INSIDER
Texas can schedule Robert Roberson’s execution — but lawmakers still expect his testimony first
Read full article: Texas can schedule Robert Roberson’s execution — but lawmakers still expect his testimony firstRoberson was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in a “shaken baby” case that many say led to an innocent man’s death sentence.
Texas Supreme Court removes temporary block to Robert Roberson’s execution
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court removes temporary block to Robert Roberson’s executionThe state’s highest civil court ruled that legislators can’t use subpoenas to block death row inmates’ executions, but suggested there’s still time for Roberson to testify before a Texas House panel.
Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson case
Read full article: Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson caseThe AG also said he’d make a criminal referral against the lawmaker, who apologized for texting a Court of Criminal Appeals judge about a new trial for the death row inmate.
Ken Paxton resisting Texas House members’ bid to hear Robert Roberson’s testimony
Read full article: Ken Paxton resisting Texas House members’ bid to hear Robert Roberson’s testimonyMembers of a Texas House committee say in a Texas Supreme Court filing that Paxton’s office is blocking the death row inmate from complying with a legislative subpoena.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Biden administration over listing freshwater mussels as endangered
Read full article: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Biden administration over listing freshwater mussels as endangeredThe lawsuit claims the endangered designation for six mussel species is a misuse of environmental law that threatens Texas’ economy.
Texas judge accused of breaking law after asking his university students to vote for him
Read full article: Texas judge accused of breaking law after asking his university students to vote for himA candidate running against the judge accused him of emailing his students at Texas State to vote for him. State law prohibits using public resources for political advertising.
Robert Roberson’s case spotlights Texas’ GOP divide on criminal justice
Read full article: Robert Roberson’s case spotlights Texas’ GOP divide on criminal justiceTexas’ junk science statute has remained hamstrung for the last decade. So too have other criminal justice reforms, despite efforts from the Texas House.
Former Eagle Pass detective sentenced to 10 years in prison for running migrant stash houses
Read full article: Former Eagle Pass detective sentenced to 10 years in prison for running migrant stash housesHazel Eileen Diaz received nearly $40,000 in cash and money transfers for letting human smugglers use her rental properties.
Galveston man drops wrongful death claims against women who allegedly helped his ex-wife get an abortion
Read full article: Galveston man drops wrongful death claims against women who allegedly helped his ex-wife get an abortionMarcus Silva and the women agreed to drop lawsuits against each other just days before they were set to go to trial.
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller subpoenaed to testify in his former political consultant’s criminal trial
Read full article: Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller subpoenaed to testify in his former political consultant’s criminal trialTodd Smith was indicted in 2022 on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s office.
Uvalde city officials release missing footage from officers responding to 2022 Robb Elementary shooting
Read full article: Uvalde city officials release missing footage from officers responding to 2022 Robb Elementary shootingThe new videos largely affirm prior reporting and investigations that detailed law enforcement’s failures to confront the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers.
Texas can investigate people for alleged vote harvesting as legal battle over 2021 law continues playing out
Read full article: Texas can investigate people for alleged vote harvesting as legal battle over 2021 law continues playing outA federal judge had ruled Senate Bill 1 unconstitutional, but an appeals court says the law can remain in effect as Texas appeals that previous decision
Attorney General Ken Paxton targets El Paso nonprofit that offers legal services to migrants
Read full article: Attorney General Ken Paxton targets El Paso nonprofit that offers legal services to migrantsAttorney General Ken Paxton has investigated at least five organizations this year that do immigration-related work.
Latest effort to block school ratings cracks Texas districts’ once-united front
Read full article: Latest effort to block school ratings cracks Texas districts’ once-united frontDozens of districts sued Texas saying the ratings painted an unfair picture of their schools. Others voluntarily have released their own.
Cards Against Humanity says in new lawsuit that SpaceX has destroyed some of its South Texas property
Read full article: Cards Against Humanity says in new lawsuit that SpaceX has destroyed some of its South Texas propertyThe card game company crowd-funded money to buy the land in an attempt to block a portion of Donald Trump’s border wall.
Ken Paxton withdrew an opinion on gun bans weeks after suing Texas state fair for a similar restriction
Read full article: Ken Paxton withdrew an opinion on gun bans weeks after suing Texas state fair for a similar restrictionPaxton sued Dallas and state fair officials last month, arguing the fair’s private organizer had violated state law by banning firearms on the fairgrounds.
