
Houston Matters
An unusual field goal kicker: The Good, Bad, and Ugly of the week
Posted on · The Houston Matters panel of non-experts weighs in on stories from the week’s news and decides if they’re good, bad, or ugly.
Posted on · The Houston Matters panel of non-experts weighs in on stories from the week’s news and decides if they’re good, bad, or ugly.
Posted on · The judges, who should be in place by the end of August, will work on some of the most intractable cases in the county's criminal court backlog.
Posted on · Three former and current judges discuss their interpretations of justice and what changes they've seen during their tenures.
Posted on · On Thursday's Houston Matters: We learn who’s eligible for the Houston presidential debate, former judges define justice, a homeowner talks about their recovery two years after Harvey, and a local church takes feeding the hungry to another level.
Posted on · On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Federal workers affected by the shutdown are rallying in Houston. We meet Harris County's 17 recently elected black female judges. Psychiatrists are lobbying Congress to reclassify schizophrenia as a brain disease. We learn about some renewed efforts to establish term limits for the U.S. House and Senate. And an author shares exercises for improving your problem-solving skills.
Posted on · On Thursday's Houston Matters: After losing his re-election bid, a judge releases many of the juvenile defendants who had cases before him. Then, former Sec. of State Madeleine Albright discusses the need for bipartisanship in foreign policy. Plus, a new documentary tells the story of Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker James Blue, who spent much of his career in Houston. And a new performance explores the impact of Houston’s drag scene on the LGBT rights movement.
Posted on · A study finds stark contrasts between Houston and other cities. We looked for the reasons behind the disparity.
Posted on · There are three elements creating a situation in Texas that makes it difficult for Latinos to get elected, said Michael Li, a lawyer with the Brennan Center for Justice
Posted on · In 2008, a strong turnout for Barack Obama swept Republican incumbents off the district court benches. A backlash against Donald Trump may bring a similar result in 2016.
Posted on · This election year, 40 individuals in the Houston area — and many more statewide — are running for various judicial seats, from the State Supreme Court to Justice of the Peace. That means voters might find themselves standing in a voting booth with just as many questions about who to pick for these seats — […]
Posted on · The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony Wednesday from five nominees for Texas federal judgeships. The state has the most vacant federal judgeships in the country, and one expert says it could stay that way for some time.
Posted on · Last month (July 2016), a civil rights organization sued the State of Texas, arguing the way the state elects judges for the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals violates the Voting Rights Act. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court saying the […]
Posted on · Across the country, you’ll find different systems in place for naming and retaining judges. In some states, judges are named by the executive branch and approved or rejected by the legislature. In others, judges are named and then face “retention elections” at regular intervals when voters can choose to retain or dismiss the judge. Here […]