Texas

Prosecutor slayings suspect wanted to target former judges, too, those in charge of murder case say

A disbarred justice of the peace accused of shooting to death two Texas prosecutors in 2013 also wanted to assassinate two former judges, prosecutors say. Eric Williams planned to kill District Judge Glen Ashworth as far back as 2005, according to special prosecutors in charge of Williams’ capital murder case.…

Sep 3, 2014 5:30 PM CDT

Lawyer is accused of threatening boyfriend with gun, shooting out his truck windshield

A Texas lawyer was arrested last Thursday for allegedly threatening her boyfriend with a gun and shooting out the windshield on his truck. Lawyer Rebecca Hendricks Brewer, 46, of McKinney was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, report the Dallas Morning News, MyFoxDFW and KXII.com. Brewer…

Sep 2, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Texas law requiring abortion clinics to upgrade facilities is struck down; state seeks stay

A federal judge has struck down a Texas law that requires abortion clinics to comply with standards for ambulatory surgical centers. The state is seeking a stay of the ruling. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel overturned parts of the law on Friday, report the National Law Journal, SCOTUSblog and the…

Sep 2, 2014 7:24 AM CDT

Questioning jurisdiction, state supreme court finds Google does not have to reveal blogger’s ID

Google does not have to identify a blogger who criticized an Ohio-based software company, the Texas Supreme Court found Friday because it was not established that the writer has ties to the state, and the court may not have jurisdiction over the matter. The petition was brought by Reynolds &…

Aug 29, 2014 7:12 PM CDT

Ex-attorney put on probation in $500K client theft now gets 10 years for drinking, practicing law

A disbarred Texas lawyer was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for violating the terms of his probation in a client-theft case. David Bonilla, 59, got a suspended prison sentence and was put on probation for 10 years in 2011, when he pleaded guilty to stealing some $500,000…

Aug 21, 2014 9:30 PM CDT

Lawyer charged with murder solicitation targeted his former office manager, her lawyer says

A Texas lawyer charged with criminal solicitation of capital murder was seeking to kill his former office manager, an attorney for the claimed target says. Ex-employee Maryann Uribe has been litigating in civil court in Nueces County against attorney Paul Andrews, 57, for several years over claims she was fired…

Aug 21, 2014 2:45 PM CDT

Lawyer charged with murder solicitation, accused of planning to kill witness in felony barratry case

A Texas lawyer charged in an unusual felony barratry case is now facing a new charge for allegedly planning to eliminate a witness in the case. Paul Andrews, 57, was arrested Wednesday in Corpus Christi, according to KSAT and the San Antonio Express-News. If convicted of criminal solicitation of capital…

Aug 20, 2014 10:50 PM CDT

Federal suit claims family members were banned from mom’s nursing home over social media posts

The children of a patient in a nursing home in Sugar Land, Texas, have sued the facility, alleging that they can’t visit their mother there because they have been banned over their social media posts. The plaintiffs say Silverado Senior Living had no valid reason for the ban, which was…

Aug 19, 2014 4:40 PM CDT

Dershowitz: Gov. Perry’s indictment is an example of ‘criminalization of party differences’

Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com Texas Gov. Rick Perry is getting support from retired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who sees the Republican governor’s indictment as part of a dangerous trend. Perry was charged on Friday with one count of abuse of official capacity and one count…

Aug 18, 2014 12:56 PM CDT

Judge bans live tweets by opposing counsel during deposition

Convicted for his role in a money-laundering conspiracy involving election contributions from a drug trafficker, a former South Texas sheriff got five years in federal prison. After his sentencing last month, KGBT reported on tweets of what disgraced ex-Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño was saying during the federal court hearing.…

Aug 13, 2014 8:50 PM CDT

Appeals court tosses law prof’s injury suit

A University of Texas law professor who says he tore a tendon in his shoulder when he tripped over an extension cord can’t pursue his suit against the university, a state appeals court has ruled in a 2-1 decision. The Third Court of Appeals in Texas dismissed the claims filed…

Aug 13, 2014 4:52 PM CDT

Release looms for nurse, a suspected serial child killer, unless DA can prove more crimes

Genene Jones was denied parole last week. But it could be only a question of time until the former Texas pediatric nurse, convicted of killing one 15-month-old child in her care and suspected in as many as 46 other child deaths, is free, according to KPRC and the San Antonio…

Aug 11, 2014 4:55 PM CDT

Pro se attorney credits holy card for acquittal in racketeering trial, along with 2 other lawyers

Criminal defense attorney Donald Manno was on trial in a federal racketeering case that could have put him in prison for the rest of his life, along with his former client, two other lawyers and additional defendants. But with the help of trial skills honed over decades of practice and…

Aug 7, 2014 5:35 PM CDT

Recorded jail phone calls violate 6th Amendment and cost us money, attorneys say in lawsuit

Joining colleagues in Florida, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee who have complained that jailed defendants’ phone calls with their attorneys are being recorded, some Texas lawyers have filed an amended class action complaint objecting to the practice. However, in addition to arguing about alleged violations of inmates’ Sixth Amendment…

Aug 1, 2014 11:25 AM CDT

Texas lawyer is arrested in slaying

A Texas lawyer has been arrested in the shooting death of another man early Wednesday. Police arrested lawyer Royal Mullins, 61, of Greenville, Texas, and booked him in the local jail on a charge of murder, report KXII, the Herald Banner and Inforney.com. He is being held on $150,000 bond.…

Jul 31, 2014 11:45 AM CDT