Thomas’ attorneys appealed saying that some members of the jury that sentenced him had expressed racist views. In their dissent, the court’s three liberal justices wrote that Thomas’ conviction and death sentence were unconstitutional.
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 may delay trial for alleged Walmart shooter if federal prosecutors want to seek death penalty
A state district judge in El Paso said Tuesday that he’ll wait to see what federal prosecutors decide in their case before moving ahead with a state trial for the man accused of killing 23 shoppers in 2019.
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Criminal Justice
Texas bans many proven tools for helping drug users. Advocates are handing them out anyway.
As overdoses skyrocketed amid the pandemic and the fentanyl crisis, advocates across the state are working discreetly to distribute these supplies as part of a practice to combat substance use disorder known as harm reduction.
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El Paso shooting
Chaos surrounding rookie El Paso DA Yvonne Rosales fuels concerns about Walmart massacre prosecution
Mistakes and backbiting have engulfed the El Paso County district attorney’s office. Some question whether she is competent to handle one of the most high-profile death penalty cases in recent Texas history.
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Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde school district suspends its entire police department, and superintendent announces retirement plans
All of the department’s activities were suspended for an unspecified period of time, and two employees were placed on administrative leave after it was revealed this week that one of the first state troopers to respond to the deadly school shooting in May was later hired as a district police officer.
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Criminal Justice
Biden is calling for marijuana possession pardons. But that doesn’t mean it’ll happen in Texas.
Biden’s federal pardons will help at least 6,500 people, though most possession crimes are charged at the state level. Gov. Greg Abbott hasn’t yet said whether he’ll follow suit. Gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke was quick to support the measure.
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Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde schools hire — and then fire — former DPS trooper under investigation for shooting response
Gov. Greg Abbott said the school district knew the ex-trooper “had actions inconsistent with training and department requirements.”
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Criminal Justice
Brittney Griner’s wife says WNBA star is at “weakest moment” before final hearing could send her to a Russian labor camp
The two-time Olympic champion’s wife spoke out for the first time since Griner’s sentencing two months ago in an interview with CBS’ Gayle King.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes John Ramirez for the 2004 murder of a Corpus Christi man
Earlier this year, Ramirez won a legal fight to have his pastor beside him at his execution.
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Criminal Justice
A Mexican farmworker crossed the border dreaming of building his family a home. Days later, he was fatally shot in West Texas.
Jesús Iván Sepúlveda Martínez was living in his parents’ home with his wife and 6-month-old baby. His family says he left Mexico for Austin to seek work painting houses when he was shot to death.