Paxton drops appeal: Texas to pay $6.6 million to whistleblowers
The Legislature will still have to appropriate the funds to pay the judgment, either during the upcoming special session or during the next regular session. Full Story
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Eleanor Klibanoff is the law and politics reporter, based in Austin, where she covers the the Texas Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, state and federal courts and politics writ large. She also co-hosts the weekly politics podcast, TribCast. Eleanor previously spent three years as the Tribune’s women’s health reporter, covering abortion, maternal health and LGBTQ issues. Before coming to Texas, Eleanor worked for the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, where she reported, hosted and produced the Peabody-nominated podcast, “Dig.” Eleanor was born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlanta, and attended The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press May 26, 2023 a day before a scheduled impeachment vote in the Texas House in a long-running ethics complaint.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: A very unusual Supreme Court term
The TribCast gang is finally reunited, just in time to dive into the big cases and unresolved questions from the term. Full Story
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Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas can require porn websites to verify users’ ages, Supreme Court rules
The case involves a 2023 state law requiring adult websites to verify users’ ages, but the ruling is expected to have broader implications for free speech law. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the media outside the Supreme Court building in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 following arguments in the case “Free Speech Coalition, Inc., et al. v. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas.”]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
More parents sue to stop Texas’ Ten Commandments requirement in public schools
The ACLU has filed a new lawsuit on behalf of 16 parents of various religious faiths, the second such suit against the new law. Full Story
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![The 10 Commandments monument at the state Capitol in Austin on June 22, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/ZUMA Press Wire via REUTERS -
Top Paxton deputy accused of witness tampering during impeachment trial
In dueling lawsuits, current and former employees of the attorney general’s office sling allegations that threaten to intrude on Paxton’s U.S. Senate bid. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks about impending impeachment proceedings against him at a press conference in Austin on May 26, 2023. Behind Paxton from left: Tommy Tran, executive assistant; James R. Lloyd, associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation; Austin A. Kinghorn, associate deputy attorney general for legal counsel; Ryan Fisher, director of government relations; Joshua Reno, deputy attorney general for criminal justice; Suzanna Hupp, special adviser; Brent Webster, first assistant attorney general; Lesley French, chief of staff; George Lane, adviser; Paige Willey, deputy communications director; and Ralph M. Molina, deputy attorney general for legal strategy.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
What the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on gender-affirming care ban means for Texas
The court split 6-3 along ideological lines on a case from Tennessee. About two dozen states have similar bans in place. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
What to know about Texas ending in-state tuition for undocumented students
Some implications of the ruling ordering the policy’s end are still unknown. College access experts urged affected students not to withdraw from school while they assess their options. Full Story
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![Students head to classes at the University of Texas at El Paso on May 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Joel Angel Juárez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas clarified when abortions are OK and aligned with RFK Jr. on health this legislative session
Amid a quiet legislative session for health, lawmakers’ priority legislation reinforced the U.S. health secretary’s agenda. Full Story
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![An entire floor of the Texas Department of State Health Services Labortory building in Austin, Texas is dedicated to newborn screening. May 1, 2025.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
Aaron Reitz, former top DOJ official and Paxton aide, launches bid for Texas attorney general
Reitz, formerly a key cog in Texas’ conservative legal pipeline, once said the AG’s office is at war with “the forces that want to destroy the American order.” Full Story
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![Then-Texas Deputy Attorney General of Legal Strategy Aaron Reitz speaks during a press conference in the William Clements Building in Austin on June 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Trans Texans brace for life under strict sex definition law
Texas has strictly defined man and woman, leaving trans Texans in legal limbo. Full Story
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![Leo Tyler Castillo-Anguiano poses for a portrait underneath an overpass in downtown San Antonio on May 26, 2025. Behind him is artwork of a woman holding a transgender symbol like a rosary, connecting the city’s predominant Catholic faith with a message of alliance with the transgender community.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune