A push to change a 2019 Texas law that bars certain felons from becoming social workers
Texas prohibits people with assault convictions, among other felonies, from becoming social workers. A new lawsuit says the ban is unconstitutional. Full Story
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![Tammy Thompson, left, and Katherin Youniacutt, right, pose for a portrait the night before filing a lawsuit against the state of Texas to try and reverse the 2019 law that prevents convicted felons from becoming licensed social workers.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
How disagreements about a Texas death row inmate’s guilt became a legal battle between branches of government
The Texas Supreme Court is considering whether a legislative subpoena of a death row inmate infringed on the executive branch’s power to carry out the execution. Full Story
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![Former Detective Brian Wharton testifies during a Criminal Jurisprudence hearing on death row inmate Robert Roberson on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Austin, TX. Wharton was an investigator in the case of the death of Nikki Roberson and has expressed his doubts of Roberson's guilt and agrees with stopping his execution. With his scheduled execution drawing closer, a hearing debating the certainty of Robreson's guilt and there is a bipartisan push to stay his execution. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ highest criminal court orders new trial for death row inmate over judge's alleged antisemitic bias
Randy Halprin was a member of a gang of prisoners known as the “Texas 7” who escaped from custody and killed an Irving police officer in 2000. Full Story
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![Randy Halprin, then 23, one of the "Texas Seven" prison escapees, is led out of the Teller County Courthouse after a extradition hearing in Cripple Creek, Colorado on Jan. 26, 2001.]()
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Paxton’s picks cement Republicans’ hold on Texas’ highest criminal court
Three new faces will join the bench, but the political balance of power will remain the same on the Court of Criminal Appeals. Full Story
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![The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, criminal charges and misdemeanor convictions don’t automatically take away people’s voting rights
Texans serving time for misdemeanor offenses or who are in jail awaiting trial are eligible to vote but only two counties offer voting in jail. Full Story
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![The Linda Woodman State Jail in Gatesville in May 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
There are warring depictions of Robert Roberson’s murder case. Here’s what to know.
Even before the Texas man’s death sentence became a political lightning rod, law enforcement and medical experts had differing opinions on the evidence that convicted him. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Dec. 19, 2023. Texas death row prisoners are housed in Livingston but executed at the state prison in Huntsville, about 43 miles away.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project -
Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson case
The AG also said he’d make a criminal referral against the lawmaker, who apologized for texting a Court of Criminal Appeals judge about a new trial for the death row inmate. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Hundreds illegally got Texas teacher licenses through cheating ring, Harris County prosecutors say
Five people were charged in connection with the scheme. Investigators say aspiring teachers would pay for help cheating in the certification test. Full Story
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![Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg speaks at a press conference at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center in Houston on Thursday, April 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Jeff Leach asked Texas judge to consider a new Robert Roberson trial in apparent conduct violation
Leach, one of the driving forces behind the effort to stop Roberson’s execution, later apologized to the judge, who told the lawmaker there were still pending matters before the court. Full Story
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![From left: State Reps. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, listen to a testimony during a Criminal Jurisprudence hearing on death row inmate Robert Roberson on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Austin.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
In Dallas, ballot propositions could drastically change police and city government
Proposed amendments to the city charter would require the city to hire more police, tie the city manager’s pay to community reviews and let citizens sue the city more easily. Full Story
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![Dallas City Hall on July 11, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton and Texas House members accuse each other of mischaracterizing Robert Roberson’s case
After the attorney general insisted on the death row inmate’s guilt in a graphic press release, four lawmakers issued a point-by-point rebuttal. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Robert Roberson’s case spotlights Texas’ GOP divide on criminal justice
Texas’ junk science statute has remained hamstrung for the last decade. So too have other criminal justice reforms, despite efforts from the Texas House. Full Story
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![From left: State Reps. David Cook, R-Mansfield, Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, during a House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence hearing on death row inmate Robert Roberson on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in Austin.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Former Eagle Pass detective sentenced to 10 years in prison for running migrant stash houses
Hazel Eileen Diaz received nearly $40,000 in cash and money transfers for letting human smugglers use her rental properties. Full Story
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![The city of Eagle Pass, seen from Piedras Negras, Mexico, on Saturday, June 8, 2024.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott’s office condemns Texas House lawmakers who intervened in Robert Roberson’s execution
The Texas governor had not publicly shared his thoughts on the actions of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that stopped the scheduled execution of Robert Roberson. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas on Aug. 4, 2022.]()
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Robert Roberson juror says new evidence would have prevented his conviction in shaken baby case
The death row inmate was expected to testify before a Texas House committee, but those plans were scrapped amid a dispute over whether he should appear in person or virtually. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Dec. 19, 2023. Texas death row prisoners are housed in Livingston but executed at the state prison in Huntsville, about 43 miles away.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project -
As Robert Roberson’s execution neared, Gov. Greg Abbott stuck to silence
It’s rare for governors to step in to halt executions. In the case of Robert Roberson, it ended up being state lawmakers who took extraordinary steps. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender-affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
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After Roberson ruling, Court of Criminal Appeals election in the spotlight
Three of the five judges who allowed Robert Roberson’s execution to proceed will be leaving the court after Paxton-backed primary challenges. Full Story
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![The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
A legal battle spared Robert Roberson’s life, for now. Here’s what happens next.
The effort to spare Roberson sparked a conflict between the executive and legislative branches that must be resolved. When it is, the death row inmate will likely be back on the path to execution. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson seeks a new trial for the 2003 conviction of the murder of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. His attorneys are asking for a new trial based on new findings they say debunk the flawed science presented in the original trial.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?
The American Academy of Pediatrics embraces the diagnosis, but courts have thrown out some cases, calling it “junk science.” Full Story
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![A midwife cares for a newborn baby.]()
Credit: Natalia Ojewska for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers take unprecedented steps to buy Robert Roberson more time
With Roberson’s options dwindling, a House panel used its bully pulpit to prove his case and excoriate the failures of the state’s junk science law. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson seeks a new trial for the 2003 conviction of the murder of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis in Palestine on Aug. 14, 2018. His attorneys are asking for a new trial based on new findings they say debunk the flawed science presented in the original trial.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune