As a legal chess match continues over a death row inmate’s life, the Texas Supreme Court has weighed in, saying a legislative committee that delayed Robert Roberson’s execution date did not have the power to stop a scheduled sentence.

Robert Roberson may have had his execution date postponed, but time is running out for whether he will get to testify.

Texans voted in several races, including for the President, a U.S. Senator, U.S. House members and more.

Three fairgoers are requesting up to $1 million in damages and to allow guns at the State Fair.

Texas voters head to the polls on Nov. 5, 2024, to cast their ballots in the general election.

After the attorney general insisted on the death row inmate’s guilt in a graphic press release, four lawmakers issued a point-by-point rebuttal.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence “stepped out of line” by subpoenaing death row inmate Robert Roberson and delaying his execution.

Three of the five judges who allowed Robert Roberson’s execution to proceed will be leaving the court after Paxton-backed primary challenges.

Robert Roberson, who had been set to be the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, had his execution delayed after a dramatic few hours of legal wrangling among three different Texas courts.

The state’s highest civil court said it wants a lower court to resolve a separation-of-powers issue raised by a group of Texas lawmakers who subpoenaed the death row inmate the night before he was set to be put to death.

Three Republican incumbents are being targeted for their role in recent abortion rulings by a new Democratic political action committee.

The Texas Supreme Court has denied Attorney General Ken Paxton’s filing seeking to stop the State Fair of Texas from prohibiting handguns on the property.

Texas voters will elect officials in the presidential, congressional, statewide and legislative races.

The Texas Supreme Court has upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths and rejected pleas from parents that it violates their right to decide on and seek care for their children.

Parents and medical providers of transgender adolescents sued Texas, challenging the constitutionality of a restriction on puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against Harris County from sending financial assistance to in-need families under a new income pilot program after a political match between the Texas Attorney General.

The Texas Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S. following a lawsuit by women who had serious pregnancy complications.

The court ruled against 20 women who said they were denied medically necessary abortions, saying the medical exceptions in the law were broad enough.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging the program, saying it violates the Texas Constitution.

Justice John Devine’s comments at a conservative event are the latest to prompt concerns about his impartiality as a jurist.

Get The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2024 primary races for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature.

The recent ruling in Alabama that frozen embryos are legally considered children has created a political firestorm after the decision halted treatment for many couples trying to have families through fertility treatments.

The ruling by the all-Republican court came after former President Donald Trump told justices to leave Paxton alone.

A fight over allowing transgender children to access puberty blockers and hormone therapies could hinge on justices’ interpretation of parental rights.

The Supreme Court of Texas ruled against Cox’s lawsuit to block the state’s abortion ban. She traveled out of state to have an abortion.

Attorney General Ken Paxton is speaking out after a false report was made to 911 by an unidentified caller describing a “life-threatening situation” at his family’s McKinney home on New Year’s Day.

Kelcy Warren, a Dallas pipeline billionaire, sued O’Rourke in early 2022, saying the Democrat defamed him with critical comments about his company’s windfall profits after the Texas energy-grid collapse in February 2021.

A judge ruled that Kate Cox was allowed to terminate her non-viable pregnancy, but on Friday night, the Texas Supreme Court put that ruling on hold.

Courts in several states are hearing challenges to abortion bans this week.

After a Travis County district judge cleared the way for Kate Cox, 31, to terminate her pregnancy, Ken Paxton petitioned the state’s highest court to halt the ruling.

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.

The Texas Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on Tuesday from litigators on behalf of 22 women who were denied abortions.

Former top aides to the Texas attorney general are seeking damages for their firings after they reported Paxton to the FBI. The Legislature opted not to authorize a $3.3 million settlement in the lawsuit.

Texas Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday in the case of a Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples. It is unclear when the high court will issue a ruling.

The whistleblower lawsuit, which argues that four senior staffers were improperly fired in retaliation for reporting Paxton to the FBI, returns to a Travis County trial court for action.