Former schools police chief says he was not at fault in Uvalde shooting, asks judge to toss charges
Read full article: Former schools police chief says he was not at fault in Uvalde shooting, asks judge to toss chargesPete Arredondo’s lawyers tell the court that the shooter, not the police, was to blame for the school violence.
Group sues Texas over law banning state business with firms “boycotting” fossil fuels
Read full article: Group sues Texas over law banning state business with firms “boycotting” fossil fuelsThe lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that the 2021 so-called “anti-ESG” law discriminates against specific political views.
Judge in Texas pauses Biden program offering legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens
Read full article: Judge in Texas pauses Biden program offering legal status to spouses of U.S. citizensBiden announced the program in June and Republicans in 16 states filed suit. The federal judge issued an order that puts the program on hold for at least two weeks.
Judge rejects Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to shut down Houston immigrant rights group
Read full article: Judge rejects Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to shut down Houston immigrant rights groupPaxton’s office claimed the group broke rules prohibiting political activity by nonprofits, but the judge rejected the case outright.
Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s license
Read full article: Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s licenseThe Texas Department of Public Safety rule change surfaced in an internal email that also asks driver license staff to compile the names of people seeking a gender marker change.
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Houston immigrants’ rights org over political speech
Read full article: Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Houston immigrants’ rights org over political speechAttorney General Ken Paxton has targeted similar organizations that aid migrants at the border. The lawsuit appears to be the first to focus on political speech and rules that govern nonprofits.
Texas sues Biden again to block federal protections for transgender workers
Read full article: Texas sues Biden again to block federal protections for transgender workersThe Texas Attorney General is following his familiar playbook by taking the case to a federal judge with a record of rulings against the Biden administration’s agenda.
Federal judge in Texas expands ruling that blocks Biden administration protections of LGBTQ students
Read full article: Federal judge in Texas expands ruling that blocks Biden administration protections of LGBTQ studentsThe decision in the case brought by the Texas Attorney General preempts any future Title IX regulations that extend federal protections to LGBTQ students.
Judge blocks Texas from releasing this year’s school accountability ratings
Read full article: Judge blocks Texas from releasing this year’s school accountability ratingsThe ruling marks the fifth consecutive year Texas families have not received a full picture of their schools’ ratings, which are used to determine how they are performing.
After Uvalde city officials end battle over shooting records, victims’ families say other agencies need to follow suit
Read full article: After Uvalde city officials end battle over shooting records, victims’ families say other agencies need to follow suitThe city’s release ends a legal battle with news outlets, but other government agencies are withholding materials.
Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on case
Read full article: Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on caseTexas Health and Human Services could face $100,000-per-day fines for violating a judge's orders. The state wants the judge off the case.
Voting Rights Act doesn’t protect coalitions of racial or ethnic groups challenging political maps, appeals court rules
Read full article: Voting Rights Act doesn’t protect coalitions of racial or ethnic groups challenging political maps, appeals court rulesIn a lawsuit challenging redistricting in Galveston County, the 5th Circuit said the protections afforded to a single racial group don’t apply to multiple groups who collectively claim voting rights violations.
Marijuana decriminalization measures in San Marcos, Austin get early court wins
Read full article: Marijuana decriminalization measures in San Marcos, Austin get early court winsThree other cities have passed similar measures but the Texas AG and others question whether they can be enforced because of conflicts with state law.
Supreme Court to review death penalty appeal challenging Texas’s DNA testing law
Read full article: Supreme Court to review death penalty appeal challenging Texas’s DNA testing lawRuben Gutierrez was sentenced to death for the 1998 Brownsville murder of an elderly woman. His execution was stayed in July.
State’s move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battles
Read full article: State’s move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battlesA federal judge has taken the Texas’ foster care system to task for 13 years. Reforms have been made. Now armed with private legal fire power, the state wants the judge off the case.
Fight over trans medical care is at the core of leaked Houston health records case
Read full article: Fight over trans medical care is at the core of leaked Houston health records caseA doctor says the government wants to punish him for calling attention to wrongdoing. Advocates say the families of trans kids are the ones at risk.
