Texas

Voting rights groups win orders to expand polling hours in Georgia and Texas

Voting rights groups on Tuesday won court orders expanding polling hours in locations in Georgia and Texas, while also filing a suit seeking to keep Georgia’s secretary of state from overseeing the vote count in his gubernatorial bid. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law succeeded in obtaining extended…

Nov 7, 2018 10:59 AM CST

Aided by the Innocence Project, fired Texas prosecutor seeks to revive his wrongful termination suit

A fired Texas prosecutor got some help from the Innocence Project when he asked the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday to revive his wrongful termination suit.

Nov 1, 2018 1:09 PM CDT

Crowdfunding campaign brings books to Texas jail

Public defender Amalia Beckner saw need at the Harris County Jail in Houston, and worked for change on social media.

Nov 1, 2018 2:05 AM CDT

Texas judge is criticized after closing courtroom to protest confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh

Some lawyers are criticizing a judge’s decision to close his misdemeanor courtroom for a day to protest the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge John Lipscombe of Travis County, Texas, closed his court on Oct. 8 and draped black funeral bunting over the entry door,…

Oct 19, 2018 1:52 PM CDT

Trump’s ‘con job’ tweet wasn’t defamation of Stormy Daniels, federal judge rules

Updated: A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that a tweet by President Donald Trump was “rhetorical hyperbole” that didn’t defame Stormy Daniels. U.S. District Judge James Otero tossed Daniels’ defamation suit against Trump and ordered her to pay Trump’s legal fees, report Politico, the Washington Post, Courthouse News…

Oct 16, 2018 10:58 AM CDT

Florida lawyer who uses ‘Ever Argued With a Woman?’ slogan sues law firm for alleged infringement

Bartow, Florida, lawyer Melissa Wilson uses the slogan “Ever Argued With a Woman?” and she is not afraid to argue about it. In a federal suit filed Tuesday, Wilson claims San Antonio lawyer Heather Tessmer of San Antonio and her Tessmer Law Firm are infringing her trademark by using a…

Oct 12, 2018 1:15 PM CDT

Judge’s suit claims she was retaliated against at work for her husband’s political activity

An associate family law judge in Texas has filed a lawsuit claiming a district judge created a hostile work environment and violated her constitutional right to be free from political coercion.

Oct 11, 2018 1:05 PM CDT

Federal court in Texas declares Indian Child Welfare Act unconstitutional

A Northern Texas federal district court struck down portions of the Indian Child Welfare Act last Thursday, finding that the disputed sections violate the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee by mandating racial preferences.

Oct 10, 2018 10:00 AM CDT

Detained immigrant children are being moved to a tent city in Texas

Hundreds of immigrant children in federal custody are being moved to a tent city erected in the Texas desert during the family separation policy, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Oct 2, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Court must consider defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail, Dallas federal judge says

Setting bail without considering a defendant’s ability to pay bond violates equal protection rights, a Dallas federal judge ruled last Thursday. Most Texas state courts use a bail money system, in which bond is determined by a fixed schedule, the Texas Tribune reports. Nationwide, several lawsuits have targeted money bail…

Sep 24, 2018 1:54 PM CDT

Chief of 3D gun blueprint manufacturer accused in sexual assault of teen

A minor told forensic investigators in Texas that she was paid to have sex with Cody Wilson, the former law student who in June reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to publish blueprints used to make 3D-printed guns. Wilson traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, after a friend of…

Sep 20, 2018 12:35 PM CDT

Some immigrants picked up by ICE given ‘fake dates’ to appear in court

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has failed to coordinate or clear appearance dates with federal courts in six cities, the Dallas Morning News reports. Some people received documents with orders to appear in immigration court at midnight on Sept. 31—in a month that has 30 days. More than a dozen…

Sep 17, 2018 11:16 AM CDT

Proskauer Rose agrees to pay $63M to resolve investor claims in Stanford’s Ponzi scheme

Proskauer Rose has agreed to pay $63 million to resolve the claims of investors who lost money as a result of a Ponzi scheme by R. Allen Stanford, whose companies were represented by a former partner at the firm. Proskauer would not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, which still…

Sep 10, 2018 11:36 AM CDT

Citing 14th Amendment, federal court judge voids Texas’ fetal burial law

A 2017 Texas law that called for health care providers to bury or cremate fetuses—regardless of a patient’s wishes or religious beliefs—was struck down this week in federal court. The law was scheduled to go into effect in February, the New York Times reports. Besides abortions, the law applied to…

Sep 7, 2018 9:50 AM CDT

Lawsuit challenges bail hearings held behind closed doors

In most places around the country, bail hearings are open to the public. The idea is that if the government is going to try to imprison you, the news media and your family and friends should be able to see what goes on and make sure it’s done fairly. Not…

Sep 7, 2018 6:10 AM CDT