Lawyers criticize a provision they say erodes the separation of powers between Texas’ executive branch and its courts. It’s been used repeatedly this year as Texans try to block new state laws from going into effect

After the latest wave of legal rulings on restrictions for transgender people, a Texas ban on gender-affirming care for minors is in effect.

The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.

The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.

The ruling means the November elections in the state’s largest county will be overseen by two other county officials. Legislators targeted Harris County’s elections department after taking issue with the way the 2022 elections were run.

The Texas Supreme Court denied Harris County’s request to temporarily block the implementation of Senate Bill 1750 on Sept. 1, which will abolish the Harris County Election Administrator’s Office, the Harris County Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday.

The all-Republican court narrowly found that the nonprofit corporation operating the state’s electrical grid qualifies for sovereign immunity, which protects government entities from lawsuits.

In his biennial state of the judiciary, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht also warned against politics’ encroachment into the third branch of government.

Texas’ education agency first moved to take over the district in 2019 after years of low student performance at a single Houston ISD high school. Critics said the district has made improvements since then.

Lawyers for four former employees who accused the attorney general of firing them for reporting alleged crimes to authorities say Paxton won’t agree to finalizing the deadline by the end of this legislative session.

The Texas Education Agency has been in a legal battle to take over the state’s largest school district since 2019.

On Thursday afternoon, some parents, educators and students will hold a news conference opposing the state’s takeover of the Houston Independent School District.

The decision from the state’s highest court would allow the TEA to move forward with its plan to replace Houston ISD’s school board members over low academic scores.

Fratta was convicted in the 1994 murder-for-hire of his wife. Lawyers are challenging Texas’ routine of extending the expiration dates of its lethal drugs, a practice begun when many pharmacies began refusing to provide doses for executions.

Many people and insurers sued the Electric Reliability Council of Texas after the 2021 freeze. The nonprofit says it shouldn’t be liable. The state Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in.

The program, known as Chapter 313, provides companies with billions of dollars in property tax breaks. The court said it is up to the Legislature to make the call on what to do as the program is set to expire and the state is swamped with applications.

Three seats were up for election in the Texas Supreme Court, which handles civil cases, and three in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Democrats haven’t been elected to either court since the late 1990s.

Track statewide and local vote totals for Houston, Harris County, and the surrounding counties in the Nov. 8 midterm election through the dropdown menu and interactive maps in this article.

The 2022 General Election is being held on November 8. You can find results for Texas Supreme Court, Criminal Appeals Court, and Greater Houston area judicial races on Tuesday night here.

Several abortion funds have sued anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson, who called them “criminal organizations,” for defamation.

The nine-member Texas Supreme Court has the power to make sweeping decisions that interpret the meaning of the state’s constitution, impacting the lives of Texans across the state. Three seats are on the ballot this year.

Among other issues, the court will consider whether a law that updated the education code last year has any bearing on TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s attempt to replace HISD’s board members over low academic scores.

On Aug. 8, a group of Republican candidates asked the Supreme Court to remove 23 Libertarian opponents from the ballot, saying they did not meet eligibility requirements. The Republicans included Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others in congressional and state legislative races.

Because the state is a party in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s cases against the companies, Volkswagen lawyers have argued that allowing the Texas governor to appoint justices to a case for which the state stands to win a substantial amount of money would give “the impression that the State has had undue influence.”

The Texas Supreme Court has blocked a lower court order that gave some abortion clinics confidence to resume performing abortions.

The Texas Supreme Court has blocked a lower court order that gave some abortion clinics confidence to resume performing abortions.

A Texas judge has temporarily blocked the state from investigating families of transgender children who have received gender confirming care.

DECISION 2022: Texas judicial primary election results, from the state Supreme Court to district judges

In the latest setback for abortion rights in Texas, the Supreme Court has refused to speed up the ongoing court case over the state’s ban on most abortions.

