Federal judge rules against Trump, halts deportation of Venezuelans held in Texas under wartime act
The ruling extends a temporary restraining order for three Venezuelan migrants detained in South Texas who are facing deportation. Full Story
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![A man crosses a jet bridge as Venezuelan migrants arrive on a flight after being deported from the United States, at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela on March 30, 2025.]()
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Former U.S. Attorney John Bash first to announce run to replace Attorney General Ken Paxton
Bash served as special assistant to President Trump during his first term and is Elon Musk’s lawyer. Full Story
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![John F. Bash, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas resigned from his position.]()
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Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd to retire
Gov. Greg Abbott will have the opportunity to appoint Boyd’s replacement, furthering his influence on the high court. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd explains their judgment process during a Q & A after hearing two a civil cases at the University of Houston Law Center at in the Danny M. Sheena Courtroom at the John. M. O’Quinn Law Building in Houston on Oct. 29, 2024.]()
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Judges move to stop deportation of Venezuelans in Texas, New York
The judges said they will temporarily halt the deportations as civil rights groups challenge the administration’s use of an 18th Century law previously invoked only during wartime. Full Story
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![Members of the security forces await the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrying Venezuelan migrants after their deportation from the United States, at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela on April 4, 2025.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former aides win $6.6 million in whistleblower case
Paxton vowed to appeal the “bogus ruling” that found he improperly fired the four plaintiffs after they reported him to the FBI on allegations of corruption. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Republican Party of Texas Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024..]()
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Texas sues San Antonio over abortion funding
Attorney General Ken Paxton previously sued the City of Austin for helping residents travel out-of-state for abortions. Full Story
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![Pedestrians walk by La Antorcha de la Amistad sculpture in downtown San Antonio on Nov. 2, 2021.]()
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Texas bills requiring air-conditioned prisons languish despite temperatures being ruled unconstitutional
The five bills that would require complete air conditioning in state prisons haven’t had a hearing yet, and the money set for the upgrades falls short of the estimated cost. Full Story
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![Mountain View prison in Gatesville on September 19, 2019.]()
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You have the right to an attorney. But in Texas, don’t count on it.
In some parts of the state, misdemeanor defendants routinely face charges without representation. Full Story
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![HEREFORD, TEXAS - February 26, 2025: The empty courtroom at the Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford, Texas where misdemeanor court takes place. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott touts his influence on Texas courts to conservative law group
Abbott’s closed-door address to the Federalist Society at UT Law Thursday drew peaceful protests. Full Story
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![From left: University of Texas Interim President Jim Davis, Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Law Federalist Society President Jordan Lamb participate in an event at The University of Texas Law School in Austin on April 3, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Lawyers for Houston-area midwife accused of illegal abortions condemn state’s investigation
Maria Rojas’ attorneys got their first chance to address the claims against her Thursday. She was released on bond but a judge ordered the clinics to remain closed. Full Story
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![On March 27, 2025, Clinica Waller Latinoamericana, one of Maria Margarita Rojas' network of clinics in Waller, Texas, remains closed after a Waller County judge granted a temporary injunction prohibiting the facilities from providing medical services. Rojas, a licensed midwife, has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion and practicing medicine without a license.]()
Credit: Hope Mora for The Texas Tribune -
NY county clerk refuses to file Texas’ fine for doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills
A Texas judge last month ordered Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who practices north of New York City, to pay the penalty for allegedly breaking that state’s law by prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine. Full Story
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Federal judge rules prison heat conditions are unconstitutional, but doesn’t require air conditioning
About two-thirds of Texas prisons are not fully air conditioned, and dozens of inmates have died in the sweltering heat. Full Story
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![Prison staff and inmates move through the Darrington Unit's main hallway on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.]()
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After four prosecutors and nearly six years, El Paso DA decides it’s time to stop pursuing the death penalty for mass shooter
The new DA campaigned on seeking the death penalty for the 2019 massacre, but said he offered the gunman a plea deal of life in prison to avoid dragging out the case for several more years. Full Story
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![The family of Javier Amir Rodriguez, who was killed at the Walmart shooting in 2019, is seen during a memorial service on the third anniversary of the August 3rd Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden, Wednesday, August 3, 2022, in El Paso.]()
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Walmart gunman won’t face the death penalty, family says
The removal of the death penalty as an option could lead to a quick guilty plea and life sentence, as happened with federal charges in 2023. Full Story
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![Guests visit the memorial on the third anniversary of the Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022.]()
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Olvidados en la cárcel sin abogado: Así le falla un pueblo de Texas a los acusados pobres
En el condado de Maverick, las autoridades pueden tardar meses en informar a los fiscales de una detención, mientras los acusados esperan en la cárcel. Rara vez se asignan abogados a quien los solicita. Full Story
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![Eagle Pass limita con la cuidad mexicana de Piedras Negras. Muchas personas que viven en Piedras Negras cruzan a diario para trabajar, ir de compras o visitar a sus familiares.]()
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Forgotten in jail without a lawyer: how a Texas town fails poor defendants
People in Maverick County spend months in jail waiting to be charged with minor crimes. Some are simply lost in the system Full Story
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![EAGLE PASS, TEXAS - January 6, 2025: The city of Eagle Pass, Texas with Piedras Negras in the background. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times]()
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Texas A&M can’t ban “Draggieland” drag show, federal judge rules
Judge Lee H. Rosenthal said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment. Full Story
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![Students and supporters gather on campus to protest the Texas A&M University Board of Regents' decision on Draggieland in College Station, TX, on Wednesday, March 6, 2025.]()
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Texas’ DEI debate centers on a disagreement about whether programs perpetuate or prevent discrimination
Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit. Full Story
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![Illustrated posters reading “We Belong Here” litter the Capitol’s rotunda floor during Texas Students for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s protest of HB1 Rider No. 186, which would defund DEI initiatives at public universities, on Mar. 23, 2023.]()
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Federal judge strikes down Texas' mail ballot ID requirement
The judge found that the provisions of SB1, the state's 2021 voter security law, discriminate against voters with disabilities. Full Story
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![A ballot is dropped in Austin in October, 2020.]()
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Texas prison staff falsified temperatures records, investigation finds
Two-thirds of the state’s roughly 100 jails and prisons in Texas are not fully air conditioned in inmate housing areas. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary houses the execution chamber of Texas and is located in Huntsville on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune
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