The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that the student fundraiser featuring drag performers was not protected, raising the stakes for a battle over First Amendment rights and drag shows. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/08c5cda06a07e8c083a9565768d636e5/0323%20West%20Texas%20Protest%20DB%2012.jpg)
The Texas attorney general was exonerated by the state Senate, but a lawsuit from former employees still lingers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1589d3e10f22798e93319bb73da8c1e0/0916%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%2010%20BD%20TT%2007.jpg)
The Texas attorney general said he’s “back to work” after his recent acquittal, but his office has repeatedly declined to fulfill one of its key duties: representing state agencies who are being sued. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fa3f1ffeaf0ea9645295267968662dec/0915%20Impeach%20Trial%20Day%209%20JS%20174_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.jpg)
The impeachment proceedings, and the events that precipitated them, have left the Texas Office of the Attorney General in turmoil. Can Paxton steady the ship of an institution vital to the conservative cause? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e2cfa226b5cdf0a7a57d42a73f6926aa/0110%20Lege%20Opening%20BD%2031.jpg)
The attorney general’s long-simmering securities fraud case appears closer to resolution, while the FBI has probed the same allegations that played a major role in his impeachment. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1e727ed92ec2f4ed8dad35541d7c7e10/Paxton%20Aug%20Houston%20Trial%20REUTERS.jpg)
A Paxton whistleblower testified that the attorney general took an unusual interest in Nate Paul’s litigation against a charity in 2020. Another said Paul benefited from an opinion on foreclosures. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3fbab1e82817b133c25321c18d74bed8/0912%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%206%20EG%20TT%2028.jpg)
Records obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune give deeper insight into how Paxton’s representation denials often pushed agencies to look for outside legal counsel that was ultimately funded by taxpayers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c2f7835f21059cb46e7907a0653d22e1/Paxton%20Opioid%20Presser%20SF%2001.jpg)
Even in conservative corners of Texas, efforts to crack down on abortion travel are meeting resistance with some local officials who support Texas’s strict abortion laws, expressing concern that the efforts go too far. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/34aec4d47930f8efb1a3f05be0e66e75/Llano%20City%20File%20SF%20TT%2005.jpg)
House Bill 900 requires book vendors to rate all their materials based on their depictions or references to sex before selling them to schools. Vendors say the law aims to regulate protected speech with “vague and over broad” terms. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a9fc8d606ece0d03c2af94926a4f628c/Book%20File%20LW%20TT%2010.jpg)
U.S. District Judge David Hittner heard from LGBTQ+ groups, businesses and a drag performer in a hearing this week, who argued Senate Bill 12 violated their First Amendment rights. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/713d21fb56650f649ec209459564432b/1113%20Brigette%20Storytime%20MM%20TT%2022.JPG)
LGBTQ+ groups and drag performers suing the state argued Monday that Senate Bill 12 violates constitutionally-protected rights. The new law is set to go into effect on Friday unless a federal judge blocks it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4f6fe107c52816c532fabb79fdbc4f9b/1113%20Brigette%20Storytime%20MM%2004.jpg)
The state attorney general’s office appealed a state district court injunction that said the new prohibitions deprive trans kids of “necessary, safe, and effective medical treatment.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ea67bcbf4948b365d0734830f0c1bbfa/0512%20SB%2014%20House%20Friday%20EL%2025.jpg)
In a court hearing over the barrier near Eagle Pass, the U.S. Justice Department argued it was installed without federal authorization, while lawyers for the state said it notified the proper authorities. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a9c641577deeb1965aeb55e750260a50/Eagle%20Pass%20Piedras%20Negras%20VGC%20TT%2055.jpg)
The ruling means the November elections in the state’s largest county will be overseen by two other county officials. Legislators targeted Harris County’s elections department after taking issue with the way the 2022 elections were run. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1560d65d8afedd5130bea0849edb61d9/1108%20Harris%20County%20Vote%20MS%20TT%2021.jpg)
The lawsuit alleges that four migrants who were arrested under Operation Lone Star remained locked up as long as six weeks after their criminal trespassing cases were dismissed or they served their sentences. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8425b226007674ef397fb0d84d6d9676/Operation%20Lone%20Star%20VGC%2024.jpg)
But the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled it was unlawful for the FDA to allow mifepristone to be taken later in pregnancy, be mailed directly to patients and be prescribed by a medical professional other than a doctor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/cfd61cdf4fe36c2a220289d573376697/0415%20Abortion%20Pill%20Protest%20SH%20TT%2017.jpg)
Planned Parenthood has managed to stay open in Texas despite the state’s best efforts to shut it down. But a lawsuit in front of a conservative judge poses an existential threat. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ba3aa374f386915343a77cbe0246b708/0809%20MM%20Planned%20Parenthood%20TT%2026.jpg)
Cecily Aguilar, 25, pleaded guilty last year to helping her boyfriend, Spc. Aaron Robinson, dismember and bury the remains after Robinson bludgeoned 20-year-old Guillén to death in April 2020 at Fort Hood. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b10bd80f2f40ff02c707dca8640fbb33/HTX%20Vanessa%20Guillen%20BV%20TT%2020.jpg)
The seven-months-pregnant officer reported contraction-like pains at work, but said she wasn’t allowed to leave for hours. The anti-abortion state is fighting her lawsuit, in part by saying her fetus didn’t clearly have rights. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3f44494e4d432dabf2f54ec8b8ca50e2/Women%20Prison%20Johnson%20TDC.jpg)
The Austin American-Statesman reported that the grand jury has been convened in San Antonio. The identities of the witnesses and the focus of the inquiry remain unclear. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/440953a76068ee46d452898859a5fe47/Paxton%20SATX%20KGB%20TT%2003.jpg)