Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today called on GOP Gov. Rick Perry to remove claims on his public and campaign Web sites that crime on the Texas border has dropped 65 percent. Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner defended the claims. He said Perry’s claim refers to temporary crime drops in discreet areas during so-called “border surge” operations.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Skinner Gets a Stay
Hank Skinner was set to die Wednesday for the 1993 murders of his live-in girlfriend and her two mentally disabled adult sons — a crime he insists he did not commit. About an hour before he was to have poison pushed through his veins, the U.S. Supreme Court spared his life.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: U.S. Supreme Court Grants Stay for Skinner
The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay this evening of the execution of death row inmate Hank Skinner, who was scheduled to die today.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Mexico-U.S. Launch New Programs
Senior leaders from the United States and Mexico agreed the two countries will begin swapping intelligence on suspected terrorists and Mexican felons following discussions in Mexico City on Tuesday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Lawmakers Urge Perry to Grant Skinner Reprieve
State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and state Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, wrote Gov. Rick Perry letters today urging him to grant a 30-day reprieve for death-row inmate Hank Skinner, who is scheduled for execution tomorrow.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Read Abbott’s Health Care Lawsuit
President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill into law this morning. Texas and 12 other states promptly filed a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. Read that lawsuit here.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Abbott Explains Health Care Lawsuit
Listen to Attorney General Greg Abbott explain why he and other attorneys general are suing the federal government over the just-passed health care reform bill.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Pardons Board Rejects Skinner Request
The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles today unanimously rejected death-row inmate Hank Skinner’s request for a reprieve from his execution, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Data App: Even More Payroll
We’ve added 14 school districts (from Aldine to San Antonio) and five counties (Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Travis) to our government payroll app — an addition of 140,000 public employees earning roughly $6 billion.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Texas “Fully Engaged” in Health Care Challenge
“It’s just a question of whether to file our own lawsuit or join a multistate effort,” says Attorney General Greg Abbott.