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Attorney General Ken Paxton files motion to block death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifying
Read full article: Attorney General Ken Paxton files motion to block death row inmate Robert Roberson from testifyingThe motion escalates a tense standoff between Paxton and a bipartisan Texas House committee, which had subpoenaed Roberson to testify at the Capitol on Friday.
Texas House panel subpoenas death row inmate Robert Roberson a second time
Read full article: Texas House panel subpoenas death row inmate Robert Roberson a second timeThe new subpoena comes after lawmakers say Ken Paxtonās office stalled a previous effort to get Robersonās legislative testimony about his conviction in āshaken babyā case.
Texas can schedule Robert Robersonās execution ā but lawmakers still expect his testimony first
Read full article: Texas can schedule Robert Robersonās execution ā but lawmakers still expect his testimony firstRoberson was convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter in a āshaken babyā case that many say led to an innocent manās death sentence.
Texas Supreme Court removes temporary block to Robert Robersonās execution
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court removes temporary block to Robert Robersonās executionThe stateās highest civil court ruled that legislators canāt use subpoenas to block death row inmatesā executions, but suggested thereās still time for Roberson to testify before a Texas House panel.
There are warring depictions of Robert Robersonās murder case. Hereās what to know.
Read full article: There are warring depictions of Robert Robersonās murder case. Hereās what to know.Even before the Texas manās death sentence became a political lightning rod, law enforcement and medical experts had differing opinions on the evidence that convicted him.
Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson case
Read full article: Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson caseThe AG also said heād make a criminal referral against the lawmaker, who apologized for texting a Court of Criminal Appeals judge about a new trial for the death row inmate.
Ken Paxton resisting Texas House membersā bid to hear Robert Robersonās testimony
Read full article: Ken Paxton resisting Texas House membersā bid to hear Robert Robersonās testimonyMembers of a Texas House committee say in a Texas Supreme Court filing that Paxtonās office is blocking the death row inmate from complying with a legislative subpoena.
State Rep. Jeff Leach asked Texas judge to consider a new Robert Roberson trial in apparent conduct violation
Read full article: State Rep. Jeff Leach asked Texas judge to consider a new Robert Roberson trial in apparent conduct violationLeach, one of the driving forces behind the effort to stop Robersonās execution, later apologized to the judge, who told the lawmaker there were still pending matters before the court.
Texas runoff yields no clear winner among GOPās warring factions, setting stage for power struggle
Read full article: Texas runoff yields no clear winner among GOPās warring factions, setting stage for power struggleNeither of the Texas GOPās dueling factions landed a clean knockout blow during a grueling primary season that only seemed to set up further chaos and strife.
UT-Austinās Jay Hartzell praised by GOP leaders as university presidents nationwide take heat over protest response
Read full article: UT-Austinās Jay Hartzell praised by GOP leaders as university presidents nationwide take heat over protest responseHartzellās protest response has also resulted in condemnations from students and faculty.
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucioās death sentence
Read full article: State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucioās death sentenceIn a rare joint statement, the district attorney and the defense agreed that prosecutors withheld evidence that could point to a Rio Grande Valley womanās innocence in the death of her toddler.
Texas House approves ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers
Read full article: Texas House approves ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employersViolations could bring a $50,000 fine under an amendment adopted Wednesday. The billās sponsor said the ban would be the strongest in the nation.
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill that would give people with disabilities new option to vote by mail
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill that would give people with disabilities new option to vote by mailThe bipartisan legislation was long sought by advocates for disabled voters, including some of the governorās own allies.
Meet the Texas House impeachment managers who are taking aim at Ken Paxton
Read full article: Meet the Texas House impeachment managers who are taking aim at Ken PaxtonLed by Andrew Murr, a West Texas rancher and lawyer, and Ann Johnson, a former prosecutor, the team of 12 includes 11 with law degrees.
Lawmakers try again to bar hypnosis-induced evidence from Texas criminal trials
Read full article: Lawmakers try again to bar hypnosis-induced evidence from Texas criminal trialsDespite its tendency to distort memories, hypnosis has been used on witnesses in numerous investigations, including death penalty cases. Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a similar bill in 2021.
āRight wing death squadā: What to know about the Allen shooterās neo-Nazi views
Read full article: āRight wing death squadā: What to know about the Allen shooterās neo-Nazi viewsThe shooterās āRWDSā patch offers troubling clues about his ideology ā and how it connects to views that are common among white supremacists.
āThis canāt be happeningā: Allen becomes latest U.S. town to grapple with a mass shooting
Read full article: āThis canāt be happeningā: Allen becomes latest U.S. town to grapple with a mass shootingAfter mall shooting, residents of the Dallas suburb are experiencing familiar rituals: mourning, anger and despair.
Journalists fear Texas Legislature could weaken law designed to protect free speech
Read full article: Journalists fear Texas Legislature could weaken law designed to protect free speechNews publications and First Amendment advocates are fighting a bill to revise a state law meant to prevent litigants from weaponizing the legal system to punish people for speech they donāt like.
