District attorney who prosecuted Jeff Wood now wants him off death row
The prosecutor in the death penalty case of a man who didn't kill anyone has asked the parole board and Gov. Greg Abbott to change his sentence to life in prison. Full Story
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![Supporters of Jeff Wood gathered on July 23, 2016, in front of the Governor's Mansion to rally against his scheduled August execution.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Three women indicted in death of impaired woman in state facility
Five months after the death of a severely disabled woman in a state facility, three employees have been indicted on felony murder charges. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Texas senators discuss closing youth lockups amid sexual abuse scandal
Several state senators indicated at a Tuesday committee hearing that they would be open to closing at least some of Texas' five remaining remote lockups for committed youth. Full Story
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![State Sens. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, John Whitmire, D-Houston, and Royce West, D-Dallas, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Dec. 5, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas appears to concede voting rights case on language interpreter law
It appears that Texas will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case against the state's restrictions on language interpreters at the ballot box, letting a lower court ruling stand. Full Story
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![Voting precinct at the Parker Lane United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
What's happening in Harris County now that the sheriff issues bail bonds?
The burden of a federal court order mandating the free release of poor misdemeanor defendants from jail has fallen onto the Harris County Sheriff. County data shows more than 40 percent of the sheriff's bonds fail because defendants aren't showing up to court, but critics say that number doesn't tell the whole story. Full Story
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![The Harris Co. Sheriff's Office and Detention Facility in Houston.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halts state's last execution of 2017
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped the state's last remaining execution of 2017, sending the San Antonio case back to court to resolve claims of false testimony at trial. Full Story
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![Juan Castillo]()
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Don Willett defends tweets at confirmation hearing before U.S. Senate
Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, a nominee of President Donald Trump to a federal court, defended past tweets about transgender people and same-sex marriage as jokes at a confirmation hearing Wednesday. Full Story
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![Texas nominees to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals James C. Ho (left) and Don R. Willett are sworn in during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Allison Shelley for The Texas Tribune -
In race against Keller, Republican highlighting infamous death row call
Sharon Keller, the longtime presiding judge of Texas' Court of Criminal Appeals, has tried to move on from several past ethical controversies — including blocking the last-minute appeal of a 2007 execution. A primary challenger hopes voters will reconsider them. Full Story
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![Sharon Keller and David Bridges are both running in the 2018 Republican primary for presiding judge of the state's Court of Criminal Appeals.]()
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"Sanctuary cities" law hearing draws debate on free speech, ICE detainers
It was round two in New Orleans on Tuesday for attorneys for the state of Texas and opponents of the state’s anti-“sanctuary cities” law, Senate Bill 4. Full Story
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![A massive protest engulfs the Capitol Rotunda as anti-SB 4 protesters rally on May 29, 2017, the last day of the 85th legislative session.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Texas back in federal court to defend "sanctuary cities" law
Attorneys for the state of Texas are set to head back before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Tuesday to defend the state’s new immigration enforcement law. Full Story
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![Protesters opposed to Senate Bill 4, known as the "sanctuary cities" law, turn out in force for the last day of the legislative session on May 29, 2017.]()
Credit: Erika Rich for The Texas Tribune -
Taking Texas to trial: the latest on the state's battles in the courts
Texas has a host of high-profile legal battles in the works, ranging from voting rights to political maps. Full Story
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Prosecutor asks for current medical standards in death penalty evaluations
The top prosecutor in Harris County is proposing a new way for Texas to determine if a death-sentenced inmate is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution: use the current clinical books. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bobby Moore, a man who has been on death row since 1980, in March 2017.]()
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Texas ban on abortion procedure heads to trial
Arguments began Thursday in a trial over a state ban on dilation and evacuation abortions, the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. Full Story
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![One of the surgery rooms at the Whole Woman's Health Surgical Center in San Antonio on March 18, 2013.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
Trump nominating Ryan Patrick, son of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, to be U.S. attorney
Ryan Patrick, who worked as a state district judge until losing a re-election campaign this past November, would become the top federal prosecutor in one of the busiest districts in the country. Full Story
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![Former Houston prosecutor and district judge Ryan Patrick is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's son.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court examines investigatory funding in Texas death penalty case
A 1995 murder of a Houston woman led a case to the nation's highest court Monday. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue of federal funding in death penalty investigations during the appeals process. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
District attorney closes probe into Paxton legal defense gift
Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley said her office had closed its investigation into whether Attorney General Ken Paxton acted illegally in accepting a $100,000 gift from a CEO whose company was under investigation for fraud. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton speaks at the Texas State Rifle Association General Meeting in Round Rock on Feb. 25, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas attorney general sues feds, seeks to help family adopt Native American 2-year-old
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the federal government over a law that seeks to keep Native American children from being separated from their families. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
How Harvey-affected kids in jail or on probation are getting help in Houston
Dozens of minors in jail or on probation in Harris County are facing new hurdles after Hurricane Harvey. A local nonprofit is expanding to help youth in the criminal justice system who've lost everything in the storm. Full Story
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![Ron Williams, an outreach worker at Houston reVision, pulls supplies from a stockpile of donations to bring to a Harvey-displaced teen on probation on Oct. 17, 2017.]()
Credit: Jolie McCullough / The Texas Tribune -
ACLU asks appeals court to reconsider ruling delaying abortion for undocumented teen
Days after a three-judge panel ruled that an undocumented teen in Texas would not immediately have access to an abortion, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking all 10 judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reconsider. Full Story
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![An American flag flies over the international bridge at Eagle Pass, seen through the border fence.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
In Austin, Sessions touts Trump's hardline stance on immigration
“The President is determined, first and finally, to build a wall at the border,” Sessions said during a 20-minute speech in downtown Austin in which he praised state Republicans who approved an anti-"sanctuary" law earlier this year. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about carrying out President Donald Trump's immigration priorities at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas in Austin on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune