Border Patrol agent convicted of corruption but not murder
Border Patrol Agent Joel Luna was found guilty of engaging in organized criminal activity, but a Cameron County jury acquitted him of murder. Full Story
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![Defense attorney Carlos Garcia (r.) confers with former Border Patrol agent Joel Luna.]()
Credit: Douglas Young for The Texas Tribune -
Juvenile justice advocates look to raise age of criminal responsibility to 18
Seventeen-year-olds can't vote, join the military or buy cigarettes or alcohol, but they're treated as adults in criminal cases in Texas. About 200 people rallied at the Capitol on Monday to change that. Full Story
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Trump says Lockheed Martin has cut $600 million from F-35 program
President Trump said Monday that Lockheed Martin has cut $600 million from its next lot of 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes, capping weeks of public criticisms of the program’s cost. Full Story
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![Fort Worth residents posed for photos on Dec. 21, 2016, with a model of the F-35 fighter plane, which is manufactured at a Lockheed Martin plant in the city.]()
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Texas rep placed under state protection after filing bill to ban abortions
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, has been placed under the protection of the Texas Department of Public Safety after getting death threats following his filing of a bill to criminalize abortion in Texas. Full Story
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![State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, and State Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, during House budget debate Mar. 31, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Here are four key criminal justice issues in the Texas Legislature
Texas lawmakers are likely to take a close look this legislative session at how law enforcement and civilians interact with each other. Full Story
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![Austin Police Department Senior Patrol officer S. Boughton uses radar to monitor vehicles along stretch of Austin highway in 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Trump's travel ban leads to immigrant detainments at Texas airports
Trump's executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries led to the detainment of several travelers at Texas airports. Full Story
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Two sharply different portrayals of Border Patrol agent at murder trial
Devoted public servant who protected the nation’s borders and erred only by helping out his family? Or leader of a drug- and gun-trafficking enterprise? Those were the two portraits that emerged of Border Patrol Agent Joel Luna at his two-week murder trial. Now, a jury will decide his fate as early as Monday. Full Story
![Defense attorney Carlos Garcia (r.) confers with former Border Patrol agent Joel Luna.]()
Credit: Douglas Young for The Texas Tribune -
With executions down, will the death penalty disappear?
The death penalty has been slowly on the decline in the U.S. Tough-on-crime Texas has also seen a decline in its use. What could that mean for the future of the penalty here? Full Story
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![Texas' execution chamber in Huntsville.]()
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Federal court blocks Texas fetal remains burial rule
U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks ruled Texas cannot require health providers to bury or cremate fetuses, delivering another blow to state leaders in the reproductive rights debate. Full Story
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![Protesters of Texas' fetal remains burial rule gather outside the Governor's Mansion on Jan. 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas executes man convicted in Dallas-area double murder
After a nearly four-hour delay while waiting on final appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, Terry Edwards was executed Thursday night for a robbery turned murder he claimed he did not commit. Full Story
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![The clock nears 6 p.m. at the "Walls" unit in Huntsville, where Texas executes its prisoners, on Jan. 26, 2017.]()
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Jury to decide Border Patrol agent's fate
The fate of Border Patrol Agent Joel Luna and his Mexican-born brother Eduardo, both charged with drug trafficking and the murder of a would-be snitch, is set to fall to a Cameron County jury Friday after almost two weeks of testimony and sparring over evidence. Full Story
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![Chief Prosecutor Gus Garza walks by a safe brought into the courtroom as evidence during the murder trial of former Border Patrol agent Joel Luna and his brother Eduardo Luna Rodriguez.]()
Credit: Douglas Young for The Texas Tribune -
Amid "sanctuary" standoff, Abbott asks agencies to list Travis County funding
Gov. Greg Abbott's office is asking state agencies to take stock of their funds to Travis County as he further escalates his standoff with the county's sheriff, Sally Hernandez, over her new "sanctuary" policy. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera/Martin do Nascimento -
Civil rights group asks judge to sanction state in voter registration suit
Civil rights lawyers suing Texas over its voter registration practices asked a federal judge to sanction the state for allegedly blowing past deadlines and ignoring a court order to hand over documents. Full Story
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Appeals denied, execution set for man in murder he says he didn't commit
A man who claims he is innocent is set to be executed Thursday evening in a robbery turned double murder in Dallas County. Full Story
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![Terry Edwards was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2002 murders of Mickell Goodwin and Tommy Walker.]()
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Trump signs orders to build border wall and boost detention space
The White House announced Wednesday that in addition to moving to build a barrier on the southern border, it will act to build more detention space for undocumented immigrants in the area. Full Story
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![Now-President Donald Trump is shown on Jan. 28, 2016, speaking to a group of veterans at Drake University during the 2016 Republican presidential campaign.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
While bracing for action from Trump, Democrats also vow to fight state bills on sanctuary cities
Texas House and Senate Democrats said Wednesday they’d keep fighting efforts by state Republicans to crack down on cities viewed as sanctuary cities even as a related executive order from President Trump was expected later in the day. Full Story
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![Group gathered from all around Texas and marched to the Governor's Mansion to show their support fro DACA and DAPA]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Abbott proposes removing any officeholder who "promotes sanctuary cities"
Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that he and state lawmakers will pursue legislation that would "remove from office any officeholder who promotes sanctuary cities." Full Story
![Gov. Greg Abbott and Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.]()
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State Rep. Dutton renews uphill fight to abolish the death penalty in Texas
Every legislative session since 2003, Harold Dutton of Houston has filed at least one bill to end capital punishment in Texas. It’s often been a lonely quest. Full Story
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Gov. Abbott demands Travis County reverse new "sanctuary" policy
Gov. Greg Abbott is formally demanding that Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez reverse her new policy on cooperation with federal immigration authorities or lose state dollars, further escalating a showdown over "sanctuary cities" that have been in the crosshairs of Republican officials. Full Story
![Gov. Greg Abbott and Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera/Martin do Nascimento -
Watch our video series on community concerns coming to the Capitol
In our six-part "State of Mind" series, we looked at various issues being discussed across Texas as state lawmakers debate bills during the 85th Legislative Session. Watch all of the videos here. Full Story
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