El Paso County District Attorney Yvonne Rosales has been accused of bungling cases and is ensnared in controversy surrounding prosecution of the alleged gunman in the 2019 Walmart massacre.
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 diverts $359.6 million from prisons to keep Greg Abbott’s border mission operating
The latest infusion was among $874.6 million in “emergency” budget transfers requested by the Texas Legislative Budget Board, which is composed of GOP state leaders and budget writers.
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Criminal Justice
Texas tries again to prove that Scott Panetti is just sane enough to be executed
The convicted murderer’s lengthy history of schizophrenia and delusions is well documented, from trying to call Jesus Christ as a trial witness to believing that prison dentists put a transmitter in his tooth.
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Uvalde school shooting
Texas DPS chief Steve McCraw says his agency “did not fail” at Uvalde school shooting
At a public meeting where families that lost children in the school shooting said he should resign, McCraw said members of the Department of Public Safety made mistakes. But he said he’ll step down only “if DPS as an institution failed the families.”
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Criminal Justice
Former Houston lawmaker Ron Wilson pleads guilty to federal tax evasion
Ron Wilson, a Democrat who served as state representative between 1977 and 2004, pleads guilty to one count of tax evasion after trying to hide some of his income and failing to pay taxes over two decades.
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Guides
What to know before voting for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges
Texans will vote on three seats for the state’s highest criminal court in November. Here’s what the court does, who is running for office and what issues candidates are running on.
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Uvalde school shooting
Texas state trooper who responded to Uvalde shooting fired amid investigations into police response
Department of Public Safety Sgt. Juan Maldonado is the first state police officer fired in the aftermath of a botched police response to the shooting. He was the highest-ranking state trooper to initially respond to Robb Elementary School.
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Criminal Justice
Voter fraud charges dismissed against Hervis Rogers, Houston man who waited hours to vote in 2020
Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued charges against Rogers, who was on parole when he voted in the 2020 primary election. But a judge tossed the case after a higher court said Paxton can’t unilaterally prosecute election crimes.
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Uvalde school shooting
Uvalde school officials approve terms of superintendent’s retirement without publicly disclosing them
The school board also named Gary Patterson as the interim superintendent, but didn’t say when he would start or Harrell would depart.
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Criminal Justice
Texas struggles to get guns away from domestic violence suspects, leaving victims in danger
Although there are laws on the books preventing certain people from possessing guns, there are few places in the state where the criminal justice system has programs to hand over firearms to law enforcement — leaving survivors at a heightened risk for gun violence.
