COURTS

Under oath, outspoken anti-gay activist Jared Woodfill said he was told in 2004 that Paul Pressler had sexually abused a minor. But Woodfill did not cut ties with the Southern Baptist leader — and said he had no knowledge of Pressler’s alleged behavior when another young man came forward about alleged sexual misconduct in 2016.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with James about lawmakers’ reluctance to spend $3.3 million on a whistleblower settlement for Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Anti-abortion advocates are trying to revive the long-dormant 1873 Comstock Act, which banned mailing of anything related to abortion or contraception, in a lawsuit about mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug.

A two-tiered system gives less populated counties more time to provide court-appointed lawyers, requiring creative responses to a long-standing problem.

In the state’s final brief to appeal a September injunction that halted the investigation into Texas parents of transgender children, Paxton argued that individual families must provide evidence of harm from the actions of the Department of Family and Protective Services.

U.S. District Matthew Kacsmaryk was once deputy counsel for the the First Liberty Institute, the Plano-based conservative Christian law firm.

Many of the illegal voting cases the Texas attorney general has boasted about are unraveling after a key court ruling. But Tomas Ramirez III said the pursuit of charges against him has taken its toll.

Marcus Silva of Galveston alleges three of his ex-wife’s friends helped her illegally get abortion pills to end her pregnancy.

The state has added more beds for jail inmates who need psychiatric treatment to be considered competent to face trial. But at least a third remain empty because the state can’t hire enough people to staff them.

Lawyers for four former employees who accused the attorney general of firing them for reporting alleged crimes to authorities say Paxton won’t agree to finalizing the deadline by the end of this legislative session.

In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gideon v. Wainwright that the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a right to a lawyer applies to criminal defendants. Together with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, The Texas Tribune hosted a series of conversations Friday on public defense in Texas.

Five women announced a new lawsuit Tuesday, marking the first time patients directly affected by new abortion laws have sought to challenge them in court.

Texas lawmakers and a federal judge say attorneys in the case against the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services should not hire lobbyists using funds won in court.

For many domestic violence survivors, the decision to move forward with prosecuting their attacker can be daunting and painful. This is why advocates encourage survivors to seek help when navigating the criminal justice system.

Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion bill, sought to block the state’s ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. A federal judge found Davis had not “articulated a credible, imminent threat.”

Paxton’s lawyer had argued that federal prosecutors based out of San Antonio had an “obvious conflict” in the investigation.

The attorney general argued the House unconstitutionally passed its federal spending bill because not enough members were physically present to vote. Both Republicans and Democrats voted by proxy throughout the pandemic.

At issue is whether Thomas, who gouged out his eyes after confessing the 2004 murders of his estranged wife, their son and her daughter, is competent to be executed in April.

Thousands are accusing power companies, distribution companies, electric grid operators and others of failing to prepare properly for the February 2021 storm, creating a catastrophe.

Paxton and the four whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until they can finalize the settlement, after which they’ll move to end the case.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives amended a rule that classifies guns with “stabilized braces” as rifles, which are subject to different regulations, triggering the objection of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gun Owners of America.

As Judge Janis Jack continues to threaten contempt-of-court fines in a federal lawsuit against the state’s foster care system, advocates say the case has moved the needle on reform — but it has come with a hefty price tag.

Advocates for domestic violence victims were stunned by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which continued a string of court decisions citing the Second Amendment to erase gun restrictions.

In July, the Biden administration reminded pharmacies of their obligation to not discriminate in filling prescriptions, including for abortion-inducing drugs, many of which can be used to treat other conditions as well.

A decision on the lawsuit could come as early as this week.

Robin Cantrill-Fenwick says courts are "rubber stamping" warrants that allow energy firms into homes.

Three of Paxton’s four former employees who sued him for unjustly firing them when they reported his actions to authorities are considering settling with the attorney general.

Abbott lauded the efforts of the anti-abortion movement after a landmark year for opponents of the procedure.

The judge warned the state could be held in contempt of court for not following through with three mandates: youths not knowing their rights, not adequately responding to abuse allegations and still having too many children without placement.

The airplane manufacturer was accused of fraud for misleading federal regulators about the safety of its jets, but stayed out of court by making a deal with prosecutors. Victims’ families say they were cut out of the process.

