Texas

Judge can’t use electric shocks ‘to enforce decorum,’ Texas appeals court rules

A Texas appeals court has overturned the conviction of an “obstreperous defendant” who was shocked while wearing a stun belt three times on a judge’s orders during a heated exchange. The court said the judge ordered the shocking of Terry Lee Morris “not for legitimate security purposes, but solely as…

Mar 7, 2018 1:13 PM CST

Controversial Dallas judge is sued for identifying domestic violence victim at campaign event

A Texas woman has sued a Dallas judge for alleged defamation and infliction of emotional distress after the judge identified her at a campaign event and said her boyfriend had gone to prison for assaulting her. Keisha Pope-Nixon filed suit last Friday against Judge Jeanine Howard and her campaign manager,…

Mar 7, 2018 11:42 AM CST

Dad who gave his autistic daughter illegal marijuana is qualified to be her guardian, judge rules

A father who administers cannabis vapor to his severely autistic daughter is qualified to be her guardian, a Texas judge has ruled. Judge Brenda Hull Thompson ruled that the father, Mark Zartler, and his wife, Christy, are both qualified to be guardians for their 18-year-old daughter, Zara, the Dallas Morning…

Mar 5, 2018 2:01 PM CST

Judge’s racially charged explanation for denying no-cost bail leads to call for him to resign

A published article about judges in Harris County, Texas, who directed magistrates to deny no-cash bail to newly arrested defendants included a racially charged explanation from one of the judges. Judge Michael McSpadden told the Houston Chronicle that he had a no-bond policy for at least a dozen years because…

Feb 28, 2018 11:07 AM CST

Same-sex couple sues federally funded refugee adoption agency for discrimination

A law professor and her wife have sued the federal government, alleging that a federally funded child services agency refused to consider placing a child with them because they don’t “mirror the Holy Family.” CNN and NBC have stories. Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin of Texas wanted to foster a…

Feb 23, 2018 2:25 PM CST

5th Circuit says cash bail system in Texas county is unconstitutional

A federal appeals court has ruled that the cash bail system in Harris County, Texas, violates the due-process and equal-protection rights of poor defendants. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday in an opinion by Judge Edith Brown Clement, report the Houston Chronicle, the Texas Tribune,…

Feb 15, 2018 1:38 PM CST

Judge rules in battle of law firms using same initials in their names

A law firm that used the P and M initials in its name didn’t infringe the trademark of another law firm that used the same initials, a Texas judge has ruled.

Feb 14, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Trump nominates 9 to federal court vacancies

Updated: Nine more nominees for federal judgeships were announced Tuesday by the White House. The newest wave of nominees are: • Mark Bennett, former attorney general of Hawaii, to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. • Andrew Oldham, general counsel for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to the…

Feb 13, 2018 4:00 PM CST

Judge charged with bribery after criminal defense lawyer participates in federal sting operation

A judge in Edinburg, Texas, has been charged with bribery in a federal sting operation aided by a local criminal defense attorney. Judge Rodolfo “Rudy” Delgado, 64, was accused of accepting three bribes since November 2016, though the cooperating lawyer alleged the judge accepted bribes as long ago as 2008,…

Feb 6, 2018 11:21 AM CST

Dale Felton: Texas Lawyers’ Facebook friend

After Hurricane Harvey, Dale Felton shared tips, insights and advice about flood insurance claims on the Texas Lawyers Facebook page.

Feb 1, 2018 12:10 AM CST

Escaped federal inmate is captured returning to prison with booze, pot, home-cooked food

An escaped federal inmate in Beaumont, Texas, was arrested Wednesday evening as he was returning to prison with alcohol, tobacco, pot and home-cooked food. Joshua Hansen, 25, of Dallas was arrested as a result of a stakeout by Jefferson County Sheriff’s officers and U.S. Marshals, report CNN, the Port Arthur…

Jan 26, 2018 11:55 AM CST

Self-styled crime reporter is charged with misuse of information; she sees free-speech violation

A Texas woman who heads to crime scenes and broadcasts her own crime reports on Facebook is facing charges after she broadcast the name of a man who committed suicide before the police department released the information. Priscilla Villarreal Treviño was charged last month with two counts of misuse of…

Jan 25, 2018 11:48 AM CST

Judge informs jurors that God told him accused sex trafficker isn’t guilty

Jurors in Comal County, Texas, weren’t swayed when the judge entered the jury room and said that God told him the defendant wasn’t guilty. Judge Jack Robison said God told him to let jurors know that Gloria Romero Perez should not be convicted, report the Austin American-Statesman and the San…

Jan 22, 2018 10:30 AM CST

Some states are welcoming back ex-offenders to work behind bars

In 2010, Cindy Stubbs was nearing the end of a 14-year sentence in a South Carolina prison, determined never to return. A mother of four, locked up on gun and drug trafficking charges since she was 34, Stubbs worked inside the prison translating textbooks to Braille. Three months before her…

Jan 18, 2018 1:25 PM CST

Google app feature matching selfies to art is blocked in 2 states with strict biometrics laws

A new and popular feature on the Google Arts & Culture app isn’t available in Illinois and Texas because of strict laws on the collection of “face geometry” and other biometric data. The feature matches selfies to artwork in more than 1,200 museums, producing comparisons that are appearing in many…

Jan 17, 2018 2:59 PM CST