In the latest setback for abortion rights in Texas, the Supreme Court has refused to speed up the ongoing court case over the state’s ban on most abortions.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision means it could take months before abortion providers’ challenge to the restrictive law returns to a federal court.

Young replaces former Justice Eva Guzman, who resigned in June ahead of a campaign for attorney general.

The halt comes after Gov. Greg Abbott expanded his ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates — which previously applied to cities, counties and school districts — to private employers.

Planned Parenthood had requested that the court reverse a decision to indefinitely pause the lawsuit, which was filed in Travis County district court.

A panel of five judges indefinitely blocked the lawsuits last week upon the request of an anti-abortion group.

John Ramirez was scheduled to die Wednesday. His last request to the state had been to let his pastor hold on to him as he died, something the state denied. The high court wants to hear oral arguments on the matter later this year.

The Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocked San Antonio’s mask mandate for public schools Thursday — the latest in the tug-of-war legal battle between local governments and the state’s Republican leadership over mandatory face coverings.

The legal battle over whether Texas communities can require students and others to wear masks in response to the current surge in COVID-19 cases remains entangled in a series of lawsuits, orders and appeals.

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are rebelling against Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. Here’s the latest.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott wanted the high court to disallow mask mandates in Texas school districts. Justices dismissed their request on a technicality, without issuing a ruling on their legal arguments.

In a bid to block a voting restrictions bill, House Democrats for weeks have denied the lower chamber the number of present members needed to pass legislation. House Speaker Dade Phelan has already signed dozens of civil arrest warrants.

Governor Greg Abbott has the numbers on his side when it comes to the Texas Supreme Court and his executive order instituting mask mandates, according to KPRC 2 Legal Analyst Brian Wice,

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are rebelling against Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. Here’s the latest.

The ruling comes after several school districts and a handful of counties across the state defied the governor’s executive order that restricted local entities from instituting mask mandates.

The Texas Supreme Court cleared the way for absent House Democrats’ civil arrests after it temporarily blocked Harris County judges’ orders protecting them from such a move.

The Democrats had left the state to block the passage of a Republican elections bill they say would restrict voting rights in the state.

Funds amounting to at least $12.6 million will be transferred from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to the Senate, the House, and legislative agencies such as the LBB, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Reference Library.

A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday.

In the first phase of funding from the federal government for emergency rental assistance, Texas received about $2 billion. Now the state has to get those funds in the hands of Texans.

The state’s highest civil court has been asked to decide if Gov. Greg Abbott has the power to cut off funding for legislative staff, a move Abbott hoped would keep Democratic lawmakers from leaving the state and shutting down a special legislative session.

The extension comes as the federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on July 31.

A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31.

The gunman should not have been able to purchase an assault style rifle, but the store conducted the required federal background check, which didn't reveal his past assault conviction, the court said.

Guzman's candidacy adds a new dynamic to the primary that is already unfolding between incumbent Paxton and Land Commissioner George P. Bush.

Her resignation is effective Friday, she told Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter.

Texans behind on their rent are at an increased risk of losing their homes despite a federal moratorium on evictions, according to housing attorneys, because a Texas Supreme Court order aimed at forestalling evictions has expired.

Texas courthouses no longer need a state safety review before conducting in-person hearings, including jury trials. AdIn the year of the pandemic, much of the state court system has been put on pause, creating a backlog of cases that will likely take years to overcome. In 2019, there was an average of 186 civil and criminal jury trials per week, according to the Texas Office of Court Administration. From March 2020 through this January, there were 222 jury trials total. But Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association President Grant Scheiner asked judges to remain vigilant in hopes of preventing another surge of coronavirus infections.

