The latest Texas Supreme Court news from The Texas Tribune.
An appointment to the high court would require a two-thirds confirmation vote, potentially handing Texas Senate Democrats an important bargaining chip in the contentious legislative debates to come. Full Story
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In the wake of a midterm election that saw four major state appeals courts flip on partisan lines, Hecht called on lawmakers to consider changing Texas to a system of merit selection and retention elections. Full Story
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Justices questioned whether revealing the name would risk physical harm to the supplier — or only hurt its business. Full Story
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Edgewood ISD has faced consistent problems in preparing its students for college and the workforce. The district's struggles shine a light on Texas’ long record of neglecting schools that educate mostly students of color. Full Story
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On Nov. 19, the Texas Attorney General's Office backed Plano in a heated lawsuit over the city's development plan. On Nov. 20, the agency said it had made a mistake. Full Story
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In these down-ballot, low-information races, judges' success often depends on the party leaders at the top of the ballot. Full Story
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The court will hold oral arguments on whether to name a past supplier of the execution drug in January. Full Story
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A federal judge has ruled for Texas in a long-running challenge to the state's system of electing judges to its two highest courts. Full Story
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The city of Austin announced Tuesday it will no longer enforce its ban on plastic bags after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that a similar ban in Laredo violated state law, KUT reported. Full Story
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The state's highest civil court said uninsured patients suing hospitals can access records detailing how much insurance companies paid for similar procedures. Full Story
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The court found that the woman who sued didn't prove that the female coworker who harassed her was gay, so it's not clear that the incident constituted "sexually motivated touching." Full Story
On this week's TribCast, Emily, Ross, Patrick and Emma talk to state Rep. Sarah Davis about Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts to unseat her, Ross' primary hot list and a state Supreme Court justice's quick-turn candidacy. Full Story
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New state Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Blacklock is the latest judge to face a familiar challenge in Texas: On the bench, he has to appear impartial. But to keep his seat, he has to win the approval of Texas' deep-red electorate. Full Story
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Both sides revealed the outlines of their cases Monday in a federal court trial testing Texas' nearly 150-year-old system of statewide elections to the state's two highest courts. Full Story
The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the efforts of Texas Democrats and other plaintiffs to revive a partisan gerrymandering legal claim in the ongoing litigation over the state's political maps. Full Story
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Lawyers spent almost an hour in the Texas Supreme Court arguing whether Laredo’s 2015 ban on plastic grocery bags was illegal. The future of bag bans in cities across the state could hinge on the case. Full Story
The Texas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday in the case, Laredo Merchants Association v. The City of Laredo, in which the merchants’ association is arguing a ban on single-use bags by the city is illegal. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will not review a June decision by the Texas Supreme Court that ruled that the legalization of same-sex marriage does not fully address the right to marriage benefits. Full Story
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Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, a nominee of President Donald Trump to a federal court, defended past tweets about transgender people and same-sex marriage as jokes at a confirmation hearing Wednesday. Full Story
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Don Willett has a job — he's a justice on the Texas Supreme Court. And he's been picked for a job on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But until that new job comes through, he's going to try to keep the job he's got — in 2018's elections. Full Story
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