Judge denies Texas’ request to stop feds from cutting border razor wire
Judge Alia Moses ruled in the federal government’s favor but chided the Biden administration for not allowing migrants to use international bridges to claim asylum. Full Story
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![National Guard members install concertina wire along the river bank on private property owned by the Urbinas in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 28, 2023.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Federal appeals court questions Texas’ new school library regulations
House Bill 900 seeks to rid school libraries of inappropriate books by requiring book vendors to rate materials. A legal challenge says the law is too vague and broad. Full Story
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![Partitions sit on a table in the library at Judson High School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in Converse. The librarian purchased the partitions with her own funds for $7.50 each. Aisles of books are blocked off to control the flow of traffic through the library.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challenge
In August, a judge ruled that the state’s near-total abortion ban should not apply to medically complicated pregnancies. The state appealed that ruling to the Texas Supreme Court, putting it on hold. Full Story
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![President of Center for Reproductive Rights Nancy Northup speaks at a press conference announcing the filing of Zurawski v. State of Texas, at the Capitol on March 7, 2023. The lawsuit demands clarity from the state on what constitutes a “medical emergency” exception to abortion bans.]()
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“How long can we keep this up?” Food banks are under pressure from Texas’ high level of food insecurity
Inflation, stagnant federal funding for food programs and high housing costs mean that demand at food banks still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Full Story
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![Volunteers from left to right, Evelyn McMillen, Leigh Cox and Victor Surita help to package orders of groceries at El Buen Samaritano food pantry in Austin, Texas on Nov. 14, 2023.]()
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Whistleblowers ask judge to order Ken Paxton, aides to sit for depositions
The motion, filed Tuesday, comes a week after a judge in Burnet County allowed the 3-year-old whistleblower lawsuit to proceed. Full Story
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![At a press conference on May 26, 2023, Attorney General Ken Paxton with aides, from left to right: Tommy Tran, executive assistant; James R. Lloyd, associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation; Austin A. Kinghorn, associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel; Ryan Fisher, director of government relations; Joshua Reno, deputy attorney general for criminal justice; Suzanna Hupp, special adviser; Brent Webster, first assistant attorney general; Lesley French, chief of staff; George Lane, adviser; Paige Willey, deputy communications director; and Ralph M. Molina, deputy attorney general for legal strategy.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
School voucher fallout leaves Texas Legislature with no clear sense on next steps
Vouchers were left without a clear path forward after a decisive vote Friday. Gov. Greg Abbott, who had threatened lawmakers with more special sessions to pass the proposal, seems to have turned his attention to punishing voucher opponents in next year’s primary elections. Full Story
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![House Parliamentarian Hugh Brady, center, is joined at the dais by a group of State Representatives to discuss proceedings during a special legislative session at the state capitol in Nov. 17, 2023 in Austin.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
As Texas tries to end federal “parole” program for some immigrants, a Nicaraguan waits to see if he can stay
A Texas judge will decide the fate of a Biden administration program that allows people from four countries to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years. A man who sponsored his friend for the program has fought to save it. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Pubic Safety at the entrance to where hundreds of migrants wait to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inside a makeshift migrant camp about three hours after Title 42 ended at 9:59 p.m. local time, Friday, May 12, 2023, in El Paso.]()
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Texas school board launches investigation into how a trans student was stripped of his role in musical
The Sherman school board also temporarily ended the superintendent oversight of its fine arts programs pending the results of the investigation. Full Story
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![Amy and Phillip Hightower sit with their son Max Hightower in a hotel in Denton on Nov. 9, 2023.]()
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Texas board rejects many science textbooks over climate change messaging
The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education this week rejected most of the proposed textbooks that include climate science for eighth grade students. Five of 12 were approved. Full Story
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![Students walk between classes at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on August 24, 2021.]()
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Prominent anti-LGBTQ+ activist Jared Woodfill running for Texas House
If elected next year, Woodfill also plans to run for House speaker. His campaign accuses his 2024 opponent, conservative state Rep. Lacey Hull, of conspiring with incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan to work against conservatives. Full Story
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![Attorney and former Harris County Republican Party Chair Jared Woodfill listens to Dr. Steven Hotze as they held a press conference to discuss his election fraud claims and answer questions about the arrest of an ex-cop who he hired to investigate the claims Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Houston.]()
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“Our public school system is our town”: Why this rural Republican is voting against school vouchers
Despite intense political pressure, Republican Rep. Gary VanDeaver said he won’t support a bill that includes school vouchers. Rural Republicans like VanDeaver have long opposed school vouchers because of the unique role public schools they play in their communities. Full Story
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![State Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, on the House floor on May 7, 2021.]()
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Harris County election shows progress. But challenges remain ahead of 2024.
