The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
The move comes after Congress passed a stimulus bill Monday extending the federal moratorium on evictions through the end of January. The moratorium order was set to expire at the end of the year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/db383d529783d91644f07adbeb3a0f7d/Housing%20North%20Austin%20AI%20TT%2016.jpg)
McClure will replace Judge Michael Keasler, 78, who is retiring at the end of this year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f0dd172928dd3c5e1ee374d265258876/Texas%20Court%20of%20Criminal%20Appeals%20TT%20MG%2003.jpg)
In 2015, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals tossed out Brown’s conviction and death sentence in the 2003 murder of a Houston police officer. Phone records found in the prosecution’s possession, but not shared with the defense at trial, supported Brown’s alibi that he was at his girlfriend’s house during the crime. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9cbca4f0c8e29067e2cc1fee7c977b15/Texas%20Supreme%20Court%20MG%20TT%2009.jpg)
Attorney General Ken Paxton, battling his own legal troubles, announced the long-anticipated federal lawsuit in a video posted on social media. Nine other states with Republican attorneys general are also plaintiffs in the case. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d3722d8d48076c5dfd9bc5640b1b1bc5/AG%20Ken%20Paxton%20SCOTUS%20REUTERS.jpg)
Four former aides sued the agency last month, claiming they were wrongfully terminated after they told law enforcement they believed their boss, Ken Paxton, had broken the law. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/88b280f4ec705b6ed3d5401e0b0c3c2a/Ken%20Paxton%20BD%20TT%2006.jpg)
The lawsuit challenged election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The high court said Texas did not have standing to bring the case. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/83ab40d4b03ab90c4e6a7f70a3740b08/US_Supreme_Court_Sunset)
Bernard and Bourgeois were the ninth and 10th people executed by President Donald Trump’s administration this year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/46c56ab8b2090084a470aa5475938656/Death%20Row%20Photo%20TDCJ%20BW%20TT.jpg)
Donald Trump's legal team filed to intervene in the Texas lawsuit contesting the election results on Wednesday. The president reportedly asked U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz if he would argue the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, if it agrees to hear it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/29649d210ff90092518e94d795d53e7b/Trump%20Warp%20Speed%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block the battleground states from casting "unlawful and constitutionally tainted votes" in the Electoral College. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, experts say. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f5fdb1dff4d6fd788cba66ebaefe08d0/Paxton_GOP_Convention_2018_BD_TT.jpg)
Immigrant rights groups cheered the ruling, which could reopen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/53a746853e1dea168675acc972734f8f/DACA%20Dreamers%20REUTERS%20TT%2003.jpg)
Outgoing President Donald Trump's administration wants to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count that determines how many congressional seats each state gets. Texas could lose at least one congressional district under the plan, according to a study. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/238769a90fe94ab2d9f1406c4cefbecf/Census%20question%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
Ryan Vassar, who had served as the deputy attorney general for legal counsel, was one of eight senior aides who told authorities they believed Paxton was breaking the law — a report that has sparked an FBI investigation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/271e70eb05e5c3d4a293fd4ecde47a01/AG%20Ken%20Paxton%20MKC%20TT%2001.jpg)
Texas is the only state that does not let publicly traded companies, like Walmart, sell liquor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3b80f1aee5a7f3481dbf6826dbb32c6b/Walmart%20Brownsville%20DL%20TT%2001.jpg)
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday sided with state officials. Planned Parenthood said it will continue to serve patients for now, since the order has not yet taken effect. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e0741a7e91572c15dead79ac59fe336d/Planned%20Parenthood%20EG%20TT%2013.jpg)
The bureau is probing allegations that Paxton broke the law by using the attorney general's office to serve the interests of a political donor, two unnamed sources told the Associated Press. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f70031cfe9392eb0e730a344586a7753/TXGOPWomen_Paxton_BD_TT.jpg)
U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis said acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf's memo in July limiting the validity of the DACA permits from two years to one year “was not an exercise of legal authority.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d93c9d8bd610b6c81e6a77863699d0eb/DACA%20SCOTUS%20TT%2001.jpg)
The inmates working in the morgue will earn $2 an hour. They are low-level offenders that are part of the detention facility's trustee program. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1dd94245ec760b55363a18440ea84696/REUTERS%20El%20Paso%20COVID%20Inmates%2001.jpg)
The 8th Court of Appeals urged the county judge and a group of local restaurants to find some middle ground on coronavirus restrictions that don’t violate Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide mandate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/30e1c6705064ac418f554d10ada68651/El%20Paso%20Closed%20Business%20IPA%20TT%2013.jpg)
The lawsuit paints the clearest picture yet about what motivated the whistleblowers to come forward against Paxton, the state’s top legal authority, and the retribution they say they experienced after they made that report. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b3a3bcae0d3f8c56e8bee400a2587a3b/06_AG_Ken_Paxton_MG.jpg)
Because Republicans in the state House and Senate held onto their 20-year majority, they are positioned to further entrench their power until the next redistricting rolls around in 2031. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b5a85b04c8beb1b875084ded7986b461/Republican%20Party%20Paraphernalia%20EG%20TT%2007.jpg)