The latest courts news from The Texas Tribune.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Judge Glenn Devlin asked juvenile defendants whether they planned to kill anyone, then let nearly all of them go the day after his defeat at the polls. Full Story
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Stockman — who served two nonconsecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives — was convicted in April of 23 felonies, including fraud and money laundering. Full Story
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Texas state attorneys and lawyers for the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood argued over a law that would ban abortions in which a doctor uses surgical instruments to grasp and remove pieces of fetal tissue. Full Story
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Enough judicial seats are up for election that Democrats could flip the four sprawling appellate court districts that serve Austin, Dallas and Houston. Hillary Clinton won those districts in 2016. Full Story
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A handful of private lawyers represent an enormous number of poor kids in Harris County's juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Meanwhile, the county's public defenders say they aren't getting enough work. Full Story
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Ask Texas voters what they think about any particular Trump administration policy, and their answers will tell what parties they're in, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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In these down-ballot, low-information races, judges' success often depends on the party leaders at the top of the ballot. Full Story
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Several members of the new coalition are also part of a legal challenge to Austin's paid sick leave ordinance. Full Story
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A 2011 lawsuit over Texas' beleaguered child welfare system has ping-ponged back and forth between an appeals court in New Orleans and a district court in Corpus Christi. Full Story
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Austin's paid sick leave ordinance was supposed to go into effect Oct. 1, but was blocked in August after business groups filed a lawsuit saying the ordinance violated state law. Full Story
The advocates say lawsuits challenging the city's code prohibiting employers from discriminating against an "individual’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability" won't hold up in court. Full Story
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Since 2017, 12 families a day on average have been evicted from their homes in Travis County. Many people had lost a job, experienced a medical emergency or had a roommate leave without notice. Full Story
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The state's highest criminal court will now weigh the recommendation. Full Story
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For the second time this year, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday halted an execution based on a 2017 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the law "elevates a child's race over their best interest." Full Story
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Cruz said Friday that he thought Kavanaugh had the temperament to serve on the high court. Cornyn suggested that many of the people protesting the nomination were paid. Full Story
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A North Texas family is fighting to keep their 9-year-old daughter on a ventilator, though her doctors have said she is brain-dead. But a controversial, unusual Texas law gives doctors and hospitals broad decision-making power. Full Story
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The legal battle played out at a federal appeals court Wednesday, with the two sides debating whether Texas' decreased spending on kids with disabilities years ago violated federal law. Full Story
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Sanchez is part owner of a property leased by Southwest Key Programs, a spokesperson said. It wasn’t disclosed on the company’s tax return because it’s not required. Full Story
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At an interview Saturday at the Texas Tribune Festival, the Minnesota Democrat talked about the Supreme Court and the Mueller probe — and carefully skirted questions about her own presidential ambitions. Full Story
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