Texas State Government: Governor, Legislature & Policy Coverage

Former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks at the state Republican convention in Dallas, Texas on May 14, 2016.

Cruz Doesn’t Take Chance to Bless Dump Trump Movement

By Patrick SvitekJune 23, 2016

Also, there’s more movement with super PACs formerly supportive of Cruz’s presidential hopefuls and the Texas senator makes a couple of endorsements in Senate races.

Inside Intelligence

Inside Intelligence: About That Local Control Debate…

By John ReynoldsJune 23, 2016

For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about possible economic headwinds, legislative priorities with the budget and the boundaries of local control.

State Government

The Calendar

By Texas WeeklyJune 23, 2016

Key meetings and events for the coming week.

State Government

New in TribTalk: Civil Forfeiture and the Texas Supreme Court

By Robert InksJune 23, 2016

The Texas Supreme Court unanimously held that owners of property illegally seized by the authorities are not subject to the constitutional protections afforded in criminal procedure. Even worse, writes Derek Cohen of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, this ruling was entirely correct.

Higher Education

Supreme Court Ruling Could Spur Changes to Top 10 Percent Rule

By Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune and Neena Satija The Texas Tribune and RevealJune 23, 2016

The U.S. Supreme Court may have upheld UT-Austin’s use of race in admissions, but the battle over the issue is just getting started. Thursday’s ruling could pave the way for scaling back the controversial Top 10 Percent Rule in the state.

A look at the sun setting over the University of Texas at Austin Tower in 2011.

Higher Education

Race and UT-Austin Admissions: A Snapshot of the Past Five Years

By Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal and Juan Torres The Texas TribuneJune 23, 2016

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the University of Texas at Austin could continue to consider race as part of its application evaluation process. Here’s a graphical look at that process.

Health care

Texas Democrats Ask Feds to Intervene on Therapy Cuts

By Edgar WaltersJune 23, 2016

Three weeks before Texas officials plan to slash funding for a program that pays for speech, physical and occupational therapy for children with disabilities, Democrats in the Texas House are asking the Obama administration to intervene.

Abigail Fisher, right, plaintiff in Fisher v. University of Texas, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court with Edward Blum of the Project on Fair Representation after oral arguments in the case, in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 2015.

Higher Education

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds UT-Austin’s Affirmative Action System

By Matthew WatkinsJune 23, 2016

In a major — and surprising — win for affirmative action supporters, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the University of Texas at Austin’s right to give a slight boost to black and Hispanic applicants.

A photo shot and tweeted from the floor of the House by U.S. House Rep. David Cicilline shows Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Rep. John Lewis (R) staging a sit-in on the House floor "to demand action on common sense gun legislation" on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on June 22, 2016.

State Government

The Brief: House Democrats Craft Showdown on Gun Control

By Madeline Conway and John ReynoldsJune 23, 2016

In a move aimed at forcing action on gun control in the U.S. House, Congressional Democrats seized the floor for much of Wednesday in what was quickly dubbed a “sit-in.”