A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. Now his family is suing Texas officials
The family of a Black high school student in Texas has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the stateโs governor and attorney general over being suspended by his school district for his hairstyle.
Ken Paxton emerges victorious from yet another career scandal
It marked a screaming milestone in a two-decade political career that has seen Paxton harness the stateโs increasingly conservative politics โ and later the rise of Donald Trump โ to stay in power longer than his vulnerabilities would suggest.
Texas can keep buoys in the Rio Grande while legal challenge continues, federal appeals court rules
Nearly three months after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of the 1,000-foot line of buoys and mesh in the Rio Grande, an Austin federal judge ordered the state to remove the barrier and stop building further obstructions in the river. One day later a higher court sided with Texas.
Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect
The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.
Texas National Guard disbanded intelligence wing after members used WhatsApp to spy on migrants
Four members of the unit working on Gov. Greg Abbottโs border mission have been punished after whistleblowers reported the surveillance operation violated long-standing rules against state-run spy operations.
SAISD to file for exemption in Texas safety bill that requires an armed person at every campus
The San Antonio Independent School District board voted to file for an exemption in House Bill 3, a sweeping school safety bill that requires districts to have at least one armed security officer present at every campus.
Texas House committee report outlines possible path forward for school vouchers
The House blocked school vouchers during this yearโs regular lawmaking session, but a report released Friday shows some members might be willing to approve such a scaled-back version of the program that doesnโt compete with public schools for funds.
Mexico recovers 2 bodies from the Rio Grande, including one near floating barrier installed by Texas
Mexican authorities are working to identify two bodies recovered from the Rio Grande, one of them along the floating barrier that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had installed in the river, across from Eagle Pass, Texas.
Part 1: In 1998, a legal revolution was quietly born in Texas. It would pull Americaโs courts rightward.
With his election as Texas attorney general, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn planted the seeds of conservatism. Gov. Greg Abbott used his tenure to cultivate them into an aggressive strain of right-wing activism aimed at driving the nationโs courts and laws to the right.
Part 2: Texas backlash to Obama fueled conservative drive to reinterpret U.S. Constitution
Barraging the Obama administration with lawsuits, the Texas attorney generalโs office wasnโt just trying to block policies. It was injecting disruptive, overtly Christian legal philosophies into the mainstream, and grooming a generation of conservative legal warriors.
Part 3: Under Trump, Texasโ foot soldiers became federal judges, securing a conservative stronghold in the courts
A federal judiciary full of ideological allies is helping Texas block Democratic priorities and advance right-wing legal doctrines. But the bigger prize is conservative control of the rule of law itself.
Booksellers sue over Texas law requiring them to rate books for appropriateness
Two Texas bookstores and three national bookseller associations file suit over House Bill 900, which requires private booksellers to rate books on appropriateness, and bans โsexually explicitโ material from libraries.
Biden administration sues Texas governor over Rio Grande buoy barrier thatโs meant to stop migrants
The Justice Department is suing Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over a floating barrier that the state placed on the Rio Grande to stop migrants from entering the U.S. The lawsuit filed Monday asks a court to force Texas to remove a line of bright orange, wrecking ball-sized buoys that the Biden administration says raises humanitarian and environmental concerns.
Joaquin Castro calls reports of DPS troopersโ alleged mistreatment of migrants at border โhorrificโ and โbarbaricโ
Allegations of mistreatment of migrants, including small children, by DPS troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers is โhorrificโ and โbarbaric,โ U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio said.
State investigating claim that DPS troopers were told to push migrants back into the Rio Grande and deny them water
The Office of the Inspector General is investigating the claims, which include pushing small children and women with nursing babies back into the river and turning away a 4-year-old girl who later passed out on the riverbank from the heat.
Mexico files border boundaries complaint over Texas' floating barrier plan on Rio Grande
Mexico's top diplomat says her country has sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. government expressing concern that Texas' plan to deploy floating barriers on the Rio Grande may violate 1944 and 1970 treaties on boundaries and water.
Texas House and Senate reach a deal on how to cut property taxes
The deal would channel $12 billion to reduce the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. The legislation is expected to pass later this week.
Texas Supreme Court says Gov. Greg Abbottโs COVID ban on local mask rules was lawful
Several of Texasโ largest cities sought to put in place mask requirements, which Gov. Greg Abbott overturned. The ruling is a legal win for Republicans in Austin their ongoing symbolic fight with cities, often run by Democrats.