Texas has taken its fight against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state to federal court, filing suit against the federal government and a refugee resettlement nonprofit. The suit argues that the federal government and group have not fulfilled their contractual obligations to consult with state officials.
Two sets of attorneys who believe their client doesn't belong on death row are fighting not only the state of Texas but also each other as his case arrives at the U.S. Supreme Court. Robert Leslie Roberson III was sentenced to death for killing his two-year-old daughter in 2002. Because the jury didn't hear from a defense expert who thought Roberson might suffer from mental lapses caused by a brain injury, his attorneys have since asked state and federal courts to throw out his conviction.
Seeking to reduce the number of child abuse fatalities in Texas, a group of medical, law and child welfare experts recommended Wednesday that the state create a new advisory board, as well as review teams to examine child abuse cases in each county.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton claims the federal government and the International Rescue Committee — one of about 20 private nonprofits that have a state contract to resettle refugees in Texas — are violating federal law by moving forward with the planned resettlement of two Syrian families. After unsuccessfully demanding that private resettlement groups stop helping Syrian refugees move to Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott's administration is now insisting that the federal government turn over medical, security screening and other background information on them.
Energy Future Holdings, mired in bankruptcy, has agreed to pay up to $2 million to help clean up long-abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico — a sum far lower than the federal government originally sought.
In a letter sent Wednesday to University of Texas System Chancellor Bill McRaven, state Sen. John Whitmire joined a growing number of legislators asking the UT System to pause and reconsider its plans to open a branch campus in his hometown of Houston.
Nonprofit workers in the Rio Grande Valley say they’ve seen an increase this year in the number of rip-off artists charging Texans for help signing up for health insurance — a service they are eligible to get for free.
While Gov. Greg Abbott hasn't called for the outright repeal of the United States' decades-old trade embargo with Cuba, he made clear to Cubans Tuesday that Texas is ready to jump at the business opportunity if it happens.
The Obama Administration won a small but significant battle on Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court denied Texas’ request for an extra 30 days to respond to the White House’s petition for review of a controversial immigration case.
Early education advocates on Tuesday urged the Texas Education Agency to ensure that a diverse group of school districts will be able to apply for funding through a new state grant program designed to bolster the quality of pre-kindergarten.
As U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's stock rises in Iowa, he is increasingly finding himself in the crosshairs of one of the corn-growing state's most powerful lobbies: the ethanol industry. And Cruz's campaign is aggressively pushing back, asking radio stations in the early voting state to take down an attack ad that labels him a "hypocrite" for his unapologetic opposition to an ethanol-friendly fuel standard.
The Texas land commissioner on Tuesday asked to joined seven North Texas families in a federal lawsuit that accuses the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of perpetuating an “arbitrary seizure” of land along the Red River.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday offered a spirited defense of Republicans on women's health issues, accusing Democrats of creating a phony "war on women" based on claims that his party wants to restrict access to birth control.
Experts warn that a lack of safety on Texas roads is not just killing thousands of people each year. It's taking an even greater — if less visible — toll on life expectancy, due to a lack of safe options for pedestrians and cyclists.
Rice University is the latest private college in Texas to announce that it would opt out of the state's new campus carry law.
House Speaker Joe Straus will see a shakeup in his office next year with chief of staff Jesse Ancira stepping down in the spring and other shifts in his office's leadership, Straus’ office confirmed Monday. Patricia Shipton, currently a strategic legislative advisor in Straus’ office, will replace Ancira as chief of staff.
A Texas veterinarian who offered pet-care advice online lost a battle against state regulators on Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case.
After more than a decade of hype, the Panama Canal is scheduled to open an expanded channel next year. For the first time, massive ships the length of four football fields will be able to pass through the canal, quickly traveling between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Roughly 2,000 miles north, the historic event is renewing a debate: Is Texas properly prepared to capitalize on the canal expansion, or is it letting a huge opportunity sail by?
Disclosure: Rice University was a corporate sponsor of the Tribune in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Energy Future Holdings was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2012. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.