TribCast: Is Robert Roberson innocent?
In this week’s episode, the TribCast crew is joined by Tribune reporter Kayla Guo to break down the evidence in the Robert Roberson death penalty case. Full Story
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![Shackled and chained, Robert Roberson is led out of court by an Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputy on July 16, 2025 in Palestine.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for the Texas Tribune -
How the Texas GOP’s bid to block lawmakers from the ballot defies a century of court precedent
The Texas GOP will vote Saturday to possibly bar some state legislators from running in the 2026 primary, despite repeated Texas Supreme Court rulings saying they cannot. Full Story
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![DALLAS, TX - SEPTEMBER 20, 2024: A voting machine for voters with disabilities at a public verification test of the voting system at the Dallas County Elections Department building in Dallas, Texas on Friday, September 20, 2024. The test allows participants to validate the voting process by using ballots containing the same races and proportions as the upcoming elections in November. CREDIT: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton sides with Texas GOP, against secretary of state in lawsuit seeking to close primaries
Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a filing that Paxton’s office gave her less than an hour’s warning that they’d be siding against her agency in court. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gets up to shake the hand of Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on Jan. 6, 2025. Standing behind Paxton, hands together, is Abraham George, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.]()
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Texas court blocks execution of death row inmate Robert Roberson
Roberson was scheduled to be executed Oct. 16 after being convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikki. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Dec. 19, 2023. Texas death row prisoners are housed in Livingston but executed at the state prison in Huntsville, about 43 miles away.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project -
TribCast: Texas’ congressional map goes to court
While a three-judge panel hears a legal challenge to Texas’ new congressional map, TribCast breaks down the arguments. Full Story
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![A map of Tarrant County sits on a desk in the House chamber in Austin on Aug. 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for the Texas Tribune -
Trials of two Uvalde school officers see delays amid federal lawsuit, venue change
Pete Arredondo, the district’s former police chief, and ex-officer Adrian Gonzales face charges over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 school shooting. Full Story
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![The Robb Elementary School memorial for the victims of the Uvalde mass school shooting on June 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Greg Abbott authorizes Trump to deploy Texas National Guard to other states
The governor posted a photo Monday showing guardsmen deploying but did not mention a destination. Trump called for troops to deploy to Illinois and Oregon, where a judge temporarily blocked their arrival. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a press conference in Houston on Oct. 1, 2025.]()
Credit: Antranik Tavitian for The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration to offer undocumented minors $2,500 to voluntarily return home
The administration said an immigration judge must sign off first and the payment would be sent only after immigrants are back in their home countries. Full Story
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![U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas on Sept. 24, 2025.]()
Credit: Johnathan Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Renewed focus on Roberson case is latest in deluge of political pressure aimed at Texas judiciary
The latest calls to stave off the politically charged execution come after a summer where GOP leaders asked the state courts to kick Democrats out of office and throw Beto O’Rourke in jail. Full Story
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![Shackled and chained, Robert Roberson is led away from his lawyers by an Anderson Co. Sheriff’s Office deputy Wednesday morning after a new execution date of Oct. 16, 2025 was set by presiding Judge Austin Jackson of Smith County at the Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for The Texas Tribune -
Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse
The ex-pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake will serve the first six months of his 10-year suspended sentence in a county jail in Oklahoma, where the abuse took place. Full Story
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![Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake.]()
Credit: Alex Brandon/AP Photo -
At hearing, Democrats say the redistricting process was flawed from the start
On the first day of a two-week trial, the plaintiffs’ lawyers honed in on who drew the new map and whether race was a factor. Full Story
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![The Albert Armendariz Sr. U.S. Courthouse in El Paso on Oct. 1, 2025. A three judge panel is presiding over a nine day trial on whether Texas can use the newly redrawn congressional map for the upcoming 2026 elections.]()
Credit: Alberto Silva Fernandez for The Texas Tribune -
ICE complies with judge’s order and quickly releases El Paso DACA recipient
The El Paso federal judge said the Trump administration is violating the constitutional rights of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who has lived in the U.S. for two decades. Full Story
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![Protesters hold signs up during a rally for the release of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, an immigration detention center in El Paso on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.]()
Credit: Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration could process new DACA applications after Texas’ lawsuit paused enrollment
If a judge accepts the plan, the Trump administration will reopen new applications for DACA for the first time in four years — but Texas applicants would no longer receive work permits. Full Story
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![Protesters demonstrate at a No Kings rally in McAllen on June 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Can Texas use its new congressional map for 2026? A trio of judges will decide.
The same plaintiffs who are challenging the state’s 2021 maps have asked the court to block the new GOP-approved districts from being used in the fast-approaching midterms. Full Story
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![A newly released redistricting map of Texas is visible on a laptop during a Senate session on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas State University professor fired again after court revoked initial firing over “inciting violence”
A Texas State spokesperson said Monday evening that the professor’s employment had been “terminated, effective immediately” after a university review. Full Story
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![Thomas Alter delivers speaks at a rally calling for him to be reinstated in downtown San Marcos on Sept. 25, 2025. The Texas State University professor was fired by the university for remarks he made at a virtual conference put on by a socialist group.]()
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Texas executes man convicted of killing 13-month-old girl in 2008
Blaine Milam, who was pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. Thursday, is the fifth death row inmate executed by the state in 2025. Full Story
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![The Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, also known as the "Walls Unit,” near downtown Huntsville, on Aug. 16, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson will not seek clemency ahead of October execution
Roberson, convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter, will continue to push for a new trial. He has maintained his innocence. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson listens as his lawyers plead his case on July 16, 2025. A new execution date of Oct. 16, 2025 was set by presiding Judge Austin Jackson of Smith County at the Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for the Texas Tribune -
While praising Charlie Kirk’s commitment to free speech, Texas leaders move to punish students celebrating his death
Gov. Greg Abbott called for a student to be expelled for celebrating Kirk’s death. Legal experts say the student’s speech is likely constitutionally protected. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference Friday, Aug. 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Abbott spoke about Texas’s response to screwworm as well as addressed California Governor Gavin Newsom's comments and actions regarding redistricting.]()
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Judge dismisses environmental lawsuit against FAA over failed SpaceX launch
The suit, filed in 2023 after the launch of SpaceX's Starship in Boca Chica ended in an explosion, accused the agency of not properly assessing environmental impacts. Full Story
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![The SpaceX Starship on the launchpad ahead of the tenth flight test, in Starbase, Texas, on August 24, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
News organizations fight to unseal Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce records
The Texas Tribune, Texas Newsroom and ProPublica are among a group of media outlets arguing the records should be made public because the Paxtons are elected officials subject to scrutiny. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sits with his wife and state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, during the opening of the 2025 Legislative Session in Austin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune