Civil Rights
Dallas Is What Happens When People Can’t Trust Police
How Julián Castro’s ‘Decade of Downtown’ Reshaped San Antonio
The presidential hopeful has branded himself as an affordable housing visionary. But his record in San Antonio on this issue is more complicated.
In January 2010, eight months into his job as mayor, Julián Castro delivered his vision for San Antonio to the city’s business and political elites. Inside a...Read More
Death of Dog Trainer Highlights Strenuous Heat and Working Conditions at Texas Prisons
Seth Donnelly was one of the many inmates Texas prison officials use as prey for dog hunts. He died from heatstroke after collapsing on the job in Abilene.
Seth Donnelly desperately wanted to get out of the kitchen. Ever since the 29-year-old got his HVAC certification in prison, he applied for maintenance jobs —...Read More
Fort Worth Professors Fight to End Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination Against LGBTQ Couples
Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin sued after a government-funded Catholic group blocked them from fostering refugee children. A court ruling this month allows their case to go forward.
In 2017, Catholic Charities of Fort Worth reached out to Fatma Marouf, a law school professor at Texas A&M University. Marouf, who directs the school’s im...Read More
‘A Mockery of Public Trust’: Bexar Sheriff Cleans House, Angers Deputies’ Union
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is feuding with his deputies' union in the midst of a bout of scandals.
Javier Salazar has bounced between scandals since he took over the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in 2017. During his first year, the department drew national ...Read More
The System Works for Attorney General Ken Paxton. Again.
A court decision this week could be the coup de grâce that finally ends the attorney general’s four-year-old felony case.
The criminal justice system humiliates, maims and destroys some people. For a sick grandmother dependent on Social Security, traffic tickets can result in repea...Read More
Is the Texas House Violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by Refusing to Caption Legislative Hearings?
Disability rights experts are questioning the methods Capitol staff use to determine when to fill an accommodation request.
John Woodley pushed a wheelchair through the Capitol almost every day this session, his files and laptop piled on the seat. At age 2, he developed partial deafn...Read More
I’m a Teen Activist in Texas, and I’m Tired of Being Ignored by Politicians
It is no longer acceptable for youth, especially people of color and those in the LGBTQ community, to be dismissed by our elected officials.
In an expression of dissent earlier this year, I got one of the state’s most powerful Republicans to show off an “Abolish ICE” / “Impeach Tr...Read More
Death Penalty Reform Bill Gets Watered Down to ‘Nothing’ Before Passing Senate
After passing the House, HB 1139, meant to reform how Texas decides whether a defendant is too intellectually disabled to execute, was significantly softened in Senate committee.
A House bill meant to reform Texas’ death penalty procedures for intellectually disabled defendants was amended in the Senate to the point that criminal justi...Read More
In the Texas Legislature’s Final Days, Republicans Find New Ways to Attack Voting Rights
After the death of a high-profile voter suppression bill, Senate Republicans passed two other restrictive measures this week.
A sweeping Senate bill that would have increased penalties for election-related crimes and made it harder for volunteers to help elderly and disabled voters eff...Read More
