Death row inmate Robert Roberson claims judicial misconduct in bid for new trial
A new petition claims Anderson County judges acted unconstitutionally multiple times in both Roberson’s case and in recognizing custody of his daughter. Full Story
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![Shackled and chained, Robert Roberson is led into court by Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies on July 16, 2025. A new execution date of Oct. 16, 2025 was set by presiding Judge Austin Jackson of Smith County at the Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for the Texas Tribune -
Texas prison agency names senior official as its next chief
Bobby Lumpkin, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s COO, will take over the the top role on Sept. 1, following Bryan Collier’s retirement. Full Story
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![Telford prison on Tuesday, March 21, 2017, in New Boston.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Kratom poisoning calls climb in Texas as the state fails to enforce ban on synthetic version
Texas law bans the sale of synthetic kratom, but it isn’t enforced. Earlier this year, legislation died in the Texas House to ban the natural plant, too. Full Story
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![A worker shifts a barrel of Kratom inside the 1836 Kratom warehouse and headquarters Friday, Aug. 8, 2025 in Pflugerville, TX. Kratom is shipped to the United States as a crushed powder and is distributed by 1836 Kratom into various consumption forms.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
After local agencies release Uvalde shooting records, calls continue for Texas DPS to follow suit
Local records released this week — after a yearslong lawsuit —affirm previous reporting about law enforcement’s flawed response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting. Full Story
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![Hundreds of flowers, toys, and candles surround the crosses in memorial of the 21 victims of the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, on June 9, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves bill to protect Texans from real estate fraudsters
Senate Bill 15 seeks to prevent the use of fraudulent deeds to sell someone else’s property or take out loans. It now heads to the House, where its fate is uncertain. Full Story
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![A San Antonio neighborhood on Saturday, May 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Former Sid Miller allies told police the ag commissioner feared the DEA, told a friend to get rid of marijuana
Miller denies wrongdoing after allegations surfaced during an investigation into one of his aides, who pled guilty to bribery. The agriculture commissioner has not been charged with a crime. Full Story
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![Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller speaks to press during a Trump Rally at Million Air in Austin on Oct. 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals pushes death row inmate’s case back to trial court
Dissenting judges expressed frustration over a lack of clarity on why the case of David Leonard Wood, whose execution in March was halted, was remanded to the lower court. Full Story
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![Huntsville, Texas: Exteriors of the Texas State Penitentiary “Walls Unit” August 20, 2020 in Huntsville, Texas.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes bill to ban THC — again
The Senate’s decision signals another potential standoff with Gov. Greg Abbott, who vetoed a similar ban earlier this year as he called for more regulations instead. Full Story
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![Employees trim leaves off a hemp flower at Caprock Family Farms, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Lubbock. The farm harvests the hemp and then manufactures the product to businesses, if requested.]()
Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulations
Senate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC. Full Story
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![Texas Sen. Charles Perry R-Lubbock speaks during a public hearing at the Senate Chambers on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge dismisses case against migrant deported to El Salvador for being an alleged gang member
DPS troopers labeled Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, who remains in a Salvadoran prison, a Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang member based on a photo of him with a tattooed man. Full Story
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![The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador on April 4, 2025.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jose Cabezas -
Most Texas prisoners don’t have AC access and it’s unclear when they will get it
Despite receiving substantial state funding to air-condition prisons in the last few years, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has stayed mum on when it will install cooling across the system. Full Story
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![Inmates from left, Richard Hernandez, Arnulfo Ayala, and William Baucum in the Bartlett Innovation Unit in Bartlett, TX, on Nov. 21, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Judge sets Robert Roberson’s execution date for Oct. 16
Roberson’s attorneys have asked the state’s Court of Criminal Appeals to pause his execution until the court has considered his case. Full Story
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![Shackled and chained, Robert Roberson is led away from his lawyers by an Anderson Co. Sheriff’s Office deputy Wednesday morning after a new execution date of Oct. 16, 2025 was set by presiding Judge Austin Jackson of Smith County at the Anderson County Courthouse in Palestine.]()
Credit: Joel Andrews for The Texas Tribune -
Randall County GOP chair charged with felony election fraud
Kelly Kenten Giles, 64, is accused of providing false information on his application and petition to run for the Randall County Republican Party Chair seat. Full Story
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![Randall County Republican Party Chairman Kelly Giles.]()
Credit: Kelly Giles for Randall County Republican Chairman campaign -
Texas’ immigration law is unconstitutional, appeals court rules
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling means that Senate Bill 4, which allows local police to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants, continues to be blocked. Full Story
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![The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals building in downtown New Orleans on July 1, 2025.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas changes sexual assault laws to clarify what is consent
After three sessions, Texas lawmakers passed a bill last month that defines consent and fixes what advocates called a loophole in Texas sexual assault laws. Full Story
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![Summer Willis, a survivor of sexual assault, speaks in support of domestic and sexual assault survivors at the Capitol Thursday February 20, 2025. Survivors of violence and advocates with The Texas Council on Family Violence and The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault rallied to push for policy and funding items during the 89th Legislative Session.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
Texas capital murder case attempts to severely punish abortion pill use by treating a fetus as a person
A North Texas man charged with capital murder after slipping mifepristone into his girlfriend’s food signals another attempt to rein in abortion pills. Full Story
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![A pharmacist poses with pills of Misoprostol, made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals, at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on June 19, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/George Frey -
Attorney General Ken Paxton requests death row inmate Robert Roberson be executed Oct. 16
A court hearing on Wednesday will determine whether to proceed with Paxton’s request. Full Story
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![Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Dec. 19, 2023. Texas death row prisoners are housed in Livingston but executed at the state prison in Huntsville, about 43 miles away.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project -
Texas made sweeping changes to bail and parole, along with increasing penalties for stolen goods
Texas lawmakers approved a sweeping package to overhaul the state’s bail system, a longtime priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s. Full Story
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![An empty visitation window at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston on Jan. 31, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas DPS makes arrest after warning state lawmakers of “credible threats” tied to Capitol protest
The agency said there was no additional active threat, as Austin demonstrators took aim at the Trump administration. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles outside of the state Capitol on Aug. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
With Rick Perry’s backing and $50 million from the state, Texas set to become a leader in psychedelics research
Lawmakers have approved funding clinical trials for ibogaine as a treatment for addiction and brain trauma. It comes as Texas contemplates banning THC. Full Story
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![The Rotunda seen from the Capitol Extension in Austin on Aug. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune