Gov. Greg Abbott appoints Brett Busby to Texas Supreme Court
If confirmed, Busby, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, would replace Justice Phil Johnson, who retired after 13 years on the high court. Full Story
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![Brett Busby appointed to Texas Supreme Court by Gov. Greg Abbott on Feb. 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Opposition to Texas Secretary of State David Whitley’s nomination mounts, imperiling his future in the job
For the second week in a row, the Senate Nominations Committee failed to bring Whitley up for a vote. And he's gained a new public adversary: the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Full Story
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![Texas Secretary of State David Whitley at a state Senate Committee on Nominations hearing on Feb. 7, 2019. Whitley was appointed to the job by Gov. Greg Abbott, but Whitley must first clear the committee, then win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
State lawyers defend handling of Texas voter citizenship review, suggest some county officials broke the law
An assistant attorney general said counties should have reviewed their lists of flagged voters to determine whether they had reason to believe the voters were ineligible before requiring them to prove their citizenship. Full Story
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![Early voters line up to cast their ballot at the LBJ Student Center at Texas State University in San Marcos on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018.]()
Credit: Mikala Compton for The Texas Tribune -
For the second time, U.S. Supreme Court reverses death sentence decision for Texas inmate Bobby Moore
This time, the majority of the justices said Moore has shown he is intellectually disabled. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bobby Moore, a man who has been on death row since 1980, in March 2017.]()
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Sen. Angela Paxton, wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, files bill that would expand his agency’s power
Billed as a consumer-protection effort, the proposal would allow approved individuals to serve as investment advisers without registering with the state board — a felony under Texas law that Ken Paxton was charged with in 2015. Full Story
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![Angela Paxton celebrates her victory over Phillip Huffines in the Republican primary for state Senate District 8 on March 6, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
The AG's office told lawmakers it isn’t investigating voters on Texas’ citizenship review list. It told a local official the opposite.
A Paxton deputy told a Guadalupe County official Feb. 1 that the attorney general's office "has pending criminal investigations related to these issues." Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton walked across the Supreme Court plaza to hold a press conference in 2016.]()
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Texas AG Ken Paxton says his office hasn't launched criminal investigations of voters flagged for citizenship review
Some lawmakers had fretted that sending the preliminary, faulty list to the state's top prosecutor would intimidate voters. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to gun owners at the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 15, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
With eager candidates waiting in the wings, Texas Supreme Court slot sits open
An appointment to the high court would require a two-thirds confirmation vote, potentially handing Texas Senate Democrats an important bargaining chip in the contentious legislative debates to come. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hect speaks during the hearing of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice v. Maurie Levin, et al. case on Jan. 23, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht calls for nonpartisan judicial elections, bail reform
In the wake of a midterm election that saw four major state appeals courts flip on partisan lines, Hecht called on lawmakers to consider changing Texas to a system of merit selection and retention elections. Full Story
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![Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht speaks at the State of the Judiciary at the Capitol. Feb. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Courts have called Texas bail practices unconstitutional. Will that push this year's reform efforts to success?
Two years after a bail reform bill died in the Legislature, new bail legislation has other factors working in its favor. Full Story
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![Senator John Whitmire, D-Houston; Rep. Andrew. Murr, R-Junction; Chief Justice Nathan Hecht; and Justice Sharon Keller speak at a press confrence to announce legislation aimed at reforming the state’s bail system.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Another group of civil rights organizations sues Texas over voter citizenship review
The ACLU and others are asking a federal court to block counties from sending notices requiring certain voters to prove their citizenship. Full Story
![Early voters line up to cast their ballot at the LBJ Student Center at Texas State University in San Marcos on Friday, Nov. 2, 2018.]()
Credit: Mikala Compton for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking more power this session to prosecute voter fraud and abortion-related crimes
Paxton's office has asked lawmakers for millions more in funding and expanded jurisdiction to go after certain crimes. Critics say the requests are aimed at political gains. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Naturalized citizens suing over Texas voter citizenship review, calling it conspiracy to single out foreign-born Texans
The plaintiffs allege the state's move to flag tens of thousands of registered voters for citizenship reviews violates the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. Full Story
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![Vote signs outside early voting locations in Austin on Feb. 23, 2014.]()
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Naturalized citizen flagged in Texas voter citizenship review joins lawsuit against state
Atascosa County resident Julie Hilberg — a naturalized citizen whose registration was flagged by the state — is joining a lawsuit against top Texas officials. Full Story
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Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas still doesn't have a law on intellectual disability and the death penalty. Will that change this year?
Nearly two decades after the U.S. Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional to execute those with intellectual disabilities, Texas still has no process on determining the condition — leaving life-and-death decisions in the hands of courts with very different methods. Full Story
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![Interior of Death Chamber by Texas Department of Criminal Justice.]()
Credit: Photo Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Thirty years after the killing of a Houston police officer, Texas executes Robert Jennings
Jennings was put to death Wednesday for the 1988 murder of Elston Howard. The long sentence was complicated by constantly evolving death penalty laws. Full Story
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![Robert Jennings mug shot.]()
Credit: Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Civil rights groups warn that Texas voter citizenship check could violate federal law
Thirteen groups issued the warning, and some are considering suing the state. Full Story
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![Texans cast their votes at the start of early voting at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center near downtown Houston on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court weighs whether state should reveal execution drug supplier
Justices questioned whether revealing the name would risk physical harm to the supplier — or only hurt its business. Full Story
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![The Justices of the Texas Supreme Court hear the Texas Department of Criminal Justice v. Maurie Levin, et al. case on Jan. 23, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration asks U.S. Supreme Court to quickly take up census citizenship question
Last week, a federal judge in New York ordered the administration to stop its plans to add the question to the survey. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texans fighting citizenship question on 2020 census are headed to court. Here's what you need to know.
A group of Texans is headed to court in hopes of blocking the Trump administration from including a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Here's a primer on the legal fight and what it could mean for the state. Full Story
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Credit: Emily Albracht for The Texas Tribune