The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
The high court also raised questions about why the state opened these investigations in the first place, noting that the child welfare agency is not bound by directives from the governor. Full Story
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Friends, families and attorneys have posted more than $2 million to get migrants out of prison. Defense attorneys say the rural county is erecting barriers that will keep many from recovering the money when they’re entitled to it. Full Story
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The features were suspended two months after the attorney general sued the social media platforms’ parent company, saying that some of its practices violated Texans’ privacy. Users can now reactivate the filters. Full Story
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The court did not evaluate the law on its constitutionality but will allow it to go back into effect while a legal case plays out. Texas lawmakers passed the law, saying social media platforms have an anti-conservative bias. Full Story
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Mason said she didn’t know she was ineligible to vote when she cast a provisional ballot in 2016, but she was sentenced to five years in prison. Now, the Court of Criminal Appeals says an appellate court that affirmed her conviction must look again at the evidence of Mason’s intent. Full Story
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The trial included four prosecutors, and so many potential jurors were summoned the town sandwich shop was shorthanded for lunch. But a Kinney County jury Monday convicted a Honduran national in the first jury trial for trespassing under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. Full Story
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Join us in Austin from Sept. 22-24 for our biggest and best ideas weekend ever. The 30 speakers we’re announcing today are only a hint of what we have planned. Full Story
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Are you an election worker facing intimidation? Are you a voter encountering significant hurdles to casting a ballot? Are there any people, groups or organizations exerting undue influence over elections in your community? The Texas Tribune and ProPublica want to hear from you. Full Story
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In this video, see what abortion rights supporters in Texas say about the impact of a likely U.S. Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade. Full Story
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The court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct. Full Story
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A trigger law making abortion illegal would go into effect within 30 days after the repeal of Roe v. Wade. An older law could hold people who get abortions criminally liable — but it’s unclear whether it would still apply. Full Story
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Politico said it obtained a draft Supreme Court majority opinion indicating the landmark abortion ruling will be overturned. Abortion is still legal in Texas up to six weeks of pregnancy. Full Story
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Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage faces more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding donors to the private wall effort. Full Story
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The plan would overhaul the process for migrants seeking asylum, aiming to reduce the average wait time for a decision from five years to six months. Full Story
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The Texas-based conspiracy theorist recently sought immunity from federal prosecutors investigating the U.S. Capitol riot. Three of his companies have filed for bankruptcy in an apparent effort to delay his Sandy Hook defamation trial. Full Story
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The federal judge in Louisiana said he’ll hold a hearing in May to decide whether to block the administration from halting Title 42, the Trump-era health order that quickly sends all migrants back to Mexico. Full Story
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The Biden administration had ended the policy that forced 70,000 migrants to wait in Mexico. But a federal judge in Texas forced the administration to restart the program in December. Full Story
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The two Republican state officials filed friend of the court briefs asking that the high court take up the case because it is relevant to statewide governance and to the powers of an executive office under the Texas Constitution. Full Story
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A Louisiana judge will grant a restraining order that will keep in place Title 42, a pandemic-era health rule that the federal government had planned to drop next month. Full Story
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Texas has led the legal fight against the Biden administration’s immigration policies, filing numerous lawsuits that have led to judges overturning or altering those policies. Full Story
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