The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Legislation that would remove Texas judges from the straight-ticket voting process garnered a mostly cool reception Tuesday at a hearing, as both Democrats and Republicans said that tinkering with the ballot turns off voters. Full Story
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The final piece of a high-profile border security package got moving Tuesday when a House committee heard House Bill 12 by state Rep. Oscar Longoria, which would elevate the state's Border Prosecution Unit into an official statutory being. Full Story
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As the highest court in the land prepares to consider the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans, a few hundred conservatives gathered at the Texas Capitol on Monday to rally in support of traditional marriage. Full Story
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Four San Antonio women were convicted of molesting two girls in the 1990s, but one of the girls has since said they were coerced to make false accusations. The women's case is getting a new look. Full Story
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Texas House members overwhelmingly gave tentative approval to a sweeping border-security measure on Wednesday that would increase the number of state troopers on the border and establish a catchall intelligence center in Hidalgo County. Full Story
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The state of Texas is suing the Obama administration for giving medical leave benefits to certain same-sex couples, according to an announcement Wednesday from Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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In a major turn in one of the country’s most-noted death penalty cases, the State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against the county prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham. Full Story
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State Rep. Stuart Spitzer is afraid the federal government can use medical records to identify gun owners. Over the objections of the medical community, he has filed a bill that would prohibit doctors from asking patients whether they own a firearm. Full Story
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After taking a backseat in 2013, legislation to cut off funding to so-called sanctuary cities that don't use local police to enforce federal immigration laws is under debate before a Senate subcommittee. Full Story
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A measure that would yank the state's public corruption-fighting unit out of the Travis County district attorney's office and stick it in the Texas attorney general's office is headed for the full Senate. Full Story
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On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, the show is given over to setting the stage for the remainder of the session as the state Legislature moves into a higher gear. Full Story
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Three years ago, the office responsible for rooting out Medicaid fraud and abuse set a goal of finding $1 billion a year in misspent funds. But it's collecting about $995 million less than that. Full Story
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Attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice filed an emergency motion asking an appeals court to lift a temporary halt to a federal immigration program that was issued by a Brownsville-based federal judge in February. Full Story
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After several reassurances from House members about what a border security bill is not intended to do, the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety voted out the sweeping measure on Wednesday. Full Story
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A Mexican Mafia hit man convicted for his part in the 1998 capital murder of a San Antonio woman was executed Wednesday evening, leaving the state prison system with only enough pentobarbital for one more execution. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which is nearly out of its current lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, has stockpiled the sedative midazolam. That drug could be part of a backup execution method in Texas, but it is at the center of a legal challenge. Full Story
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More than a decade after Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the arson murder of his three young daughters, new evidence indicates that a key witness testified in return for a promise to have his own sentence reduced. Full Story
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A controversial immigration proposal scheduled for a public hearing Monday was postponed after a border Democrat argued that Republicans did not give the public sufficient notice about the meeting. Full Story
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For all the legislative debate about border security and immigration, it's been nine years since anyone comprehensively studied the economic impact of undocumented Texans. A border lawmaker wants to fill that information vacuum. Full Story
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Attorneys for the state of Texas say the Obama administration started granting work permits to undocumented immigrants before it said it would, and misled a federal judge about it. They're demanding more details. Full Story
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