The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
A few elected officials and municipalities in Texas are asking a federal judge to throw out the state’s open meetings law, which they claim is an infringement on free speech. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
Sharon Keller got a "public warning" from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for refusing to keep her office open past 5 pm on the day a Texas death row inmate was scheduled to die. Full Story
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The senator says Kagan has not made clear she would "protect the fundamental rights written in our constitution." Full Story
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Curbing the practice of barratry — "ambulance chasing," in the vernacular — has prompted an uneasy alliance between tort reformers and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association: They agree on reform ... just not on the form it should take. Full Story
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Politicians, candidates and other state officers are required to disclose their personal finances, to discourage conflicts of interest and, according to the law, "strengthen the faith and confidence of the people of this state in state government." Yet getting these documents isn’t easy, so we've put all 3,070 available online. Full Story
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More than 120 college students worked 12,300 hours-plus on Innocence Project of Texas cases from 2007 to 2009, according to the Task Force on Indigent Defense. As student participation has increased, so have exonerations. Full Story
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Judge Sharon Keller has been pilloried as the villain of the Texas criminal justice system, but supporters credit the chief of the state's highest criminal court with working to ensure fair trials for impoverished defendants. Full Story
The Texas Ethics Commission recently released more than 3,000 personal financial statements — documents that detail state officials' financial interests and liabilities. Read, download or embed them with our new application. Full Story
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After a series of investigative reports revealed serious problems with the quality of legal representation for indigent defendants on Texas death row, lawmakers created the Office of Capital Writs. California lawyer Brad Levenson will be moving to Texas to open the new office and attempt to restore some confidence in the state's busy system of capital punishment. Full Story
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Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Office of Capital Writs. Full Story
Brad Levenson, newly hired director of the soon-to-be-opened Texas Office of Capital Writs Full Story
Tonight is the legally imposed reporting deadline for the next round of campaign finance reports, which is big deal for two reasons: Candidates want to show momentum and credibility at mid-year, and they love having an excuse to ask supporters to pony up before the clock strikes midnight. Hurry, hurry, hurry! Full Story
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Texans involved in the gun debate are reacting to a landmark ruling Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court. A slim 5-to-4 majority ruled that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments — putting the wheels in motion to overturn a handgun ban in Chicago, one of the strictest in the nation. As Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports, Texas activists on both sides of the issues are claiming victory. Full Story