Paxton looks to get ahead of legal challenges to "sanctuary cities" ban
Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to get ahead of an anticipated barrage of legal challenges to Texas' ban on "sanctuary cities." Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas lawmakers: State needs to act after black teen's death by police
In the aftermath of a police officer killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards near Dallas, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus called on state leaders to work with legislators on police interactions and accountability. Full Story
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![State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, speaks at a Texas Legislative Black Caucus news conference on May 4, 2017, imploring state leaders to act on the recent shooting of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in Balch Springs outside Dallas.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
After police shoot and kill unarmed teen, Texas lawmakers consider next steps
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old by police on Saturday night, Democrats in the state Capitol have pointed to relevant bills they say could prevent similar deaths. Full Story
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![15-year-old Mesquite High School freshman Jordan Edwards (left) was shot and killed by Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver on April 29, 2017.]()
Credit: Mesquite High School yearbook/Facebook -
"Sanctuary cities" bill clears latest hurdle, heads to Abbott for signature
The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted to send to Gov. Greg Abbott a bill that would ban "sanctuary" jurisdictions in Texas and allow police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. Full Story
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![Protesters block the doors to the State Insurance Building, on the Capitol grounds in Austin, in protest of Senate Bill 4 — known as the "sanctuary cities" bill — on Monday, May 1, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Aiming to stop suicides, Texas Senate supports crackdown on cyberbullying
The state Senate Wednesday unanimously approved a bill dubbed "David's Law" that's aimed at curbing teen suicides by cracking down on cyberbullying. Full Story
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![State Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, listens to questions regarding Senate Bill 179, the anti-cyberbullying bill, on May 3, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Sandra Bland Act gets nod from Texas Senate panel
The legislation would mandate that county jails route people with mental health crises and substance abuse issues to treatment and install electronic sensors or cameras to better monitor inmates. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
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UT police on stabbing spree: "This was not a conspiracy"
Police said the student who stabbed four people on the University of Texas at Austin campus didn't appear to be targeting anyone in particular. Full Story
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![A look at the sun setting over the University of Texas at Austin Tower in 2011.]()
Credit: Illustration by Nicolas Raymond / Todd Wiseman -
Pension fights raise fears of crippling police, firefighter shortages
Amid efforts by the Legislature to address immediate pension crises in Houston and Dallas, some see an opportunity to push for a sea change in how cities fund pensions. Critics predict such a move could drive first responders away in droves. Full Story
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![Dallas police officers and firefighters march in protest of their failing pension fund in Dallas on April 26, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas fights federal ban on import of execution drug
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially blocked Texas' attempted import of execution drugs. Now, Texas is fighting back in court. Full Story
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![Texas' execution chamber in Huntsville.]()
Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Dallas police officers, firefighters rail against mayor's handling of pension crisis
Mike Rawlings says he's trying to protect taxpayers as he opposes bill aimed at fixing shortfall. But first responders say he could exacerbate a shortage of police officers and firefighters. Full Story
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![Dallas police officers and firefighters protest their failing pension fund outside City Hall in Dallas on April 26, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman for The Texas Tribune -
Trial of former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman on corruption charges delayed until next year
Stockman's lawyer says he needs until January 2018 to review 142,378 pages of evidence, apparently gathered by the government over the past three and a half years. Full Story
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![Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, a Houston-area Republican, speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.]()
Credit: Gage Skidmore -
Attorney General Ken Paxton still pushing for new judge in criminal trial
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawyers are not giving up in their bid to get a new judge in his securities fraud case after the current judge ordered the case moved from Collin County, where Paxton lives, to Harris County. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a news conference on Jan. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
U.S. Supreme Court justices express caution, intrigue in death penalty case
U.S. Supreme Court justices Monday expressed concerns about the caseload federal appeals courts might see if they allow Texas death row inmate Erick Davila another chance in a lower court because of an error his lawyer made in the appeals process. Full Story
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![Death row inmate Erick Davila.]()
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Here's a look at how many execution drugs Texas has in stock right now
With lethal injection drugs in short supply across the nation and increasing secrecy about providers, The Texas Tribune is keeping track of movement in the state’s supply. Full Story
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House passes bill to raise age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18
The "Raise the Age" bill, would move 17-year-old offenders from the adult criminal justice system to its juvenile justice counterpart beginning 2021. Full Story
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![State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, gives closing arguments on House Bill 122, which would raise the age of criminal responsibility in Texas from 17 to 18. The House passed the bill 92-52 on April 20, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
FDA officially bans Texas' attempted import of execution drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final ruling Thursday evening banning Texas' attempted import of an execution drug from overseas. Full Story
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Texas man convicted in double slaying to get Supreme Court hearing
The U.S. Supreme Court, including its newest justice, Neil Gorsuch, will decide on a legal technicality in the case of a Fort Worth man who killed a 5-year-old girl and her grandmother. Full Story
![Death row inmate Erick Davila.]()
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Texas on the hook for $600,000 after conceding same-sex marriage case
A federal appeals court this week ordered the state to pay more than $600,000 in legal fees to two same-sex marriage couples who sued Texas over its now-defunct same-sex marriage ban. Full Story
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![Couples Cleopatra DeLeon and Nicole Dimetman and Victor Holmes and Mark Phariss celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage at an LBJ Library news conference on June 26, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas House panel approves bill to pay for bulletproof vests for police
Senate Bill 12 would create a grant program that would pay for bulletproof vests for all patrol officers in Texas. Full Story
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![A Houston police officer on the scene in a west Houston neighborhood where a gunman with an assault rifle shot one man and injured six before being killed by a SWAT officer on May 29, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Five death penalty reform bills heard in Texas House committee
Five death penalty bills were heard in a seven-hour-long meeting at the Capitol Monday night. Full Story
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![State Reps. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, left, and Jeff Leach, R-Plano, speak at a press conference on the death penalty and the law of parties on April 17, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune