Texas

Number of prisoners hits 9-year low, but some states are resisting the trend

The number of people in U.S. prisons fell to a nine-year low of just under 1.5 million last year, a 1.3 percent decrease, according to a report released recently by the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice.

Apr 26, 2019 2:36 PM CDT

Criminal defense attorney and judge settle suit over alleged retaliation involving recording

A Houston criminal defense attorney who recorded a Galveston County judge saying he “overworks” cases and lacks experience has settled his lawsuit against the judge. In March 2018, Andrew Willey sued Judge Jack Ewing of the Galveston County Court at Law No. 3 for allegedly retaliating against him by refusing…

Apr 23, 2019 4:09 PM CDT

A new bill in this state would allow attorneys to skip courthouse security

A proposed bill in Texas would provide a new security card to attorneys, so they can skip security lines in courthouses in any of the state’s 254 counties. Texas HB 1359, introduced by Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, was passed Thursday by the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, the Texas…

Apr 23, 2019 7:15 AM CDT

BigLaw firm isn’t liable to investors for lawyer’s work for Ponzi schemer, 5th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled that Greenberg Traurig is immune from liability in a lawsuit by investors who lost money in a Ponzi scheme perpetrated by a client. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans ruled Wednesday that the law firm is immune under Texas law…

Apr 19, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Judge complains court filings are being used to deliver information to news media

A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against Baylor University warned lawyers for the sexual assault plaintiffs Tuesday that court filings should not be used to deliver information to the news media. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin, Texas, delivered the warning in an order considering discovery issues, the Texas…

Apr 18, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Lawyer’s ethics complaint targets 5th Circuit judge for alleged ‘vitriolic’ dissent

A Texas civil rights lawyer has filed a misconduct complaint against a federal appeals court judge that takes issue with the tone of her dissent in a gerrymandering case. The April 8 complaint accuses Circuit Judge Edith Brown Clement of writing a “vitriolic” dissent that includes “highly partisan and insulting…

Apr 12, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Newly elected judge accidentally resigns; county commissioners appoint replacement

Updated: Judge Bill McLeod of Harris County, Texas, didn’t realize his announced ambition to run for a higher office had triggered a state constitutional provision that considers such revelations to constitute an automatic resignation. McLeod was a civil court judge for less than three months when he filed paperwork to…

Apr 10, 2019 9:02 AM CDT

Sleeping lead lawyer doesn’t justify overturning capital conviction, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Texas has rejected a habeas petition filed on behalf of a death-row inmate whose primary lawyer snoozed throughout the trial. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes ruled against inmate George McFarland, who was convicted in 1992 for killing and robbing a grocer carrying a bag with $27,000…

Apr 10, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

No one will be convicted in deadly Twin Peaks biker shootout after DA drops remaining cases

One hundred fifty-five people were indicted for a deadly May 2015 shootout at a Twin Peaks restaurant between rival motorcycle gangs in Waco, Texas, but none of them will be convicted. On Tuesday, McLennan County District Attorney Barry Johnson announced that the remaining 24 cases will be dismissed, report the…

Apr 3, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

Denying sex reassignment surgery to inmate isn’t cruel and unusual, 5th Circuit rules

A blanket ban on sex reassignment surgery for prison inmates isn’t cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Apr 1, 2019 9:14 AM CDT

Plaintiffs seeking more school funding are using states’ own performance requirements to win

Parents and school districts have been suing over school funding, using state-mandated performance standards to argue that states aren’t living up to their end of the bargain—and they’re winning.

Apr 1, 2019 1:40 AM CDT

Court considers whether inquiry about citizenship belongs on the U.S. census

On April 23, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case that should resolve the issue. The justices will hear an appeal brought by the Trump administration of a federal district judge’s ruling that invalidated U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’ 2018 decision to add a citizenship question to the next census.

Apr 1, 2019 1:35 AM CDT

SCOTUS blocks execution of man denied Buddhist adviser; decision was different in Muslim case

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the execution of a Texas inmate who wasn’t allowed to bring his Buddhist spiritual adviser into the execution chamber with him.

Mar 29, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

5th Circuit took my statements out of context, federal judge says in opinion

U.S. District Court Judge Keith Ellison is fighting back after a federal appeals court said he appeared to prejudge a case before the facts were in. In a decision filed March 11, Ellison said the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans had taken his words out of…

Mar 14, 2019 11:40 AM CDT

Suit challenges mandatory membership in state bar because of immigrant support, diversity initiatives

Three Texas lawyers have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that mandatory membership in the State Bar of Texas violates their First Amendment right against coerced speech. The March 6 suit contends that the Texas bar is using the plaintiffs’ dues for ideological or political activities that go beyond its function…

Mar 12, 2019 10:20 AM CDT