The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday said he had appointed Houston's Jeff Brown to an open spot on the Texas Supreme Court. Brown, a former state district judge, is currently a justice on Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals. Full Story
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A federal decision last year to move USDA cattle inspectors from Ojinaga, Mexico, to Presidio, Texas, has crippled the local livestock industry on both sides of the impoverished border, ranchers and cattle importers say. Full Story
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A Texas appeals court recently found that the Edwards Aquifer Authority violated a landowner's property rights in regard to groundwater. Use this document with annotations from lawyers and policy experts for a closer look at the ruling. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has warned that the state will file its 30th lawsuit against the Obama administration if a United Nations arms treaty is ratified. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Public Safety announced on Tuesday that 25 mobile locations will begin processing free election identification certificates on Oct. 1. Full Story
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Williamson County state district Judge Ken Anderson, who oversaw the wrongful murder conviction of Michael Morton in 1987, has submitted a letter to Gov. Rick Perry resigning his position effective immediately. Full Story
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Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that of the six states with the largest number of unauthorized immigrants, Texas was the only one that didn’t witness the significant dip in population figures that took place a few years ago. Full Story
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Data from the Texas criminal justice system shows that psychiatric prison units experience the most violence per capita. Use this interactive to examine the violent incidents reported at more than 90 Texas prisons between 2006 and 2012. Full Story
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A Tribune analysis of violent-incident data in state prisons shows that far more violent incidents occur at facilities with large populations of mentally ill inmates. Full Story
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As the co-chairmen of the Congressional Border Caucus introduced an omnibus immigration bill Friday, two Texas congressmen left a House group working on immigration after saying they could no longer trust the president. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Wednesday said that even without a comprehensive overhaul to the country's immigration system, the federal government should address a problem that led to the release of more than 2,800 sex offenders from federal custody. Full Story
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Despite recent improvements that aim to prevent wrongful convictions, an American Bar Association report released Wednesday says much work remains to ensure fairness in the application of the death penalty in Texas. Full Story
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A recent court ruling in Texas has fueled an already fiery debate over whether groundwater resources can be adequately protected alongside property rights and economic development. Full Story
A new incentive program will allow some low-income drivers to pay reduced surcharges under the Driver Responsibility Program. Thousands of Texans' licenses have been suspended as a result of the controversial program. Full Story
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In a ruling issued Wednesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declared that Steven Staley, a mentally ill death row inmate, cannot be forcibly medicated for the purpose of making him competent for execution. Full Story
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UPDATED: Justice Nathan Hecht will replace Wallace Jefferson chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday. He'll be up for election next year. Full Story
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In Texas oilfields, thieves are targeting batteries that power pipeline monitors, saddling drillers with big replacement costs and stalling production. Some fear the temptation to steal will only swell as production expands. Full Story
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Convicted of stomping a 19-month-old baby to death, Robert Avila faces execution in January. Under a law passed this year, Avila hopes to bring to court new scientific evidence that may show the death could have been a tragic accident. Full Story
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The Texas Supreme Court could rule this month in a case that that is likely to weigh in on the rights of private-property owners whose lands are traversed by undocumented immigrants. Full Story
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At an El Paso town hall organized to gauge public input on Syria, some residents said Tuesday that it was in the United States' interest to act though more information was needed. But most who spoke were opposed to any intervention. Full Story
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