New Court Filing System Is Up, Months Ahead of Schedule
Also, Attorney General Ken Paxton weighs in on the side of Kountze ISD cheerleaders who was to display religious messages at football games. Full Story
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Johnathan Silver
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Johnathan Silver reported on the state’s criminal justice system for the Tribune from 2015 to 2017. Previously, Johnathan was a Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Buster Haas intern and staff reporter at the Victoria Advocate. A Fort Worth native, Johnathan graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with bachelor’s degrees in political science and criminal justice – and a graduation mug from The Shorthorn, the campus student newspaper.
Past Contributions
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![Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Nathan Hecht during press conference revealing that eFile Texas, the electronic court filing system in the US is complete on September 30, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Offenders Return to State School With Thanks
A group of youth offenders once considered the worst of the worst for crimes including murder, capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery returned to Giddings State School recently not as inmates but as thankful adults. Full Story
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![Karwin Archie attended the "Raised by the State" reunion for reformed youth offenders once housed at Giddings State School to show appreciation to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.]()
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Abbott Sets Sights on Easing Traffic Congestion in Texas
Also, a petition is delivered demanding action in the Sandra Bland case and a car crashes through a gate on the Capitol grounds. Full Story
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![Greg Abbott said boosting transportation funding would be a priority for him during his first term as governor.]()
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Study: Concealed Handgun Permits Don't Affect Crime Rate
Supporters insist that allowing people to legally carry concealed handguns reduces crime, but that has not been the result in at least four states that have tried it, including Texas, according to a newly published academic study. Full Story
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Mentally Ill Inmate's Case Back Before 5th Circuit
The 23-year saga that is the Scott Panetti death penalty case returned to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday as lawyers argued over whether the 57-year-old is competent enough to be executed, and who should pay to determine that. Full Story
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![Death row inmate Scott Panetti.]()
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Panetti Lawyers Want His Competence Evaluated
Lawyers for death row inmate Scott Panetti will get a chance Wednesday to argue that their client's ongoing mental illness — and the state's failure to evaluate his mental state — should forestall his execution for two 1992 killings. Full Story
![Death row inmate Scott Panetti.]()
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Lawmakers Zero in on Jail Standards, Mental Health
To the better-known name of Sandra Bland — whose death by apparent suicide in the Waller County Jail this summer sparked national outrage — state Sen. John Whitmire on Tuesday linked three others with mental or emotional problems who have recently died in custody. Full Story
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![Sen. John Whitmire D-Houston during a September 22 Senate Criminal Justice Committee hearing]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Jack Stick Convicted of Drunken Driving
A Travis County jury on Monday convicted Texas Health and Human Services' general counsel Jack Stick of drunken driving, the latest chapter in year of problems for the former prosecutor and state lawmaker. Full Story
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![Former chief counsel for Health of Human Services Commission of Texas Jack Stick, sits inside Travis County courthouse on trial for a 2012 DWI arrest.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Scrutiny Follows Bland, Deputy Deaths
In the coming days, the deaths of Sandra Bland and Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth will continue to jolt statewide conversations about how the Texas criminal justice system deals with — or fails to deal with — mental health issues. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Emily Albracht