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 -
AG Ken Paxton announces undercover investigations of “leftist terror cells”
Paxton cited the recent attack on a Dallas immigration field office, though the shooter’s political affiliation was unclear and there was no evidence he was linked to organized “cells.” Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/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 -
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 -
Texas launches task force to target repeat criminal offenders in Houston area
Gov. Greg Abbott said state troopers and local law enforcement will start an effort in Harris County that he hopes to duplicate in other parts of Texas. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott shakes hands with officers after a press conference to announce a new public safety initiative on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Houston.]()
Credit: Antranik Tavitian for The Texas Tribune -
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 -
Shooter’s notes say he intended to target ICE officers, authorities say
Federal authorities said the notes indicate the 29-year-old who killed an ICE detainee and wounded two others expressed hatred for the federal government and acted alone. Full Story
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![Joe Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI Field Office, speaks at a press conference regarding the shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Sept. 24, 2025.]()
Credit: Johnathan Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Texas health agency adopts emergency rule banning consumable hemp sales to anyone under 21
Two state agencies have now adopted the temporary rule while they work to adopt formal rules to limit who can buy THC products. Full Story
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![THC products sit near the cash register in Hyde Park Market in Austin on May 5, 2025.]()
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New Texas law restricting abortion pills beefs up an existing legal tool
HB 7, which was signed by the governor Wednesday, allows private citizens to sue abortion pill providers and manufacturers, mirroring a 2021 law on abortion bans Full Story
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![Misoprostol on the shelf at Parker Road Drug Store in Greenville, S.C., on June 13, 2024.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott orders minors banned from THC products
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday called Abbott’s decision a pathway to full legalization of cannabis, including marijuana which is still federally illegal. Hemp-derived THC is legal. Full Story
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![THC products sit near the cash register in Hyde Park Market in Austin on May 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Abbott expected to issue executive order setting age requirements for THC-products, other restrictions
The executive order comes after the Legislature ended a special session without the House, Senate and governor agreeing on restrictions. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference in Austin on Aug. 15, 2025.]()
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THC ban stalls out down the homestretch of Texas special legislative session
High priority bills that propose banning THC have not moved through the Texas House, as the current overtime session could conclude in the coming days. Full Story
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![THC edibles on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, outside of Midway, TX.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Bill shielding some police complaints from public again dies in Texas House
The measure failed after the two chambers disagreed on whether to include a carveout that would have let parents access records from the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. Full Story
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![El Paso police block off Leavell Avenue by Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso, Texas, in the Logan Heights neighborhood as they investigate a shooting on Thursday, April 17, 2025. A man was found dead after police officers responded to the shooting.]()
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More than 800 new laws went into effect in Texas on Sept. 1. Here are some of the significant ones.
New laws range from school vouchers and water infrastructure funding to a ban on city and county-funded abortion travel funds. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin June 30, 2025.]()
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State Ag employees told police they were wary of Sid Miller’s political consultant. Now he’s the agency’s chief of staff.
Todd Smith was Miller’s longtime political consultant when he admitted to soliciting bribes for licenses the agency typically issues for $100. Miller then put him on the payroll at $218,000 per year. Full Story
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![Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller speaks during a Make America Great Rally at the Burleson County Expo Center in Caldwell on Aug. 1, 2024.]()
Credit: Olivia Anderson/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers delay bill keeping unsubstantiated complaints against officers from the public
Senate Bill 15’s supporters say police shouldn’t be publicly maligned for unproven allegations. Critics say the bill disincentivizes agencies from properly investigating complaints. Full Story
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![Dallas police investigate a shooting at a South Dallas neighborhood on June 5, 2025.]()
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Death row inmate Robert Roberson claims judicial misconduct in bid for new trial
A new petition claims Anderson County judges acted unconstitutionally multiple times in both Roberson’s case and in recognizing custody of his daughter. Full Story
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![Shackled and chained, Robert Roberson is led into court by Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies 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