U.S. Supreme Court will hear challenge to Texas’ age verification requirement for porn sites
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court will hear challenge to Texas’ age verification requirement for porn sitesA state law passed last year requires pornographic websites to adopt age-verification measures, leading sites like Pornhub to block user access in Texas.
Former police chief, officer, charged with child endangerment in Uvalde shooting response
Read full article: Former police chief, officer, charged with child endangerment in Uvalde shooting responseFormer schools police chief Pete Arredondo faces 10 criminal charges, while former school district officer Adrian Gonzales faces 29 counts.
Texas Supreme Court upholds ban on transition-related care for minors
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court upholds ban on transition-related care for minorsParents and medical providers of transgender adolescents sued Texas, challenging the constitutionality of a restriction on puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ban on homeless encampments. Here’s what it means for Texas.
Read full article: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ban on homeless encampments. Here’s what it means for Texas.The ruling comes amid a nationwide surge in homelessness as high rents put pressure on low-income households and pandemic-era protections expire.
U.S. Supreme Court allows gun restrictions for domestic violence suspects
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court allows gun restrictions for domestic violence suspectsJustices ruled that the federal government did not violate a Texas man’s Second Amendment rights when barring him from possessing firearms.
U.S. Supreme Court sides with Texas woman who claims she was arrested out of political retribution
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court sides with Texas woman who claims she was arrested out of political retributionSylvia Gonzalez alleged the city of Castle Hills had arrested her on a minor charge in retaliation for criticizing the city manager.
Judge weighing whether to close El Paso shelter that aids undocumented immigrants
Read full article: Judge weighing whether to close El Paso shelter that aids undocumented immigrantsTexas argues that Annunciation House is breaking state law by harboring undocumented immigrants, something the shelter's lawyers called "utter nonsense."
Texas immigrants’ rights groups sue Biden administration over asylum restrictions
Read full article: Texas immigrants’ rights groups sue Biden administration over asylum restrictionsBoth Democrats and Republicans have criticized the order, which limits asylum requests when illegal border crossings ramp up.
Federal judge blocks Biden administration’s Title IX guidelines to protect LGBTQ+ students
Read full article: Federal judge blocks Biden administration’s Title IX guidelines to protect LGBTQ+ studentsJudge Reed O’Connor said the Biden administration didn’t have the authority to make the changes, which would expand anti-discrimination protections.
Abbott appoints first judges to new appeals court for cases involving state government, businesses
Read full article: Abbott appoints first judges to new appeals court for cases involving state government, businessesThe Texas Legislature created the court last year, with proponents saying it would increase efficiency and opponents arguing that it was an effort by Republicans to circumvent Democrat-dominated courts.
Texas sues to block new Biden administration rule protecting access to some gender transition care
Read full article: Texas sues to block new Biden administration rule protecting access to some gender transition careIn March, the federal government said providers can’t deny gender care to transgender people that would be provided to others for other purposes.
Brandon Herrera to request recount in primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales
Read full article: Brandon Herrera to request recount in primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Tony GonzalesHerrera said he doesn’t expect the results to change, “but I feel I owe it to my volunteers, voters, and supporters to leave no stone unturned.”
Families of Uvalde shooting victims suing gun manufacturer, Instagram, video game company
Read full article: Families of Uvalde shooting victims suing gun manufacturer, Instagram, video game companyThe lawsuit accuses Daniel Defense, the manufacturer of the shooter’s weapon, of marketing its products to young people.
Harris County judge whose electoral win was deemed invalid will remain on bench as legal battle continues
Read full article: Harris County judge whose electoral win was deemed invalid will remain on bench as legal battle continuesPolitical experts say court order for new election could spur more challenges to narrow wins.
At five hour hearing, no one is happy with Texas Medical Board’s proposed abortion guidance
Read full article: At five hour hearing, no one is happy with Texas Medical Board’s proposed abortion guidanceDoctors, lawyers and advocates say the state board’s new guidance still doesn’t clarify when doctors can legally perform abortions.
Muslim advocacy group sues Abbott, saying university executive order violates free speech
Read full article: Muslim advocacy group sues Abbott, saying university executive order violates free speechAbbott’s executive order directs Texas universities to “review and update free speech policies to address the sharp rise in antisemitic speech.”
