The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
A Travis County judge on Friday sentenced former state representative Jack Stick to six days in jail and a 90-day driver's license suspension for driving while intoxicated, according to prosecutors. Full Story
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Supporters insist that allowing people to legally carry concealed handguns reduces crime, but that has not been the result in at least four states that have tried it, including Texas, according to a newly published academic study. Full Story
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The Texas Supreme Court scrutinized the legality of court costs imposed on indigent plaintiffs — in this case, fees the Tarrant County clerk’s office charged six poor plaintiffs pursuing divorces — during oral arguments on Wednesday. Full Story
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Lawyers for death row inmate Scott Panetti will get a chance Wednesday to argue that their client's ongoing mental illness — and the state's failure to evaluate his mental state — should forestall his execution for two 1992 killings. Full Story
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When and how local clerks can make poor plaintiffs pay court fees to get divorced will be argued before the Texas Supreme Court Wednesday, with both sides hoping the justices provide clarity on the contentious issue. Full Story
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Deep cuts to a therapy program for poor and disabled children will not take effect Oct. 1, a state district judge ruled Tuesday afternoon — the second such delay in recent weeks. Full Story
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To the better-known name of Sandra Bland — whose death by apparent suicide in the Waller County Jail this summer sparked national outrage — state Sen. John Whitmire on Tuesday linked three others with mental or emotional problems who have recently died in custody. Full Story
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Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt blasted the funding deal that allows a giant insurance company to pay for criminal prosecutions of its fraud cases, but said Tuesday that the Commissioners Court is powerless to stop it. Full Story
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Halliburton, the Houston-based oilfield service giant, has agreed to pay nearly $18.3 million in back overtime wages to more than 1,000 U.S. employees, following a federal investigation. Full Story
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State agencies are now required by law to screen potential hires through the federal E-Verify system to ensure they can legally work in the United States. But does an order by former Gov. Rick Perry still require the same for state contractors? Full Story
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At our 9/21 conversation, Gregory Fenves, the President of the University of Texas at Austin, talked about the coming implementation of campus carry legislation. Full Story
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About 50 attorneys, prosecutors, defense attorneys and lab technicians on Friday discussed how past and future cases could be affected by a new standard in analyzing data involving "mixed DNA" evidence. Full Story
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Jack Stick, a former state representative and a former inspector general for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, went on trial Friday for a drunk driving charge he has fiercely contested in the court system. Full Story
Teresa Hammond, who was injured on the job at a youth lock-up, thought she had won her more than two-year battle against the state’s workers' compensation insurer. But last month, the state sued her, leaving her scrambling to find help. Full Story
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Saying he was making good on a promise he made to the supporters who helped usher him into office, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday launched a nine-city tour of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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A Waller County judge who helped choose grand jurors to consider the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland is not happy about the state's new grand jury selection process, saying it unfairly puts too much of the selection process on judges. Full Story
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UPDATED: An Irving teenager who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school said Wednesday that "it's really sad" that a teacher got the wrong impression about the clock. He added that he would probably transfer schools. Full Story
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Outgunned and outmanned, the U.S. needs at least 5,000 more agents on the southern border, according to the chief of the Border Patrol union. But civil rights groups fear a hiring surge could lead to less oversight and more abuse by federal agents. Full Story
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Texas already seceded once — in 1861. But the Texas Nationalist Movement wants a repeat a century and a half later, and thinks the March GOP primary is the place to start. Full Story
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In the coming days, the deaths of Sandra Bland and Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth will continue to jolt statewide conversations about how the Texas criminal justice system deals with — or fails to deal with — mental health issues. Full Story
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