The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneTexas looks unlikely to change its controversial partisan election system for judges — even after a commission studying the issue recommended ending the practice. And in Republican primaries, judicial candidates with Hispanic-sounding surnames have often fared poorly, owing, experts say, to a largely white electorate. Those who favor partisan judicial elections have pointed out that they may work better in rural counties, where voters are electing fewer judges and it’s easier to learn their qualifications. Aside from the bias of partisanship, one of the chief concerns about the state’s partisan judicial selection system is the influence — perceived or actual — of donors who bankroll judges’ campaigns. Huffman, a powerful figure in the Texas Senate, said earlier this month she had already begun drafting a constitutional amendment that would increase judicial qualifications.

The Texas Supreme Court has extended its emergency eviction relief program for tenants behind on rent through at least March 15, lengthening the program’s expiration date by a month and a half. The move comes after Congress passed a stimulus bill Monday extending the federal moratorium on evictions through the end of January. The state created the Texas Eviction Diversion Program earlier this fall with the help of $171 million in CARES Act funding, the vast majority designated for rental assistance. But some housing advocates said the extension doesn’t go far enough to address the large number of struggling renters, even as the federal government extended its eviction moratorium. "There could be tens of thousands of evictions on the horizon in Texas later this winter,” said Michael Depland, spokesperson for the advocacy group, Texas Housers.

The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneSign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. More than five years after he was freed from Texas’ death row and nearly two years after prosecutors declared him innocent, the Texas Supreme Court ordered Friday that Alfred Dewayne Brown finally be compensated for his wrongful imprisonment. In 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals tossed out Brown’s conviction and death sentence in the 2003 murder of a Houston police officer. But the Texas Comptroller, after receiving advice from the Texas Attorney General, denied Brown’s claim for the money. But Brown’s attorneys argued to the Texas Supreme Court, and the justices agreed, that the comptroller exceeded his authority by making such judicial determinations.

HOUSTON – Thomas M. Reavley, the oldest active federal judge who served for 41 years on the 5th U.S. Reavley died on Tuesday in Houston, the Texas Supreme Court announced. He had served nine years on the Texas Supreme Court, the state’s top civil court, before being appointed to the appeals court by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. “He was a towering figure in Texas and a true champion of justice for the state and the country,” said Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht. He married King in 2004 and the couple had said that before Florence Reavley died, she told them to get remarried.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)HOUSTON – A federal judge on Monday rejected another last-ditch Republican effort to invalidate nearly 127,000 votes in Houston because the ballots were cast at drive-thru polling centers established during the pandemic. Another 20,000 or more voters had been expected to use drive-thru polling locations Tuesday, Hollins said earlier Monday. “I cannot in good faith encourage voters to cast their votes in tents if that puts their votes at risk,” he said. Harris County offered 10 drive-thru locations as an option for its nearly 5 million residents amid worries of spreading the coronavirus. More than 40% of Harris County residents are Latino, and about one in five residents are Black.

HOUSTON – A federal judge issued an order to uphold Harris County drive-thru voting but stated that the tents being used to house most drive-thru voting centers will not qualify as “buildings,” which are required for Election Day polling locations. Instead of 10 drive-thru locations, the Toyota Center will be the only drive-thru voting center available in Harris County on Election Day because of the new order. In order to allow for drive-thru voting on Election Day while ensuring that all votes will be counted, the only drive-thru voting center on Election Day will be at Toyota Center. Woodfill said he would immediately appeal the decision, accusing Harris County officials of using their office to help Democrats win Tuesday. Harris County had originally offered 10 drive-thru locations as an option for its nearly 5 million residents amid worries of spreading the coronavirus.

A rejection of the votes would constitute a monumental disenfranchisement of voters — drive-thru ballots account for about 10% of all in-person ballots cast during early voting in Harris County. The clerk’s filing with the Supreme Court in the earlier lawsuit also said the Texas secretary of state’s office had approved of drive-thru voting. Since the first Republican challenge to drive-thru voting was filed on Oct. 12, the Texas secretary of state and Gov. Greg Abbott had both ignored requests from reporters and Harris County officials to clarify their positions on whether the process was legal. The county clerk’s office countered that the first challenge to drive-thru voting had already been denied, and the second filing came much too late.