In Judicial Appointments, Perry Reaches Beyond Executive Branch
Gov. Rick Perry's control of the executive branch after 12 years in office is well established. But he's made hundreds of judicial appointments, too. Full Story
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![Rick Perry and Jeffrey Boyd]()
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Newsreel: Freshmen Invade, Perry Appoints
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: It's freshman orientation at the Texas Capitol, and Gov. Rick Perry has appointed a new Texas Supreme Court justice and a new secretary of state. Full Story
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Attorney General Seeks to Seize Polygamist Ranch
The Texas attorney general's office is pursuing legal action to seize the West Texas ranch owned by the polygamist sect led by Warren Jeffs, who is serving life in prison for sexually assaulting young girls. Full Story
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Bill Would Restrict Informant Testimony in Death Penalty Cases
Reform advocates argue that a bill banning "snitch" testimony would help prevent wrongful convictions. But critics of the measure say that current rules protect defendants and that eliminating such testimony could tie prosecutors’ hands. Full Story
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Senate Committee Hears Testimony on Open Records Law
The Senate Committee on Open Government heard testimony Monday surrounding the Texas Public Information Act. Among the discussions was one focused on reducing “frivolous and overly burdensome” requests. Full Story
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Perry Taps Chief of Staff for Texas Supreme Court
Gov. Rick Perry has named Jeff Boyd, his chief of staff, as his choice to replace Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright, who resigned from the state's highest civil court earlier this year. Full Story
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Sexual Assault Case Could Open Door for Reviews
Could wrongful convictions for sexual assault be the next frontier for Texas junk science cases? Advocates for four San Antonio women accused of sexually assaulting two young girls 15 years ago say their case could open the door. Full Story
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![Elizabeth Ramirez, 38, is 15 years into a nearly 40-year sentence for the sexual assault of her two nieces. On Aug. 4, one of those nieces recanted. Attorneys at the Innocence Project of Texas are hoping to prove that Ramirez and her three friends, who are also incarcerated, never committed the crime.]()
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Father Cleared of Murder Charges Asks Why His Daughter is Still in Prison
Megan Winfrey has watched as her father and brother were released from jail because the dog-scent evidence used in the murder case against them was deemed faulty. But she remains in prison, awaiting a ruling on her plea for acquittal. Full Story
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Preston Hughes Executed for 1988 Murder
Preston Hughes was executed Thursday night for the fatal 1988 stabbing of two youths in Houston. Hughes was the second Texas inmate executed in two days. Full Story
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![Preston Hughes interview two months before Hughes' first scheduled execution date, TDCJ Polunsky Unit, Livingston, Texas. September 19, 2012.]()
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Llano County Jail Death Prompts Lawsuit
A woman who has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against administrators with the Llano County Jail says they neglected her son, who died last year. An attorney for the administrators has said they have done nothing wrong. Full Story
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![At a Texas Civil Rights Project press conference, Shirley Appell, center, the mother of Shawn Appell, argues that jailers in Llano County are responsible for her son's death. She is seeking civil damages.]()
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Ruling: Employers Can't Use Penal Code to Restrict Handguns in Cars
A law passed last year allows licensed employees to keep concealed handguns in their vehicles while on employer property, and the employer cannot use the penal code to circumvent the law, according to an opinion from the attorney general's office Monday. Full Story
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![A M&P Shield handgun, small enough to be ideal for conceal carry, in Austin on April 23, 2021.]()
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Supreme Court To Hear Texas Death Row Inmate's Case
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear the case of Carlos Trevino, who contends that the high court's decision last year's to guarantee effective habeas representation should apply in Texas as it does elsewhere. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court Rejects Crash Victim's Case
For a second time — and likely the last — the Texas Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Michelle Gaines, who suffered debilitating injuries in a 2006 car accident. Full Story
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![Michelle Gaines, 26, and her father Michael Gaines in their home in Palestine, TX, on Sunday, July 22, 2012.]()
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In Death Row Inmate's Case, a Struggle Between Advocates and Lawyers
Preston Hughes III, who faces a Nov. 15 execution date, trusts several advocates without legal training more than his court-appointed attorney. The conflict between advocates and attorneys is not unusual in death penalty cases. Full Story
![Preston Hughes interview two months before Hughes' first scheduled execution date, TDCJ Polunsky Unit, Livingston, Texas. September 19, 2012.]()
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Court Upholds Ban on Gun Sales to Those Younger Than 21
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court’s ruling that banning the purchase of handguns by people younger than 21 does not infringe on those individuals' constitutional privileges. Full Story
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Willingham's Family Seeks "Posthumous Pardon"
The surviving relatives of Cameron Todd Willingham have sent an application for pardon, hoping to clear his name eight years after his execution for a 1991 fire that killed his three young children. Full Story
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![From Left, Patricia Willingham Cox, Cameron Todd Willingham's cousin, Eugenia Willingham, his stepmother, and Judy Cavnar, his cousin, are seeking to clear Willingham's name from a 1991 arson case for which he was executed in 2004. They spoke at a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, October 24th, 2012.]()
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Report: More Funding Needed for Mental Health in Juvenile Facilities
A Texas Criminal Justice Coalition report says girls in the juvenile justice system don't get adequate counseling for past trauma. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department, however, takes issue with some of the report's conclusions. Full Story
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Texas High Court Rejects Challenge to Franchise Tax
The Supreme Court of Texas has dismissed a challenge by Nestle Inc. and two other businesses targeting the state’s franchise tax. The court said that the tax squares with the Texas and U.S. constitutions. Full Story
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Dallas Suburbs Lead State in Attempts to Deny Information Requests
Among the state’s biggest cities, several Dallas-area suburbs tallied the highest rate of requests to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott last year to keep government information secret, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation. Full Story
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Report: Counties Provide Better Juvenile Services
County juvenile probation agencies produce better results for less money than state youth lockups, according to a report by the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. The report also says counties need more funds and oversight. Full Story
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Credit: Jeff Heimsath
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