The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued nine more school districts over their masking rules. One says it doesn’t mandate them. Another says it doesn’t enforce mask-wearing at Paxton’s request. Full Story
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Officials said immigration authorities weren’t interested in taking migrants who had no criminal conviction into federal custody. But without documentation, at least one newly released migrant soon found himself back in detention. Full Story
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The field for the Sept. 28 contest has attracted three Democrats and two Republicans. Full Story
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It's usually the state suing the feds, but now the federal government is suing Texas for outlawing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. There are more lawsuits between the state and federal governments to come. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Allyson, Patrick and Reese about the court battles over Texas' abortion law and Abbott's call for a third special session. Full Story
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The law will be carried out by civilians “deputized” to do what the state cannot: enforce its new restrictive abortion law. Here’s where the process is laid out in the statute and what it means. Full Story
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For House Democrats, the story of the second special session is much different from that of the first one. The excitement of leaving the state had worn off, the media spotlight had dimmed and the pressures to return home were mounting. Full Story
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Sweeping new mandates apply to businesses with more than 100 employees, whose workers would have to be inoculated or face weekly testing. The White House estimates new policies will impact about 80 million workers, or two-thirds of the country’s workforce. Full Story
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Garland called the law a "scheme to nullify the Constitution of the United States." It prohibits the procedure before many people know that they are pregnant. Full Story
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In May, a three-justice panel of the 1st Court of Appeals sent the case back to Collin, Paxton's home county. Prosecutors asked the full court to reconsider. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation designed to protect dogs earlier this year. Now he's asking the Legislature to fix it — before next year’s elections. Full Story
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In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee urged the Department of Justice to take action against citizens who file suits against abortion seekers under the new law. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott set the special election date Tuesday. The race has already drawn several candidates from both parties, and Republicans are eager to make inroads in the San Antonio-area district. Full Story
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The facilities had a responsibility to patients who needed other reproductive services, said Jeffrey Hons, CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Texas. Full Story
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On top of redistricting, Abbott wants lawmakers to take up bills on restrictions for transgender student athletes and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Full Story
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SB 1 makes up Republicans’ third attempt to pass a far-reaching law that restricts how and when voters cast ballots. It takes particular aim at voting initiatives used in diverse, Democratic Harris County in the 2020 election. Full Story
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As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter. Full Story
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Garland provided no details of how federal officials may challenge one of the nation’s strictest bans on abortion. His statement came days after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the law, at least for now. Full Story
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Lawmakers will return to Austin at least one more time this year to redraw the state's political maps. Only Gov. Greg Abbott knows when that will be and if there will be additional special sessions beyond that. Full Story
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The case ricocheted through federal courts for nearly seven years and over several elections, with federal judges ruling that Texas lawmakers discriminated against Hispanic and Black voters when crafting one of the nation’s strictest voter ID laws. Full Story
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