Abbott’s Bail Crackdown Meets Mixed Fate in Texas House
The lower chamber approves key pieces—but only pieces—of the governor's pretrial incarceration agenda.
Criminal Justice
When a Death Penalty ‘Volunteer’ Changes His Mind
Richard Tabler is scheduled to be executed February 13, making him the second person set to be killed by the state in 2025.
‘How Innocent Do They Have to Be?’: Texas’ First Scheduled Execution of 2025 Raises Thorny Questions
Steven Nelson says he was a lookout for a robbery that ended in a pastor’s death. He’s set to be killed by the state February 5.
Texas’ War on Drug Users
A mass overdose event in Austin reveals the state’s backward approach to the ongoing crisis spurred by fentanyl and other super-potent substances.
GOP Claws Back Dem Judicial Seats with Big Money and Big Red Wave
The Judicial Fairness PAC pumped millions of dollars into an effort laser-focused on ousting Dems from appellate courts from Houston to Dallas.
Roberson’s Scheduled Execution Halted After Frenzied Legal Fight, Lawmakers’ Intervention
If efforts fail, Robert Roberson would be the first man executed in America for a murder conviction based on the controversial “shaken baby syndrome” diagnosis.
In Texas’ High Criminal Court Races, the Stakes Are Life or Death
Bipartisan opposition to planned execution highlights power of state’s top criminal appeals court as Paxton-backed candidates and Dem opponents vie for open seats.
Solidarity from Solitary and Beyond
Texans are organizing inside and outside of prisons to empower incarcerated workers, who labor in dangerous conditions without pay.
Bipartisan Legislators Join Calls for Clemency for Robert Roberson
The condemned Texas man was convicted of killing his daughter in 2003 based on an outdated ‘shaken baby syndrome’ diagnostic process.
Lawmen Above the Law
A new book takes aim at the seemingly unchecked power of America’s gun-toting sheriffs.