Paxton whistleblowers urge lawmakers not to oppose settlement that will be paid with taxpayer dollars
Read full article: Paxton whistleblowers urge lawmakers not to oppose settlement that will be paid with taxpayer dollarsIn a statement, the attorneys for the four former top deputies who accused Attorney General Ken Paxton of crimes said state employees ācannot be expected to report government corruption in the future if they know the Legislature wonāt back their rights.ā
Sports-betting advocates return to Capitol with narrower bill, new Republican author
Read full article: Sports-betting advocates return to Capitol with narrower bill, new Republican authorThe Texas Sports Betting Alliance threw its weight behind new legislation Monday to let voters decided whether to legalize online sports betting.
Experts: Melissa Lucio faces tough fight to get new trial
Read full article: Experts: Melissa Lucio faces tough fight to get new trialWith Melissa Lucioās execution put on indefinite hold by a Texas appeals court, her attorneys will now be focused on trying to convince a judge to recommend she get a new trial.
Melissa Lucioās execution halted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Read full article: Melissa Lucioās execution halted by Texas Court of Criminal AppealsAcknowledging substantive questions about Lucioās guilt and the fairness of her conviction, the appeals court blocked her Wednesday execution so the case can be further investigated.
EXPLAINER: Concern mounts as Melissa Lucio's execution nears
Read full article: EXPLAINER: Concern mounts as Melissa Lucio's execution nearsNearly half of the jurors who sentenced a Texas woman to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children have called for her upcoming execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial.
More than half of the Texas House wants to stop the execution of Melissa Lucio, convicted of killing her toddler
Read full article: More than half of the Texas House wants to stop the execution of Melissa Lucio, convicted of killing her toddlerDespite substantive doubts surrounding the cause of her childās death and a suspect āconfessionā obtained after hours of interrogation, Lucio is set to be executed next month for killing her 2-year-old daughter.
Watch state Reps. Jeff Leach and Joe Moody discuss lawmakersā criminal justice work at The Texas Tribune Festival
Read full article: Watch state Reps. Jeff Leach and Joe Moody discuss lawmakersā criminal justice work at The Texas Tribune FestivalLeach, a Plano Republican, and Moody, an El Paso Democrat, co-chair the House Criminal Justice Caucus.
Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didnāt.
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didnāt.As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbottās ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter.
Priority bills imperiled as end-of-session tensions rise between Texas House and Senate
Read full article: Priority bills imperiled as end-of-session tensions rise between Texas House and SenateHouse lawmakers expressed frustration on Thursday that some of their priority legislation had not moved in the upper chamber, including a package of health care and criminal justice reform bills pushed by House Speaker Dade Phelan.
Companies could be shielded from liability after commercial vehicle crashes under Texas House bill
Read full article: Companies could be shielded from liability after commercial vehicle crashes under Texas House billHB 19ās sponsors say the bill will prevent excessive lawsuits against companies, but road safety advocates say the bill would make Texas roads more dangerous and prevent victims of crashes from receiving justice.
Another Texas GOP lawmaker is attempting to make abortion punishable by the death penalty
Read full article: Another Texas GOP lawmaker is attempting to make abortion punishable by the death penaltySign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. A Texas lawmaker has filed a bill that would abolish and criminalize abortions, leaving women and physicians who perform the procedure to face criminal charges that could carry the death penalty. All my bill does, is say that an unborn child is the same as a born child and should be treated the same by the laws.āLt. Gov. Dan Patrick has identified two abortion bills that will be priority items during the legislative session that started in January. One would ban nearly all abortions if the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision or otherwise altered abortion laws.
Collin County is the center of a political storm as the Texas suburbs become more competitive for Democrats
Read full article: Collin County is the center of a political storm as the Texas suburbs become more competitive for DemocratsSix years ago, Collin County was so solidly Republican that many of its representatives in Austin and Washington didnāt even draw Democratic opponents. Collin County was among the first Texas counties this week to exceed its 2016 turnout, and 62% of its voters had already voted as of Wednesday. āCollin County voters are smart,ā Taylor said. At the same time, Democrats also see opportunity in injecting the president into the Texas House races in Collin County. āWhatās happening in Collin County is whatās happening all across the country,ā Leach said.
Fundraising in Texas House races signals a wildly competitive contest for control of the chamber
Read full article: Fundraising in Texas House races signals a wildly competitive contest for control of the chamberTaken together, the reports point to a wildly competitive battle for control of the lower chamber, where Democrats are nine seats away from the majority. Republicans held $9.9 million cash on hand across the 34 districts, while Democrats had $6.2 million. Furthermore, in the four open seats that Democrats are trying to flip, all the GOP nominees were outraised. The money race was most stark in House District 138 in Houston, one of Democrats' best pickup opportunities. The Republican State Leadership Committee, the main national GOP group focused on state legislative races, is also playing big in Texas.
Two Texas House incumbents, Dan Flynn and J.D. Sheffield, fall behind early in primary runoff results
Read full article: Two Texas House incumbents, Dan Flynn and J.D. Sheffield, fall behind early in primary runoff resultsTwo Republican Texas House incumbents were considerably behind their primary runoff opponents as early election results came in Tuesday. State Rep. Dan Flynn of Canton trailed Bryan Slaton 37% to 62%. State Rep. J.D. The winner will face off against Republican Lacey Hull in November after state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, opted against seeking reelection. No matter what happens in the general election, House members will have a new speaker for the 2021 legislative session.