The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
A day earlier, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals struck down a provision of the law that makes it a crime for public officials to deliberate privately in small groups. Full Story
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As the state put the 70-year-old to death, his son banged on the death chamber window. After an altercation with law enforcement, Coble's son and another relative were removed from the witness room and arrested. Full Story
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U.S. District Judge Fred Biery called the review "ham-handed" and ordered counties not to remove voters from the rolls without his approval and "a conclusive showing that the person is ineligible to vote." Full Story
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The ruling only pertains to a slice of the law, but open government advocates say the decision “removes a powerful disincentive” put in place to keep public officials from hiding public business. Full Story
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After state officials conceded that at least a quarter of a list of nearly 100,000 Texas voters flagged for citizenship review should never have been questioned, a federal judge said, "I wish all of this could've been done back as the original effort." Full Story
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A newly elected Democratic judge issued the decision in the latest turn of a 2013 legal challenge to Houston's policy extending benefits to municipal employees' same-sex spouses. Full Story
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The counties sent certain voters letters demanding that they prove their citizenship after they were flagged by the secretary of state's office. Full Story
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If confirmed, Busby, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, would replace Justice Phil Johnson, who retired after 13 years on the high court. Full Story
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For the second week in a row, the Senate Nominations Committee failed to bring Whitley up for a vote. And he's gained a new public adversary: the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Full Story
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An assistant attorney general said counties should have reviewed their lists of flagged voters to determine whether they had reason to believe the voters were ineligible before requiring them to prove their citizenship. Full Story
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This time, the majority of the justices said Moore has shown he is intellectually disabled. Full Story
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Billed as a consumer-protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board — a felony under Texas law that Ken Paxton was charged with in 2015. Full Story
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A Paxton deputy told a Guadalupe County official Feb. 1 that the attorney general's office "has pending criminal investigations related to these issues." Full Story
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Some lawmakers had fretted that sending the preliminary, faulty list to the state's top prosecutor would intimidate voters. Full Story
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An appointment to the high court would require a two-thirds confirmation vote, potentially handing Texas Senate Democrats an important bargaining chip in the contentious legislative debates to come. Full Story
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In the wake of a midterm election that saw four major state appeals courts flip on partisan lines, Hecht called on lawmakers to consider changing Texas to a system of merit selection and retention elections. Full Story
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Two years after a bail reform bill died in the Legislature, new bail legislation has other factors working in its favor. Full Story
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The ACLU and others are asking a federal court to block counties from sending notices requiring certain voters to prove their citizenship. Full Story
Paxton's office has asked lawmakers for millions more in funding and expanded jurisdiction to go after certain crimes. Critics say the requests are aimed at political gains. Full Story
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The plaintiffs allege the state's move to flag tens of thousands of registered voters for citizenship reviews violates the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. Full Story
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