Judiciary of Texas

Texas Among States Getting F in Judicial Disclosures Report

By Ross Ramsey Dec. 3, 2013

Texas doesn't require enough disclosure from its judges to fully inform the public about conflicts of interest, according to a report from the Center for Public Integrity. Full Story

Credit: Frank Swift
Brandenburg and Lyle: The TT Interview

By Ross Ramsey Nov. 27, 2013

Two experts in campaign finance and its effects on how judges decide cases say the money has a measurable effect and that some changes in law can help. Full Story
Perry Taps Appeals Court Justice for Texas Supreme Court

By Ross Ramsey Sept. 26, 2013

Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday said he had appointed Houston's Jeff Brown to an open spot on the Texas Supreme Court. Brown, a former state district judge, is currently a justice on Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals. Full Story

Credit: S. Christopher Gillett
Judicial Pay Raises Bring a Little Something Extra

By Ross Ramsey May 10, 2013

Lawmakers are talking seriously about a 21.5 percent pay raise for state district judges, which would increase the pensions of those same lawmakers by that same amount. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Lawmakers Attempt to Change Truancy Laws

By Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project April 29, 2013

Some parents and advocacy organizations say the state’s truancy laws are too harsh. The Senate passed a bill last week to change these laws, compromising with judges and district officials who said the reforms were too broad. Full Story

Credit: Tamir Kalifa
In Judicial Appointments, Perry Reaches Beyond Executive Branch

By Ross Ramsey Dec. 3, 2012

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

Credit: Illustration by Abilene Christian University
Lubbock Judge: Obama Re-election Could Spark U.N. Takeover, Civil War

By Hollie O'Connor Aug. 22, 2012

A Lubbock County judge is making headlines after suggesting that President Obama might hand over sovereignty of the United States to the United Nations, possibly igniting in a civil war. Full Story
Local Court Race Tests Judicial Campaign Law

By Morgan Smith and Zoë Gioja July 26, 2012

A runoff for the state district court in Marshall, just east of Longview near the Louisiana border, has two Republicans slinging lawsuits and ethics complaints over provisions of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Making the Trip From the Bench to the Grass Roots

By Ross Ramsey April 23, 2012

How do you get state judges to go to a weekday afternoon reception in rural West Texas? It depends on who else is there — and what it could mean for their re-election bids. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
In Texas, a Never-Ending Battle Over Judicial Elections

By Ben Philpott, KUT News March 30, 2012

Political candidates across Texas are gearing up for the state's May 29 primaries. And as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, that partisan campaigning extends to candidates who often promise to be impartial: the state’s judges. Full Story
Ethan Nadelmann: The TT Interview

By Julián Aguilar March 29, 2012

The executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance on how drug policies are making Texas’ criminal justice system “horrific,” and who has the most to gain and lose by amending current drug policies. Full Story

Credit: Julian Aguilar
Texas Gets a D+ in Public Integrity Study

By Paul Theobald March 19, 2012

Texas has scored a 68 out of 100, placing 27th in a national state integrity study. The state got high marks for auditing and for monitoring pension funds, but not as high for accountability of the governor and legislators. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Texplainer: What is a Court of Inquiry?

By Holly Heinrich Jan. 30, 2012

Hey, Texplainer: Courts of inquiry have been used to exonerate wrongfully convicted Texans and to look at earlier cases. When does a judge call for a court of inquiry, and what else can judges review in these proceedings? Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Legal Dispute Leaves Poor Defendants in Limbo

By Gerald Rich Jan. 26, 2012

In rural Val Verde County, defendants who are too poor to afford their own lawyers have waited years for resolution of their cases. As a new legal battle between their lawyers and the county begins, their day in court remains elusive. Full Story
Weekend Insider: Trying Old Cases, Internet Business Regulations

By Justin Dehn Jan. 12, 2012

In this episode of Weekend Insider, reporter Brandi Grissom looks at the challenges that courts face when trying old cases. And Becca Aaronson tells us how proposed regulations on Internet businesses could affect Texas' booming technology sector. Full Story
Texas Primaries Await Supreme Court Ruling

By Ross Ramsey Jan. 4, 2012

Federal judges will have to move quickly if Texas is going to hold primary elections on April 3. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Video: Dogs' Evidence Stands as Woman Waits in Prison

By Justin Dehn Dec. 4, 2011

The dog-sniffing evidence that led to the conviction of her father for conspiring to commit murder was unreliable enough for him to be released from prison. So why is his daughter, Megan Winfrey, serving a life sentence for the same crime based largely on the same evidence? Full Story
Court: Business Franchise Tax Isn't an Income Tax

By Ross Ramsey Nov. 28, 2011

The Texas Supreme Court turned back a challenge to the state's primary business tax, saying it doesn't violate a constitutional ban on personal income taxes. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Lawyer Group Files Grievances Against Morton Prosecutors

By Brandi Grissom Nov. 28, 2011

A coalition of lawyers today filed grievances with the State Bar of Texas against former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson, his former assistant Mike Davis and current District Attorney John Bradley. Full Story

Credit: Justin Dehn
Talking Turkey

By Ross Ramsey Nov. 23, 2011

A tiny tempest over deadlines, and Thanksgiving. Full Story