Tag Archives: Harris County
A Catch-22 in the Crimmigration System in Harris County
In Houston, a lack of transparency and poor communication between immigration and criminal courts has created a civil rights nightmare and a clog in the system.
Abysmal record-keeping and an increasingly secretive immigration force have created a catch-22 for undocumented defendants accused of low-level crimes in Housto...Read More
In Harris County, the ‘Slow Erosion’ of a System That Keeps People in Jail Because They’re Poor
The case to end cash bail puts Harris County judges and magistrates under a microscope.
The young woman muttered “yeah” when asked if she wanted a court-appointed lawyer. That wasn’t good enough for Harris County magistrate Eric Hagstette, wh...Read More
The Case to End Assembly Line Justice for Poor People in Harris County
A case heard by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals this week could change the landscape of American bail practices.
On October 1, 2016, police arrested Andrew Goodson for carrying a knife just short of 6 inches long, a Class A misdemeanor in Texas. The next day, guards brough...Read More
Deputies Go Unpunished for Invasive Cavity Search on Houston Roadside
This month prosecutors unexpectedly dropped charges against Harris County deputies accused of violating a woman during a 2015 traffic stop.
The courts have long ruled that warrantless body cavity searches are, in most circumstances, unconstitutional. Impromptu roadside anal and vaginal probes are pr...Read More
Despite Push from Democrats, Harris County is Staying out of the SB 4 Lawsuit
The majority-Republican Harris County Commissioners Court did not vote to join the SB 4 lawsuit Tuesday....Read More
What Trump Means for Texas
The mainstream press missed the signs of a rising Trump electorate. What comes next?
The mainstream press missed the signs of a rising Trump electorate. What comes next?...Read More
Election Day Won’t Change LGBT Texans’ ‘Extremely Underrepresented’ Status
Texas currently has only 10 openly LGBT elected officials out of roughly 470 in the U.S., and just a handful of LGBT candidates are on the ballot this year....Read More
How 13 People (Total) Elected Houston’s Likely New State Rep
Texas is known for low voter turnout, but even by its measures, what just happened in Houston is surprising: Thirteen people elected the next state rep....Read More
Meet the First Out Trans Woman to Win a Texas Primary
At the Texas Democratic Convention’s LGBT caucus this morning, I caught up with Jenifer Rene Pool, the first transgender Texan to win a Democratic primary...Read More