Texas House bill would weaken renters’ rights, advocates say
The proposal is part of a push by Republican legislators aimed at helping property owners deal with squatters. Full Story
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![A writ of possession and a notice to vacate are taped to the door at an apartment complex in Houston on April 11, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
DOJ drops lawsuit against company over alleged abuse at child migrant shelters in Texas, other states
The lawsuit against Southwest Key included allegations of abuse at an El Paso facility. The administration said it will no longer use the company’s services. Full Story
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![Southwest Key National Headquarters located in Austin, Tx, as seen on Oct. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Stay granted for Texas death row inmate two days before scheduled execution
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals did not clarify why it halted the execution of David Wood in its order granting the stay. Full Story
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![The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
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Federal appeals court reverses Texas death row inmate’s conviction
Brittany Marlowe Holberg was convicted in 1998 of robbing and murdering an 80-year-old man in his Amarillo home. The appeals court said critical evidence was withheld. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary houses the execution chamber of Texas and is located in Huntsville on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court takes up Texas nuclear waste disposal case
The case could establish the nation’s first independent repository for spent nuclear fuel in West Texas, despite the objections of state leaders. Full Story
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![The entrance to the Waste Control Specialists site where radioactive and hazardous waste is being stored on Jan. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration removes five immigration judges in Texas, union says
The move raises concerns about large case backlogs that have persisted for years. Full Story
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![Migrants seeking asylum in the United States who previously requested an appointment on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection One application at the CBP building in El Paso on June 14, 2024.]()
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A shortage of criminal defense attorneys threatens indigent right to counsel in rural Texas
Texas’ indigent defense commission wants lawmakers to spend $35 million on public defender offices in rural areas, but some say that isn’t nearly enough to ensure compliance with the U.S. Constitution. Full Story
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![Scene from bond review docket in the Travis County courthouse in July.]()
Credit: Trevor Paulhus for The Texas Tribune and Texas Monthly -
How the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts work and affect Texans
Here’s how federal courts help determine the fate of controversial issues, such as immigration laws, in Texas and beyond. Full Story
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![The United States Federal Courthouse in Austin on June 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas wants the NCAA to start “sex-screening” its student athletes
The state lawsuit comes as more women athletes are being physically scrutinized to determine if they are transgender. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to attendees following a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on Jan. 6, 2025.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas death row inmate’s appeal for DNA test of evidence
Ruben Gutierrez wants to be able to sue prosecutors to compel them to test evidence that he says will prove he did not kill a Brownsville woman in 1998. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
South Texas bakery owners housed undocumented workers next to business before ICE raid, feds allege in hearing
Before federal agents arrested them, the couple who runs the bakery in Los Fresnos said they “knew this would happen one day,” a federal agent testified at court hearing. Full Story
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![A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge.]()
Credit: Lucy Nicholson/REUTERS -
Texas Senate votes in favor of proposals to deny bail to certain accused violent criminals
The package was fast-tracked after Gov. Greg Abbott declared “bail reform” an emergency item. The bills now head to the House for consideration. Full Story
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![A Bail Bonds and Free-Me Bail in San Marcos.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Robert Roberson files first new appeal since his execution was delayed
The appeal includes new testimony from experts who say Roberson’s daughter died of natural causes, and cites the court’s exoneration of a man in another shaken baby syndrome case out of Dallas County. 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 -
New York doctor ordered to stop providing abortion pills to Texans
The ruling is the opening salvo in a likely lengthy battle between Texas’ abortion bans and New York’s “shield” protections for providers. Full Story
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![Boxes of mifepristone, the first pill given in a medical abortion, are prepared for patients at a clinic in New Mexico on Jan. 13, 2023.]()
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Texas executes inmate who killed two men in Killeen in 2004
In his final statement, Richard Tabler asked for forgiveness from his victims’ family members, some of whom reportedly witnessed his death. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary houses the execution chamber of Texas and is located in Huntsville on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas appeals court hears attorney general’s arguments for questioning Catholic Charities director over migrant services
Three Republican judges heard oral arguments Wednesday after a lower court blocked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to depose the charity’s leader. Full Story
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![Migrants are greeted by Sister Norma Pimentel in front of the Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, on April 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions
The new injunction prohibits advertising and age verification restrictions in the SCOPE Act, which aims to make social media safer for teenagers. Full Story
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![Sophomore Alexis Phan does her Algebra 2 homework remotely from her home in Pflugerville on Nov. 16, 2020.]()
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Houston man pardoned by Trump arrested on child sex charge
Andrew Taake received a six-year sentence for assaulting officers on Jan. 6. He was arrested Thursday on an outstanding charge of soliciting a minor. Full Story
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![Newly pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Andrew Taake has been re-arrested in Houston.]()
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Texas executes man convicted of killing Arlington pastor in 2011
Steven Lawayne Nelson maintained that he unknowingly participated in the violent church robbery but didn’t harm anyone. His execution was the state’s first for 2025. Full Story
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![Huntsville, Texas: Exteriors of the Texas State Penitentiary “Walls Unit” August 20, 2020 in Huntsville, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Justice Department restarts legal aid programs for detained immigrants
The agency’s reversal comes after a federal judge told the Trump administration it must continue to pay for grants and other programs it abruptly froze last month. Full Story
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![A woman commutes across the U.S-Mexico border crossing in Laredo on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune