TribCast: Legal fights continue over Texas' new abortion law
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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![Human rights activist Patty Harlan leads a chant during a protest and march against Senate Bill 8, Texas' new law prohibiting most abortions, in downtown Houston on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
We annotated Texas’ near-total abortion ban. Here’s what the law says about enforcement.
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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![An ultrasound machine sits next to an empty patient bed at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.]()
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How the quorum break got broken: Texas Democrats splintered during second session break
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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![From left: Houston democratic state Reps. Ana Hernandez, Garnet Coleman, and Armando Lucio Walle on the House floor on Aug. 23, 2021]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Biden administration extends vaccine mandate to large U.S. companies
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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![President Joe Biden delivered remarks in honor of labor unions during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 08, 2021.]()
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U.S. Justice Department sues Texas over new abortion law that Attorney General Merrick Garland calls unconstitutional
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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![One of the six exam rooms at Haven Health Clinics in downtown Amarillo on Dec. 9, 2013. The clinic provides services for women and some men in the 26 county region of the Texas panhandle.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune -
Court allows Ken Paxton's criminal case to move forward in his home county, but prosecutors say they'll appeal
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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![Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Analysis: Man bites dog, tries to make amends
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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![Governor Greg Abott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen pet Pancake, the governor’s dog after their joint press conference. Jan. 9, 2019.]()
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Congressional Democrats urge U.S. attorney general to prosecute any Texas abortion “vigilantes”
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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![U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland listened to community leaders while visiting youth baseball games held by the Chicago Westside Sports at Columbus Park on July 22, 2021.]()
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Special Texas House election for former state Rep. Leo Pacheco’s San Antonio-area district will be Sept. 28
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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![Empty chairs on the House floor on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
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Fearful of being sued under new law, three of four San Antonio abortion facilities stop offering the procedure
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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![Pregnancy and abortion related brochures in Austin on June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for redistricting, other conservative priorities starting Sept. 20
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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Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks
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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![People vote inside the gym at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didn’t.
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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![A sign outside of a South Austin store asked customers to follow COVID-19 precautions on March 3, 2021.]()
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Justice Department exploring ways to challenge Texas’ abortion ban, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says
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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![U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on June 25, 2021.]()
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Texas’ second special session of the year is over. Here are five things you need to know.
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 House floor on Aug. 17, 2021.]()
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Texas must pay $6.8 million in legal fees to parties who challenged voter ID law, federal appeals court says
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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![Voting at the Flawn Academic Center on campus of The University of Texas.]()
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Before the legislation is even signed, Texas’ new voting rules are challenged in two federal lawsuits
Harris County joined a coalition of community and advocacy groups filing lawsuits over Senate Bill 1, arguing the far-reaching rewrite of Texas voting laws violates the U.S. Constitution and numerous federal laws and will suppress voters. Full Story
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![A voter leaves the early voting site at the Archer Courthouse Annex in Archer on Oct. 28, 2020.]()
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Abortion ban, permitless carry, elections bill: The week that solidified Texas' hard right turn after the 2020 election
Texas’ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the state’s political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election. Full Story
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Texas must do more to effectively prevent carbon monoxide disasters, experts say
Months after the deadly gas killed at least 17 Texans during a massive winter storm, lawmakers have failed to take significant action to protect most of the state’s residents. Full Story
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Texas doctors association condemns abortion ban, says it encourages “vigilante interference” in doctor-patient relationship
The Texas Medical Association called two anti-abortion bills unconstitutional and criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for not blocking the broader law from going into effect. Full Story
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![An empty examination room at the Midway Family Planning clinic in Brownwood.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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