Texas Rangers Investigation Sheds Light on Dallas Judge’s ‘Bizarre’ Behavior
Dallas County Judge Amber Givens was accused of having her court coordinator impersonate her during a 2021 Zoom bond hearing, prompting a Rangers inquiry.
Michelle Pitcher
Michelle Pitcher is a staff writer at the Texas Observer covering criminal justice. She received her master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley and was part of the team at The Marshall Project that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. Her reporting has been featured on NPR, FiveThirtyEight, The Dallas Morning News, and more. Michelle was born and raised in Dallas and is now based in Austin.
Articles by Michelle Pitcher
Mistrial: Austin Police Officer’s Landmark Murder Trial Gets No Resolution
A grand jury indicted Christopher Taylor after the 2020 shooting of Michael Ramos in South Austin. He is believed to be the first Austin officer ever prosecuted for murder after an on-duty killing.
Domestic Abusers Under Protective Orders Often Get to Keep Their Guns
Fewer than 10 of the 254 counties in Texas have standard protocols forcing subjects of an order to hand over their firearms as required by law.
Amarillo Man to Be Executed Based Largely on One Discredited ‘Expert’ Witness
Brent Brewer was convicted of the 1990 murder of Robert Laminack.
No Path to Redemption for Devout Death Row Inmates
Texas offers religious education to the condemned but rarely values spiritual growth when considering clemency requests.
A Possible Reprieve for the Mentally Ill on Death Row
Scott Panetti was deemed incompetent for execution. What does this mean for other prisoners?
Domestic Violence Murders in Texas Are Going Up
A new report from the Texas Council on Family Violence analyzed hundreds of deaths in the Lone Star State.
Ghosts from Texas’ Past
Dispatch from a haunted—and historically fraught—building in Austin
Advocates Request Clemency for Jewish Man on Death Row
Jedidiah Murphy is set to be executed on World Day Against the Death Penalty.
‘It Will Take the Breath Out of You’: Prisoners Describe Extreme Nighttime Heat in Texas Units
TDCJ will allocate $85 million to provide more air conditioning. In the meantime, people are sweltering in their beds.