Galveston County redistricting case draws divide among federal appeals court judges
Read full article: Galveston County redistricting case draws divide among federal appeals court judgesThe 5th Circuit expressed skepticism about arguments from both sides in considering whether a coalition of Black and Latino voters should be granted the same protections as a single racial group under the Voting Rights Act.
Houston woman is third guilty plea in Henry Cuellar bribery case
Read full article: Houston woman is third guilty plea in Henry Cuellar bribery caseIrada Akhoundova pleaded guilty to facilitating a $60,000 payment to Imelda Cuellar, the congressman’s wife, that she believed would benefit Azerbaijan and its state-run oil company.
Anti-abortion crusader’s deposition requests generate fear, but no findings
Read full article: Anti-abortion crusader’s deposition requests generate fear, but no findingsJonathan Mitchell has filed at least nine petitions seeking information from abortion activists, doctors and women. None have resulted in a deposition.
Appeals court considers whether West Texas A&M drag show was unconstitutionally banned
Read full article: Appeals court considers whether West Texas A&M drag show was unconstitutionally bannedUniversity President Walter Wendler canceled a drag performance last year, claiming such shows “denigrate and demean women.”
Texas sues Biden administration to block expansion of LGBTQ+ student protections
Read full article: Texas sues Biden administration to block expansion of LGBTQ+ student protectionsThe new Title IX rules expanded the definition of sex-based harassment. Paxton said the change distorted the original intent of the law.
After no contest plea, a Texas representative’s charges for impersonating a public servant are dismissed
Read full article: After no contest plea, a Texas representative’s charges for impersonating a public servant are dismissedIn June 2022, state Rep. Frederick Frazier was indicted on two charges of impersonating a public servant. A Collin County district judge dismissed the misdemeanor charges as part of his deferred adjudication.
Seattle Children’s Hospital won’t have to provide trans patient records to Texas under new settlement
Read full article: Seattle Children’s Hospital won’t have to provide trans patient records to Texas under new settlementTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton suspected the hospital was helping Texas kids access puberty blockers or hormone treatments that are outlawed for juveniles.
Texas, Idaho abortion bans test against federal emergency medicine rule
Read full article: Texas, Idaho abortion bans test against federal emergency medicine ruleHospitals are required to stabilize anyone experiencing a medical emergency. Two lawsuits question whether that includes performing an abortion, despite state laws.
Texas Republicans urge Senate Democrats to give Mayorkas a full impeachment trial
Read full article: Texas Republicans urge Senate Democrats to give Mayorkas a full impeachment trialTwo Texans are among 11 House impeachment managers initiating a trial of the Homeland Security secretary in the Senate.
A Texas landowner can sue the state for flood damage to his property, U.S. Supreme Court rules
Read full article: A Texas landowner can sue the state for flood damage to his property, U.S. Supreme Court rulesRichie DeVillier, who owns land east of Houston, said the state owes him damages for constant flooding after Texas made changes to Interstate 10 near his property.
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentence
Read full article: State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentenceIn a rare joint statement, the district attorney and the defense agreed that prosecutors withheld evidence that could point to a Rio Grande Valley woman’s innocence in the death of her toddler.
How Texas teens lost the one program that allowed birth control without parental consent
Read full article: How Texas teens lost the one program that allowed birth control without parental consentFederal Title X clinics do not require parental consent for birth control — except in Texas, where a lawsuit upended the longstanding program.
Texas appeals court overturns Crystal Mason’s conviction, 5-year sentence for illegal voting
Read full article: Texas appeals court overturns Crystal Mason’s conviction, 5-year sentence for illegal votingMason gained national attention after she was convicted for voting while under supervised release for felony tax fraud. She said she didn’t know she was ineligible to vote.
Once the Texas GOP’s “weak link,” Attorney General Ken Paxton is growing more popular and powerful
Read full article: Once the Texas GOP’s “weak link,” Attorney General Ken Paxton is growing more popular and powerfulWith his impeachment and securities fraud case behind him, Paxton’s political stock is on the rise.