Officials in the nation’s third-largest county had little time to celebrate their successful election before a judge issued a ruling drudged up many of their past mistakes. The county clerk says her team will ensure a successful 2024 election. Full Story
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![Voters cast their ballots at the West Gray Multiservice Center in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Pat Fallon says he changed his mind about running for Texas Senate after pleas from his son and Mike Johnson
The second-term congressman pulled out of a run for Senate after both Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson courted him into their ranks. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, during a U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability meeting in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 31, 2023.]()
Credit: Julia Nikhinson/CNP/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Texas appeals court weighing whether state bar can discipline Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election
The legal battle stems from the attorney general’s unsuccessful 2020 lawsuit that leaned heavily on discredited claims of election fraud in other states. Paxton’s lawyers argue that the bar’s lawsuit is an attempt to control how he runs his office. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton steps to the podium to make a statement to the press on May 26, 2023, a day before a scheduled impeachment vote. Behind him, from left: Tommy Tran, executive assistant; James R. Lloyd, associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation; Austin A. Kinghorn, associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel; Ryan Fisher, director of government relations; Joshua Reno, deputy attorney general for criminal justice; and Suzanna Hupp, special adviser.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Mexico “rejects” Texas’ proposal to allow state police to deport undocumented immigrants
Mexico said Texas’ Senate Bill 4 will violate the human rights of Mexican immigrants living in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott said he plans to sign the proposal into law. Full Story
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![Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena speaks during a press conference after attending a summit of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean in the southern city of Palenque looking to broker accords to curb a recent jump in migrants bound for the U.S. border, in Palenque, México on Oct. 22, 2023.]()
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Texas secessionists feel more emboldened than ever
At a recent conference that featured a sitting state senator, so-called “TEXIT” supporters celebrated their movement’s incremental gains. Full Story
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Seeking lower electricity rates, residents in two East Texas towns hope the state will intervene
Livingston and Jasper residents hope a lawsuit will force their municipality-operated utility company to offer lower rates and create more transparency in setting rates. They’re among the 5 million Texans living outside the state’s deregulated market and cannot choose their energy provider. Full Story
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![Power lines outside of Whinstone's Rockdale facility on Oct. 22, 2021.]()
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Texas legislators approve bill allowing police to arrest people who cross the border illegally
The Texas House also voted to spend $1.5 billion on new state border walls, though that measure must be reconciled with the Senate version before it’s sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for consideration. Full Story
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![Migrants standing on the other side of barbwire speak to the Texas National Guard and Texas DPS officers along the banks of the Rio Grande, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Over 400 personnel have been sent to this border sector by Governor Abbott after El Paso city officials declared a state of emergency. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Burnet County judge allows Ken Paxton whistleblower lawsuit to proceed
Lawyers for employees fired by Paxton’s office after they reported him to the FBI say they plan to begin issuing subpoenas in the case. Full Story
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![State Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference at the Houston Recovery Center on October 26, 2021.]()
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More women join lawsuit challenging Texas’ abortion laws
Twenty women are challenging the state’s abortion laws, saying they were unable to get the health care they needed for their medically complex pregnancies. Full Story
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![Kimberly Manzano, a new plaintiff joining nine women in a lawsuit against the state of Texas’s abortion ban, poses for portrait at a park in McKinney, TX on November 11, 2023. Manzano had a fatal fetal diagnosis and had to travel out of state to New Mexico for an abortion.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune