Coronavirus
Coronavirus Hits Texas Prisons With First Inmate Case Confirmed
Posted on · The 37-year-old man has been isolated and is being treated at the prison system's Galveston hospital, where he's been for three days.
News
As The Texas Prison Population Shrinks, The State Is Closing Two More Lockups
Posted on · The closures are expected in the coming months, as the state faces dangerous understaffing in its prisons.
News
Austin Police Will Stop Arrests, Tickets In Most Low-Level Marijuana Cases After Unanimous City Council Vote
Posted on · The decision to back away from pursuing criminal charges against people with small amounts of pot comes after state lawmakers legalized hemp last year in a way that threw marijuana prosecution into chaos.
Texas
Marijuana Prosecutions In Texas Have Dropped By More Than Half Since Lawmakers Legalized Hemp
Posted on · After Texas legalized hemp and threw marijuana prosecution into chaos last year, prosecutors filed far fewer criminal charges, police departments paid for private testing and public crime labs were struggling to catch up.
Texas
Texas Prison Officials Violated A Judge’s Order To Provide Inmates With Air Conditioning. Now Prisoners’ Lawyers Get To Investigate.
Posted on · U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison said the lawyers can further probe the Texas prison agency's violations of a court order to provide air conditioning for some inmates — and agency officials’ false claims that they were in compliance.
Energy & Environment
County Ends Voluntary Evacuation Of Port Neches, The Second Since Last Week’s Plant Explosion
Posted on · After recommending Wednesday night that residents leave the area, Jefferson County officials have told residents it's safe to return home.
News
Texas Court Stops Rodney Reed’s Execution To Further Review Claims Of Innocence
Posted on · The ruling came hours after the Texas parole board recommended that Gov. Greg Abbott delay Reed’s death for 120 days.
Texas
Pressure Is Mounting To Stop Rodney Reed’s Execution. Where Does His Case Stand?
Posted on · Dozens of lawmakers — both Republicans and Democrats — have asked Gov. Greg Abbott and the parole board to stop Reed's execution. There are also multiple appeals in the courts.
News
Bobby Moore’s Death Sentence Is Changed To Life In Prison After Lengthy Court Fights Over Intellectual Disability
Posted on · Moore was sentenced to death in 1980 in the fatal shooting of an elderly store clerk during a Houston robbery.
Texas
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Says, “No Laws Were Broken.” Legal Hurdles Remain.
Posted on · Bonnen has been eager to dismiss speculation that he did anything illegal during a June 12 meeting with conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. But a probe into the event is ongoing.
Local
A GPS Company Repossessed A Houston Murder Suspect’s Ankle Monitor For Late Fees. He Was Untracked For Two Weeks.
Posted on · The incident highlights differences in GPS monitoring for defendants released from jail on money bonds and no-cash bonds. One department has arrestees pay vendors directly, the other has costs go through them.
Texas
Federal Judge Orders Galveston County To Have Defense Lawyers At Bail-Setting Hearings
Posted on · Galveston County, like Harris and Dallas, was sued for bail practices that lawyers and judges have said discriminate against poor criminal defendants.
News
El Paso Shooting Suspect Said He Ordered His AK-47 And Ammo From Overseas
Posted on · The white suspect in the racist massacre told El Paso police he bought the gun from Romania and picked it up at a Dallas-area store. Experts say guns imported from overseas are often cheaper than those from the U.S.
Texas
Federal Court Stops Execution Of Dexter Johnson Within 24 Hours Of His Scheduled Death
Posted on · In his recent appeals, Johnson has claimed he is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for the death penalty. He was convicted of a double murder in Harris County that took place in 2006.
Texas
Texas Leaders: Hemp Law Did Not Decriminalize Marijuana
Posted on · A law legalizing hemp changed the definition of marijuana, causing district attorneys across the state to drop low-level possession cases and stop accepting new ones.