The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
The measure likely faces an uphill climb in the Senate, where two years ago Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick opposed similar legislation. Full Story
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While proponents of the proposed ordinance view abortion as an “inconceivably wicked action,” detractors say it would be immediately challenged in court and that battles over abortion access are best fought at the state and federal levels. Full Story
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Even some religious groups are opposed to Texas legislation that would bar government officials from closing places of worship in any situation — even during a pandemic. Full Story
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The conservative Republican and rancher states in the lawsuit filed Monday in Fort Worth federal court that he is suing in his capacity as a private citizen — not on behalf of the state. Full Story
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California banned state-funded travel to Texas because of a 2017 religious-refusal law for adoptions in the state, which critics called discriminatory against LGBTQ families. Full Story
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The court declined to hear a Texas-led case that seeks to uphold a Trump-era "public charge" policy that could limit how many immigrants qualify for green cards. Full Story
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Advocates say the episode is a horrific example of a long-standing problem that hardly ever makes headlines: America’s criminal justice system too often fails to protect victims of domestic and family violence from their abusers. Full Story
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The proposed court would handle some of the state's most high-profile appeals, which are typically handled by the mostly Democrat 3rd Court of Appeals based in Austin. Full Story
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Riles has been deemed mentally incompetent for execution repeatedly in his decades on death row. Full Story
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Nearly two dozen lawsuits allege that failures by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the operator of the state's main power grid, led to the wrongful death of a family member. Full Story
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Dallas County issued Shelley Luther a temporary restraining order to close her business. But the Texas Supreme Court said the order was too vague. Full Story
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The lawsuit argues that being blocked from viewing the attorney general's tweets is a violation of the First Amendment because it limits the right of people to participate in a public forum and access Ken Paxton's statements. Full Story
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While it’s been months since New Year’s, Paxton argued the case wasn’t moot and asked the court to prevent Austin and Travis — or other local authorities — from issuing similar orders in the future. The court refused. Full Story
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Texas courts have long been criticized for keeping people in jail pending trial who can't afford to post bond. Two priority bills this session would change the bail system, but they're primarily aimed at keeping potentially dangerous defendants behind bars. Full Story
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Although the CDC renewed its order halting evictions until the end of June, the Texas Supreme Court let state guidelines expire. Housing advocates believe more landlords will start turning out tenants. Full Story
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The lawsuit claims district policies are unconstitutional and violate Abbott's recent executive order. Full Story
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The Tarrant County woman faces a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while on supervised release for a federal conviction. Her vote was never counted. Full Story
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The slate of bills must still go to the House for approval. Full Story
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A district judge denied a request for a temporary block of the mask mandates in Austin and Travis County sought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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A provision that would remove police officers' legal shield against civil lawsuits has been pegged by multiple lawmakers as a sticking point in the Republican-led Legislature. Full Story
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