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Rules of the Robe
A sharp-eyed retiree uncovered evidence of judicial misconduct by the chief judge of Houston’s busy bankruptcy court. The unusual story highlights how other complaints against judges go ignored.
Lise Olsen
Lise Olsen is a Houston-based investigations editor at the Texas Observer. Lise has investigated many twisted Texas tales, including crooked judges, an unjust execution, massive environmental disasters, myriad cases of corporate and public corruption, and unsolved serial killings. Her reports in three states over 20 years contributed to the prosecutions of a former congressman and a federal judge, inspired laws and reforms, helped solve cold cases, restored names to unidentified murder victims, and freed dozens of wrongfully held prisoners. She is the author of The Scientist and the Serial Killer.
Articles by Lise Olsen
Proposed Transmission Line Threatens Texas’ Largest Reservoir
If approved, opponents warn that a massive new utility project could disrupt toxic sediment, and more, in Lake Livingston—Houston’s “most critical” water source.
In the Hill Country and Beyond, Rural Texas Counties Lack Resources for Flood Detection
A federally funded project at Rice University is trying to tackle that problem—but in just two counties so far.
Moonlighting Midland Prosecutor Means Freedom for Samuel Sanchez
“He just cried. He was just overwhelmed with emotion.”
A Texas Writer Tackles a Subject ‘Beckoning in the Shadows His Entire Life’
Stephen Harrigan explores his own Catholic boyhood in Texas—and the prophecy left behind by a Portuguese prophet girl—in a compelling new book.
Texas’ First Black Woman Poet Laureate Spreads Poems of Praise
In tough times, Amanda Johnston is creating a community of gratitude with contributions from poets all across the state.
The Scientist and the Serial Killer: Cracking the Case of Houston’s ‘Lost Boys’
More than 50 years later, some Houston families still wait for confirmation that their sons and brothers were among the victims of serial killer Dean Corll.
Will Texas Secure Its Water Future?
Senator Charles Perry outlines an expansive vision of where Texans will get their H₂O in the coming decades.
Name Games: Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ Move Flouts History, International Cooperation
The president could just as logically rename the body of water the “Chinese Sea,” one historian argues.
Pipeline Explosion in Deer Park Reveals Hidden Hazards Texans Face
The pipeline’s owner is “the same company that got $2.4 billion richer when Texans froze to death during Uri,” one activist points out.