Abbott doubles down on his long-standing call to lawmakers to prohibit local governments from enacting mask and vaccine mandates.

While Democrats and the far-right edge of the Republican Party remain focused on abortion, leaders in both chambers have not yet spent much time discussing the issue this session.

In a fifth report tracking the state’s efforts to remedy its embattled foster care system, federal monitors documented persistent risks to Texas children ahead of next week’s court hearing.

The federal government has largely avoided pursuing the death penalty under President Biden.

The decision from the state’s highest court would allow the TEA to move forward with its plan to replace Houston ISD’s school board members over low academic scores.

The plaintiff is represented by a group created by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller and former Texas Solicitor General Jonathan Mitchell, the architect of the state’s six-week abortion ban.

Many people and insurers sued the Electric Reliability Council of Texas after the 2021 freeze. The nonprofit says it shouldn’t be liable. The state Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in.

Priscilla Villarreal was arrested over her Facebook postings. In a rare proceeding, the entire 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will weigh whether she can sue, a case that could have major ramifications for citizen journalists like her -- and professional ones.

From those who planted the seeds of Trump’s strategy to try to challenge the election, to others who sowed doubt and anger by spreading baseless election-fraud conspiracy theories, Texans played major roles in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol two years ago.

Students reported enduring racial slurs, the sounds of whips cracking and monkey noises as they walked down school hallways.

The Title X program has long provided free, confidential contraception to anyone, regardless of age, income or immigration status. A North Texas federal judge ruled in December that the program violates Texas law and parents’ rights.

The program, known as Chapter 313, provides companies with billions of dollars in property tax breaks. The court said it is up to the Legislature to make the call on what to do as the program is set to expire and the state is swamped with applications.

The court ordered the Biden administration to continue enforcing the policy while Texas and other states that want to keep the Trump-era rule in place prepare their legal arguments.

A federal judge ruled earlier this year that a state law banning young adults from publicly carrying handguns is unconstitutional. The state no longer plans to appeal that ruling.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a former religious liberty lawyer, found that a federal program that gives teens access to birth control denies a parent “a fundamental right to control and direct the upbringing of his minor children.”

A jury found Aaron Dean guilty of manslaughter last week for the fatal shooting of Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, while she was babysitting her nephew in a family home.

Title 42, an emergency health order invoked at the start of the pandemic, allows immigration agents to quickly remove migrants from the country. It was scheduled to be lifted on Wednesday.

The Biden administration attempted to end Title 42 earlier this year before a federal judge blocked the move. A different federal court has now ordered that the federal health order be lifted.

A jury on Thursday found Aaron Dean guilty of manslaughter for shooting Jefferson while she babysat her nephew in her mother’s home in 2019.

Hundreds of businesses have sought tax savings from the state before the Chapter 313 program expires. Two companies say they are missing out despite being eligible.

The court’s ruling does not overturn the 2021 law, which banned abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. It also does not impact the near-total bans on abortion that went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

As courts continue to rule on the status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, immigrants like Jorge Xolalpa, a 33-year-old movie director from Mexico are left grappling with their future. (Oct. 26) (AP video by Eugene Garcia and Amy Taxin)

Jen Psaki, former Biden White House press secretary and new member of the MSNBC family, talks with Alex Wagner about how Republicans overreach through courts stacked by Donald Trump has made them the target of midterm voters who might otherwise be focused on President Biden and congressional Democrats.

When criminal courts hit pause, cases continued to pile up with no judge or jury able to hear them.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to US is approved by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Imran Ahmad Khan, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, says he will resign as Wakefield MP - triggering a by-election

The court’s conservatives rejected a compromise from the chief justice, raising the stakes for a decisive showdown this fall on a Mississippi abortion law.

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HOUSTON The Texas Supreme Court recently ordered no jury trials or jury selections are to take place before Aug. 1, unless a plan is submitted and approved by the Office of Court Administration. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree the system cant handle much more of a back-up and they have got to find a way to get things moving. Thiessen said only 10 people are allowed in a courtroom at a time and that includes court staff. Thiessen and Musick both were quick to say the idea of trial participants wearing masks wont work. The back-up in the courts is also leading to an increase in the population at the Harris County jail.