Texas criminal appeals court takes man off death row over intellectual disability
Read full article: Texas criminal appeals court takes man off death row over intellectual disabilitySince Randall Mays was sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder of two sheriff’s deputies, his lawyers have argued his intellectual disability exempts him from execution.
Montgomery County directs citizen board to review, and potentially remove, library books
Read full article: Montgomery County directs citizen board to review, and potentially remove, library booksThe county north of Houston adopted the guidelines amid a growing number of book bans in school districts and a new state law that supporters claim protects children from inappropriate material.
Legal experts say it’s rare to pursue jail time in securities fraud cases like Paxton’s
Read full article: Legal experts say it’s rare to pursue jail time in securities fraud cases like Paxton’sIn 2015, Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on three securities fraud felony charges. Experts in securities fraud say those charges are rarely pursued.
Ken Paxton agrees to community service to avoid trial, conviction in securities fraud case
Read full article: Ken Paxton agrees to community service to avoid trial, conviction in securities fraud casePaxton, who will not have to enter a plea under the terms of the agreement, faced the prospect of decades in prison if he had been convicted of fraud.
U.S. Supreme Court takes up Texas case challenging abortion pill access
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court takes up Texas case challenging abortion pill accessA majority of Supreme Court justices seemed open to keeping mifepristone, a common abortion-inducing drug, on the market despite a Texas ruling revoking its FDA approval.
Feds arrest five men accused of smuggling illegally purchased guns to cartels in Mexico
Read full article: Feds arrest five men accused of smuggling illegally purchased guns to cartels in MexicoThe men were charged with two criminal offenses, including straw purchasing of firearms, created by the 2022 bipartisan gun safety bill authored by Sen. John Cornyn.
Attorney General Ken Paxton's securities fraud charges could be dropped under plea deal, according to report
Read full article: Attorney General Ken Paxton's securities fraud charges could be dropped under plea deal, according to reportPaxton has been fighting securities fraud felony charges for nearly nine years.
U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas case on politically motivated arrests
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas case on politically motivated arrestsFormer Castle Hills Council Member Sylvia Gonzalez sued the city after police arrested her for tampering with government records, which she said was in retaliation for her criticism of the city manager.
Disagreement and confusion on display in hearing over Texas’ new immigration law
Read full article: Disagreement and confusion on display in hearing over Texas’ new immigration lawThe Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments about whether to allow back into effect a law allowing state and local authorities to deport migrants.
Texas’ new immigration law is blocked again
Read full article: Texas’ new immigration law is blocked againHours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed Senate Bill 4 to go into effect, a federal appeals court let an earlier injunction stand. SB 4 lets Texas police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border.
Supreme Court permits Texas police to arrest people who illegally cross the border as the SB 4 legal clash continues
Read full article: Supreme Court permits Texas police to arrest people who illegally cross the border as the SB 4 legal clash continuesThe ruling allows Texas to start enforcing SB 4 while a lawsuit over its constitutionality remains pending before a federal appeals court.
U.S. Supreme Court declines to intervene in lawsuit over West Texas A&M drag shows
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court declines to intervene in lawsuit over West Texas A&M drag showsThe decision means university President Walter Wendler could cancel an on-campus drag show next week. He canceled a previous show last year.
Texas Supreme Court refuses to hear ethics lawsuit brought by conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court refuses to hear ethics lawsuit brought by conservative activist Michael Quinn SullivanIn 2014, and following a two-year investigation, the Texas Ethics Commission fined Sullivan $10,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist.
Ken Paxton successfully ousts three Republican criminal appeal court judges
Read full article: Ken Paxton successfully ousts three Republican criminal appeal court judgesThree incumbent judges with nearly a century of criminal law experience fell victim to Paxton’s political revenge tour after they ruled against the attorney general in a 2021 voter fraud case.
Texas prosecutor disciplined for allowing murder charge against woman who self-managed an abortion
Read full article: Texas prosecutor disciplined for allowing murder charge against woman who self-managed an abortionThe State Bar of Texas has fined and suspended Starr County’s district attorney for pursuing a murder indictment against 26-year-old woman after she self-managed an abortion.
Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of being in country illegally blocked by federal judge
Read full article: Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of being in country illegally blocked by federal judgeSenate Bill 4 was Texas’ latest attempt to deter people from crossing the Texas-Mexico border amid a surge in migration.