Human Rights
Asylum-Seeker’s Release Shows Activists Can Win Under Trump’s ICE
Houston City Employees are Fighting to Uphold Marriage Equality in Texas
Couples turn to the federal courts after Texas’ highest court ruled against benefits for same-sex spouses of government employees.
Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage across the country, Texas couples are still fighting for marriage...Read More
Meet the Expert Who Helps Texas Cops Justify Extreme Behavior
Gilbert Flores’ hands were raised when two Bexar County deputies shot and killed him. A former cop who’s trained thousands of state police officers explains why he thinks that’s OK.
Gilbert Flores was already taunting the cops when his mother called 911 the morning of August 28, 2015. “My son, he’s gone crazy, I think he’s on drugs, I...Read More
Red is the New Orange: Handmaids Bring More than Just Silence to the Abortion Fight
The grassroots group of reproductive justice activists have seized a terrifying political moment and created a defiant act of pop-cultural resistance.
In white bonnets and bright-red robes, they sit silently in protest as lawmakers usher in yet another bill that will make it harder for Texans to access abortio...Read More
Why Dallas is One of the Few Places Killer Cops Could be Held Accountable
This summer, Dallas County officials took the rare step of indicting killer cops — twice.
Something extraordinary happened in Dallas County this month: A grand jury returned a murder indictment against a police officer who shot and killed someone. On...Read More
Compassionate (Ab)use: Family Battles Texas over Medical Marijuana
The Zartlers have gone through a veritable pharmacy of prescription drugs, but they say medical marijuana is the only thing that stops Kara from hitting herself.
Mark Zartler measures how well his 17-year-old daughter, Kara, is doing by what he calls a “hit test” — counting the number of times she hits herself on a...Read More
Trump’s New Immigration Lockup Draws Local Opposition in Conroe
A private prison company is building an immigrant detention center in the seat of Montgomery County—whether residents like it or not.
The people of Conroe are getting a new, 1,000-bed immigrant detention center whether they like it or not. The GEO Group Inc., one of the largest private prison ...Read More
Activistas Adolescentes Interpretan Quinceañeras en Protesta contra SB 4 en el Capitolio
Teenage activists gathered at the Capitol for a quinceañera-themed protest of Senate Bill 4, organized by Jolt Texas. Read more about the event here: https://w...Read More
Trump DOJ: Trust Texas to Fix Racist Voter ID Law Without Court Oversight
The new legal brief is a sign of the Justice Department’s dramatically different take on voting rights under the Trump Administration.
Under the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) waged legal war against the voter ID rules Texas lawmakers passed in 2011, saying the new r...Read More
Why We Hired a Civil Rights Reporter
Introducing Michael Barajas, the Observer’s new civil rights reporter
Over the last five years, federal courts have repeatedly ruled that the Texas Legislature intentionally discriminated against racial minorities. That’s a high...Read More