The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Jeff Wood was outside in a pickup when his partner killed a Kerrville convenience store clerk in 1996, but he was sentenced to death under Texas' felony murder statute, commonly known as the law of parties. Full Story
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The main entrance to the Texas Capitol is open and bustling again, a few weeks after the state Department of Public Safety temporarily closed it citing security concerns. Full Story
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Nearly one year after 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a “suspicious-looking” homemade clock to class, his family has filed suit against his former school district, the principal of the high school and the city of Irving. Full Story
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McAllen taxpayers cannot find out how much their city paid Enrique Iglesias to sing at a holiday concert, and that's just one example of the fallout from a Texas Supreme Court decision that is shielding many business secrets from the public. Full Story
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An investigation in Texas has exposed gaping holes in state and federal regulations that undermine the nation's claim to be the best in the world at blocking this potential terrorist threat. Full Story
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It’s been almost a month since a gunman opened fire on police officers in downtown Dallas. Since then, the department has been sorting through a deluge of job applications. Full Story
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With the 2017 state budget dance approaching, the Texas prison system is following instructions to cut 4 percent from its spending. Will that mean closing prisons and releasing more nonviolent inmates? Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is appealing the securities fraud charges against him to the state's highest criminal court, in one last bid to dismiss the case before it goes to trial. Full Story
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On Monday at the University of Texas at Austin, there were few obvious signs that a new state law had taken effect allowing guns in university buildings. But some students and faculty members said the new law left them unsettled. Full Story
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In the sweltering heat Monday, hundreds of mourners gathered in the shadow of the University of Texas Tower to honor the 16 people killed and dozens wounded during Charles Whitman’s shooting rampage exactly 50 years earlier. Full Story
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The new state law allowing guns inside college buildings went into effect Monday. Here’s a rundown of what that means for people on campus. Full Story
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When a shooter took aim at the University of Texas of Austin campus from the top of the UT Tower on Aug. 1, 1966, no one had any reference point for such an attack. The Texas Standard spoke to people who were there that day. Full Story
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More than a month after the Austin Police Department was forced to abruptly shut down its DNA testing lab, it remains unclear whether any criminal convictions will be thrown out because of improper testing. Full Story
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Starting Monday, licensed college students, faculty and visitors across Texas will be allowed to carry their concealed guns into campus buildings thanks to a new state law. But that right will be mostly limited to public schools. Full Story
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Aug. 1 is an important day on the University of Texas at Austin campus for two reasons: It’s the first day people will be allowed to carry guns into Texas university buildings, and it’s the 50th anniversary of the UT Tower shooting. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Austin in Travis County district court, trying to force the city to comply with his reading of the state's open carry law and let license holders openly carry handguns in city hall. Full Story
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The University of Texas Tower shooting was a first of its kind. Here’s how the tragedy has been depicted in film and TV. Full Story
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Seeking to bolster their chronically sparse representation on the state's highest courts, seven Latino voters are suing Texas to challenge the state's longtime method of electing judges statewide. Full Story
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Almost 7,000 individuals in Texas have died in police custody or behind bars over the past 10 years, according to an online report released Wednesday by a University of Texas at Austin research institute. Nearly 2,000 of them had not been convicted of a crime. Full Story
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After shootings like the one in Dallas this month, or the sniper attack 50 years ago at the University of Texas at Austin, people often wonder if there’s a link between gun violence and mental illness. The link might not be what you thought. Full Story
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