The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
A study of 41 local jails has found that juveniles awaiting trial often face hours of isolation daily or exposure to abuse by older inmates. County jails struggle to deal with a population they are not equipped or trained to handle. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry's "happy warrior" is coming to the rescue again for the state's troubled youth lockups. Jay Kimbrough will serve as special assistant for safety and security at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Full Story
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Ted Nugent unplugged: The rocker and Second Amendment defender weighs in on everything from Mitt Romney and the Trayvon Martin case to his theory that President Obama was raised by Communists. Viewer discretion advised. Full Story
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If you thought a little Secret Service investigation or a $10,000 bear hunting fine would tame the "Motor City Madman," well, you probably have never sat down for a chat with Ted Nugent. Full Story
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More energy producers are making "donations" to the Texas Department of Transportation to fix roads torn up by gas well operations. Full Story
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This week in The New York Times and at texastribune.org, Jay Root talks with rock-and-roll star and Second Amendment advocate Ted Nugent. Full Story
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The latest installment in death row inmate Hank Skinner's quest for DNA testing comes today as his lawyers argue to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that a change in state law should allow for testing in his case. Full Story
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Two men on Monday became the 31st and 32nd individuals to be exonerated by DNA evidence in Dallas County since 2001. Era Sundar of KUT News reports on the faulty eyewitness identification system that may have led to their incarcerations. Full Story
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UPDATED: Former Smith County District Attorney A.D. Clark III denies allegations by Kerry Max Cook's lawyers that Clark had kept the knife linked to Linda Jo Edwards' fatal stabbing at his home. Full Story
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Five years after Texas lawmakers overhauled the juvenile justice system, reports of violence, inappropriate staff behavior and poor mental health services at youth lockups are spurring calls for accountability and continued reform. Full Story
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An estimated 68,000 of the more than 99,000 guns submitted to U.S. authorities by Mexican law enforcement for tracing had origins here, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Full Story
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In his latest television ad, U.S. Senate candidate Tom Leppert dismisses his Republican opponents as "empty suits" and compares them all to President Obama. Full Story
How do you get state judges to go to a weekday afternoon reception in rural West Texas? It depends on who else is there — and what it could mean for their re-election bids. Full Story
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The American Legislative Exchange Council is eliminating its committee that developed policies on crime and elections. State Rep. Jerry Madden, chairman of the committee, said the group will no longer focus on gun laws. Full Story
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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals heard from Megan Winfrey's lawyer and the San Jacinto County district attorney Wednesday as Winfrey challenges her conviction for a 2004 murder. Full Story
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This interactive breaks down the costs of the lawsuits that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has brought against the federal government. Full Story
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A report from the independent ombudsman's office raises concerns about a small group of youths who purchase control of weaker youths using drugs, cigarettes and money at the Giddings State School. Full Story
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A Texas Supreme Court advisory committee today will consider whether to approve divorce forms. But many family law attorneys argue that forms are insufficient. Full Story
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Domingo Garcia's campaign for Congress may boost Hispanic turnout enough to unseat state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, who is facing his first primary challenge in 16 years. Full Story
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A judge today granted Kerry Max Cook's request for more DNA testing in the 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards, but the former death row inmate will have to fight to prove his innocence in the same place where he was twice sentenced to death. Full Story