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.
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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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.
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Guns in Texas
A public health response helped reduce fatal car wrecks in Texas. Can it do the same for gun deaths?
For the first time in a generation, Texans were more likely to die of gunshot wounds than car crashes in 2021. Experts worry a lack of research on the issue has hampered the search for solutions.
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Criminal Justice
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s securities fraud trial set for April 15
The charges stem from accusations that in 2011 Paxton tried to solicit investors in a McKinney technology company without disclosing that it was paying him to promote its stock. The attorney general has pleaded not guilty.
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Guns in Texas
“It’s hell”: Surge of Texas kids dying from gun violence carves canyons of grief through families
In 2012, around 100 Texans under 18 died of gunshot wounds. Last year, that number reached nearly 300.
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Criminal Justice
Texas’ top criminal court halts William Speer’s execution hours before he was scheduled to die
Speer has been on death row for decades after strangling another inmate at a Texas prison. The victim’s sister and faith leaders have both called on the parole board to halt the execution.
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Criminal Justice
Texas high school principal cleared of child abuse charges after paddling student
The East Texas school leader was following school district policy — and state law — which allows for corporal punishment. Texas is one of 17 states that allows it, despite one Democrats efforts to ban the practice.
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Criminal Justice
Why a Texas Panhandle city hit pause on a proposed abortion “travel ban” — for now
Amarillo’s city council said it will continue to study the issue. The city is one of just a few in Texas to reject the policy pushed by anti-abortion activists.
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Criminal Justice
San Marcos forced to pay $175,000 to Wendy Davis, other Democrats after “Trump Train” incident
Four people on a Biden campaign bus accused police of ignoring requests for help as they drove on Interstate 35 surrounded by Trump supporters. They alleged that officers “joked about the victims and their distress.” A second lawsuit related to the incident remains pending.
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Criminal Justice
Biden administration settles lawsuit over Trump-era migrant family separation policy
If the settlement is approved, the federal government would be prohibited from adopting a similar policy for the next eight years. Affected immigrants would be allowed to be in the country legally and receive work permits and other benefits.