The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday tentatively approved $105 million in funding for several DPS troopers, but not before some border lawmakers on the panel questioned how the DPS would prove the money is being spent wisely. Full Story
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Texas is one of nine states that automatically classify 17-year-olds as adults when they're accused of crimes. Campaigns to “raise the age” are gathering momentum in some states, and Texas is facing a spirited debate of its own. Full Story
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The 8,900 U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed on Texas’ border with Mexico can clock in next week knowing they’re still going to get paid after Congress on Tuesday voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September. Full Story
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The new chief watchdog for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission told lawmakers Monday he plans to right the embattled department by going after fraud and waste outside and inside the $37 billion state social services empire. Full Story
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The border security bill unveiled by House Republicans on Monday is supposed to end the sporadic surges and establish a systematic, consistent state law enforcement presence on the border. Full Story
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Buddy Barfield, once an adviser to former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from Dewhurst’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Full Story
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State agencies are operating on the honor system when it comes to former Gov. Rick Perry's December mandate that they use E-Verify to screen their workers. Two months after his order, there isn't a state office tasked with enforcement. Full Story
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Most Texans support carrying guns in public, but only a minority supports carrying them openly, whether the carriers are licensed or not, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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The state's highest criminal court on Monday issued a stay of execution for Rodney Reed so new evidence can be considered that defense attorneys say proves their client's innocence. Full Story
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An amended indictment against Rick Perry is "woefully deficient" and should be rejected, the former governor's attorneys said in a court document filed Monday. Full Story
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Retired state District Judge John Dietz, who found the Texas school finance system unconstitutional last year, told teachers Sunday that Texas is "dooming a generation" of children. The Legislature, not the courts, should fix the problems, he said. Full Story
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At our 2/19 conversation, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, talked about a federal judge's decision to block President Obama's executive order on immigration — and what happens next. Full Story
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On the campaign trail, Republican Greg Abbott argued for expanded gun rights — with certain limits. But now that he's been elected governor, the nuance he initially proposed appears to be gone. Full Story
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At a celebratory press conference Wednesday, Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Ken Paxton and Dan Patrick hailed a federal judge's ruling to block President Obama's immigration plans, and confidently predicted that Texas will keep winning on appeal. Full Story
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UPDATED: Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht on Wednesday called on state lawmakers to continue their support for legal aid to the poor and military veterans and to complete unfinished work on student truancy reform. Full Story
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Texas immigration attorneys are telling their clients not to panic following a federal court ruling that temporarily halted President Obama’s November executive action. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Greg Abbott, delivering his first major policy address to the Texas Legislature, laid out an ambitious agenda, including an expansion of pre-kindergarten, massive tax cuts and roads as far as the traffic-glazed eye can see. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott hailed a federal judge's decision Monday to halt President Obama’s executive action on immigration — a decision that gave the state of Texas an initial victory in its battle against what state leaders call federal overreach. Full Story
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Prosecutors on Friday followed a judge's direction and sharpened their two-count indictment against Rick Perry, providing the clearest look yet at the crimes they believe the former governor committed. Full Story
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The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected BP's $750 million insurance claim for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 people and spewed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Full Story
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