The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
In another major case concerning Texas women’s reproductive care, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider if the right to religious freedom is broad enough to completely exempt religious nonprofits from providing women access to contraceptives through their insurance plans. Full Story
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Former Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia appeared before a state district judge Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea to a perjury charge stemming from his arrest of Sandra Bland. Full Story
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Adam Kelly Ward, whom appeals courts recognized as mentally ill, was executed Tuesday evening for the 2005 shooting death of a code enforcement officer. Full Story
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When former Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia steps into a Waller County courtroom on Tuesday for his arraignment, he will move forward with one of three battles he is fighting since he arrested Sandra Bland last year. Full Story
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Even as President Obama moves to normalize relations, Cuban refugees continue pouring into Texas through Laredo in record numbers. Full Story
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State agencies and the companies they contract with must use the E Verify system to screen for undocumented workers, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion Thursday. Full Story
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A federal judge on Thursday said attorneys for fired Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Brian Encinia haven't yet offered a good enough reason to keep a civil rights lawsuit filed by the mother of Sandra Bland from moving forward. Full Story
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D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Merrick Garland has a history with cases involving the Environmental Protection Agency, which Texas has sued 24 times since Obama took office. Full Story
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A survey taken after Travis County state District Judge Julie Kocurek was shot last fall in the driveway of her Austin home found that hundreds of Texas judges have feared for their safety at least once in the last two years. Full Story
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Every month, busloads of deported undocumented immigrants arrive at the southern border, returning to Mexico after serving prison time in the United States. Meanwhile, other migrants prepare to attempt illegal border crossings. This story is part of our "Bordering on Insecurity" series. Full Story
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Dallas County established the first conviction integrity unit in the United States in 2007. Now there are 24 such units across the country that work to identify and correct false convictions. Full Story
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State Sen. John Whitmire said Thursday afternoon he believes the gun used in the predawn shooting of his Houston area-office was likely an AR-15 assault rifle. He said it's too early to speculate about a motive or possible suspect. Full Story
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Nearly three years after Texas enacted a law requiring some applicants for unemployment benefits to pass a drug test, the state has yet to test a single applicant, and it remains unclear when the program will get going. Full Story
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The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Wednesday to take up the Texas voter ID case, adding another chapter to the law’s convoluted journey through the federal court system. Full Story
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More than 18 years after killing five people with five shots from a hunting rifle, Coy Wayne Wesbrook, 58, was executed Wednesday evening. Full Story
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At a hearing in Austin Tuesday, Baylor University officials didn't address specific incidents that have put the school under a national microscope and raised concerns that it routinely ignores the needs of victims. Full Story
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The Texas Juvenile Justice Department has developed a pilot program that places a handful of young offenders in on- and off-facility jobs if they have already earned a high school diploma or GED. Full Story
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After watching in horror nine years ago as the building that housed his office at Virginia Tech University was attacked by a gunman, Richard Benson is preparing to lead a Texas university about to implement a new campus carry law. Full Story
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In the Roundup: Republicans in the state's capital city are calling for the new Travis County GOP chairman to be removed from office. Also this week, the U.S. Supreme Court took up Texas’ restrictions on abortion clinics and the arresting officer of Sandra Bland is no longer employed by the state. Full Story
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The mayor of a Texas border city whose population is 96 percent Hispanic and home to the country’s largest inland port said on Wednesday that even though he is opposed to a wall on the border, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of voting for Donald Trump. Full Story
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