The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
You already knew about Donald Trump’s reverence for Twitter, but it’s still surprising that a Texas judge known mainly for his funny tweets would land on the Republican presidential candidate’s list of possible U.S. Supreme Court nominees. Full Story
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Less than a year and a half into his term, Gov. Greg Abbott appears to be following a path traveled by his two predecessors — write a book, raise your profile and then? Full Story
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The Brownsville-based judge who halted President Obama’s 2014 executive action on immigration has decided that ethics classes are in order for the attorneys who defended the policy. Full Story
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A trio of Texas Republican lawmakers says the U.S. Library of Congress is bowing to political pressure by eliminating the terms “illegal alien” and “alien” from its search and subject heading classifications. Full Story
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An ambitious effort by the state's legal community to provide legal representation to immigrant children hasn't had quite the impact some had hoped. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott is steering clear of the legal problems swirling around two of his fellow Republican statewide officeholders. Full Story
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Convicted of five misdemeanor counts of illegally soliciting clients to his personal injury law practice, state Rep. Ron Reynolds is now without a license to practice law. Full Story
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Federal officials stationed on the Texas-Mexico border called legal border crossers “whores” and “criminals” and subjected others to unwarranted searches and coercion, according to a complaint a civil liberties group submitted to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general Tuesday. Full Story
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The more prescriptive a party platform becomes, the more it reads like a directive to the Legislature. In Texas, the GOP platform becomes a way to build the kind of grassroots support that can spur action from legislators. That, in turn, attracts lobbyists. Full Story
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Super PACs backing Ted Cruz's presidential bid didn't just raise millions, they pioneered a new way to channel the money into his effort. The results were mixed. Full Story
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Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday vowed to "tighten it up" when it comes to granting emergency leave to state employees. Full Story
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In an increasingly testy Republican runoff for railroad commissioner, state Rep. Wayne Christian is reaching into Gary Gates' legal history in an effort to paint his opponent as a “slumlord.” Full Story
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Texans are on pace to rely more heavily on natural gas, wind and solar energy to power their lives in the coming decades, according to an analysis commissioned by the Texas Clean Energy Coalition. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday the fight is not finished when it comes to regulations in Austin that have driven ride-hailing companies out of the state capital. Full Story
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It’s not really news that the latest Republican Party of Texas platform has some offbeat ideas in it. That’s always the case. The platform is the state GOP’s biennial gift to political reporters and columnists. But it's also the clearest expression of the GOP's preferences and intentions. Full Story
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A Rio Grande Valley political fight for the ages enters its home stretch as early voting begins Monday in the Democratic runoff battle to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa in Texas’ 15th Congressional District. Full Story
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Scenes from the 2016 state Republican Party convention in Dallas, Texas. Full Story
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Coming together, at least for now, is not easy. That was on full display over the past three days here at the Texas GOP convention, where a party once solidly behind favorite son Ted Cruz in the presidential race grappled with uniting behind his fiercest rival and now the presumptive nominee, Donald Trump. Full Story
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The two statewide officials whose halos have slipped got a couple of the least-prominent speaking spots at the Texas GOP convention. They weren’t the stars of this show, but the GOP faithful appear to be giving both the benefit of the doubt. Full Story
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Texas Republicans approved their 2016 platform, weighing in on transgender bathroom rules and many other aspects of American life. Party officials, however, averted determined efforts by some delegates to insert a plank in favor of allowing Texas to secede from the United States. Full Story