’t go against state law.
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Criminal Justice
Texas inmate Syed Rabbani taken off death row after original appeal was left pending for decades
A prosecutor called delays in Rabbani’s long-standing appeal “a due process disaster.”
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Brent Brewer, who spent three decades on death row, for murder of Amarillo man
Brewer lost a clemency appeal earlier this week, despite one of his jurors pleading that his life be spared and an expert witness’ methods put into question. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to pause Brewer’s execution Thursday afternoon to hear arguments about the “junk science” used against him.
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Ken Paxton Impeachment
Nate Paul, the businessman at the center of Ken Paxton’s impeachment, charged with four new federal crimes
During the impeachment trial, whistleblowers testified they believed Paul to be a criminal and were concerned that Paxton was essentially turning the keys of the office over to him.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas case about whether domestic violence suspects can be banned from having guns
The high court heard arguments in the case brought by Zackey Rahimi, who went on a shooting spree after being placed under a domestic violence protective order. Rahimi argues that his constitutional right to bear arms was violated.
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Criminal Justice
Harris County judge sides with Ken Paxton’s prosecutors over pay dispute in securities fraud case
Judge Andrea Beall ruled Tuesday that the prosecutors, Brian Wice and Kent Schaffer, are owed the $300-an-hour rate by the county that they were promised when they started on the case in 2015.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Sweeping ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers heads to governor
The legislation, which Republican lawmakers have been trying to pass since 2021, offers no exceptions for doctors’ offices, clinics or other health facilities.