The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas counties are trying to kill an effort to allow public access to court records from all 254 counties through an online portal, and they've found friendly ears in the Legislature. Full Story
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The Trump administration on Wednesday celebrated what the Department of Homeland Security said was an unprecedented drop in illegal crossing on the country’s Southwest border since the president took office Jan. 20. Full Story
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Senate Bill 7 would punish school principals and superintendents who fail to report teachers with a history of inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships with students. Full Story
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State Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, has filed long-shot House Bill 3080, which would prevent offenders proven to have had a severe mental illness at the time of their crime from being sentenced to death in a capital murder case. Full Story
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Texas executed hitman Ronaldo Ruiz late Tuesday night, 25 years after he killed a San Antonio woman for $2,000. Full Story
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The Senate State Affairs Committee took up the so-called bathroom bill on Tuesday and voted to send it to the full Texas Senate after hearing more than 13 hours of testimony. Full Story
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Outnumbered and with time running out, Texas Democrats hoping to kill anti-"sanctuary" legislation are open to shining a spotlight on so-called "sanctuary industries" that often turn a blind eye toward hiring unauthorized labor. Full Story
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Only bills related to law enforcement will be considered in the Senate on Monday, the first day of the legislative session when the House and Senate are allowed to pass non-emergency legislation. Full Story
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Critics say the procedure deprives citizens of property without due process. Law enforcement officials say they are stopping crime. Full Story
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The bill's proposals include limiting police searches during stops, adding reporting requirements for racial profiling and creating an independent ombudsman to monitor inmates' rights and services. Full Story
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Legislation that would make it harder for people to recover damages after an insurance claim has hit a wall of opposition from business interests. Full Story
Same-sex couples are entitled to the same treatment as opposite-sex couples, a lawyer for the city of Houston argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case challenging the city's benefits policy for married same-sex couples. Full Story
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The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety told lawmakers on Tuesday the agency can't predict when it will be able to scale back its border security operations in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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Same-sex marriage has been legal for almost two years, but opponents are looking to fight a U.S. Supreme Court ruling through a lawsuit challenging Houston's benefits for same-sex couples. Full Story
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Monday it plans to ditch its longstanding position that Texas lawmakers purposefully discriminated against minority voters by passing the nation’s strictest voter identification law in 2011. Full Story
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A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans dismissed a case brought against the state over a provision of Texas law that prohibits "concealing, harboring, or shielding" undocumented immigrants. Full Story
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Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on Thursday left the tough talk on immigration in Austin while he held a historic press conference on one of the country's busiest international bridges to Mexico. Full Story
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The Texas’ House’s chief budget writer said that President Trump’s emergence in Washington shouldn’t give state lawmakers license to slice hefty appropriations for border security — at least not yet. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Texas death row inmate Duane Buck, agreeing that his case was prejudiced by an expert trial witness who claimed Buck was more likely to be a future danger because he is black. Full Story
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Texas counties are facing financial pressures on both sides of a highly politicized debate over their role in enforcing federal immigration laws. Just look at Dallas County. Full Story
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