NEWS ALERTS
Norwood given life in prison for Morton slaying
SAN ANGELO A brutal murder case that has captured national attention because of its dramatic twists and turns is over.…
New trial is ordered in 1986 fire that killed 2 boys
A Hewitt man convicted of setting a fire that killed his two stepsons was granted a new trial Wednesday by…
Tarrant DA's wife says reporting her suspicions was a civic duty
FORT WORTH -- The wife of Tarrant County District Attorney Joe Shannon testified Wednesday that she believed it was her…
http://ap.lubbockonline.com/pstories/state/tx/20130327/1116661457.shtml
DALLAS — The Dallas County district attorney wants a district judge to throw out a contempt citation connected to his…
Texas bill seeks to limit discovery to prosecutors in criminal cases
After a group of criminal defense lawyers' collective hackles were raised over a bill that would require them to show…
Court ruling could mean DNA testing for convicted murderer
An inmate convicted of murder and sent to prison in 2002 for 65 years might have a glimmer of hope…
Ninth Court denies BISD appeal
The Ninth Court of Appeals today denied the Beaumont school district's request to delay the May 11 school trustee election,…
Judge: Officer did not use excessive force in 2010 fatal shooting
American-Statesman Staff A federal judge has ruled that an Austin police officer did not use excessive force when he shot…
Lubbock man faces sentence for scam
LUBBOCK — The second man to face criminal charges nationally for running a biodiesel scam is scheduled to learn his…
Human trafficking network discussed at Lubbock meeting
LUBBOCK — There’s a certain commodities market for the bodies and souls of children in the United States, and it…
Texas House approves fund to address water needs
AUSTIN -- Lawmakers took a major step toward replenishing the state's dwindling water supplies over the next half-century as the…
Constable gets new K-9 with own money
By KELLYGOOCH kgooch@tylerpaper.com Eddie Lee doesn't go many places without his beloved canine, Cody. The Cherokee County Precinct 3…
Defense of Marriage Act looks set to fall
WASHINGTON -- The federal Defense of Marriage Act may be hanging by a thread after a Supreme Court oral argument…
How individuals move legal revolutions on basic rights
Fifty years ago, on March 18, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Constitution stood for something that the justices…
Court turns away class action against Comcast
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away a class action lawsuit against cable provider Comcast Corp., in a…
Witness tells of love affair with fake Rockefeller
Questioned by a prosecutor, Mihoko Manabe said Wednesday that by the time she met the man whose true name was…
Court backs American-US Airways merger
NEW YORK -- American Airlines won Bankruptcy Court approval Wednesday to combine with US Airways and form the world's biggest…
Warrants to be released in Newtown investigation
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Search warrants used in the investigation of the Newtown school shooting are being released along…
Loughner parents say they feared what he might do
TUCSON, Ariz. — The mother of Jared Loughner, who killed six people and wounded 13 others during a meet-and-greet hosted…
Ex-prosecutor: Death penalty decision wrenching
For former prosecutor Bob Gallagher, an earlier case involved one of the toughest decisions of his life. He remembers the…
Jury hears closings in Vegas hep C insurers case
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada jury was asked Wednesday to hold the state's largest health management company responsible for…
Closing arguments in Norwood’s trial start Wednesday
SAN ANGELO Closing arguments in the Mark Norwood trial that has included evidence about the beating deaths of two women…
El Paso attorny Stuart Leeds seeks removal of judge in child-porn case
Just days after he asked 409th District Judge Sam Medrano for leniency in a contempt case, attorney Stuart Leeds filed…
Juror's relation prompts alleged swindler's mistrial
A mistrial was declared Tuesday for a secretary accused of swindling nearly $1 million from the company of a San…
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/green/entries/2013/03/26/fifth_circuit_grants_stay_of_w.html/?cxntfid=blogs_salsa_verde
From an announcement by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority: A panel of three judges from the United States Court of Appeals…
Lawmakers fighting UT regents’ plan for external Law School review
By Ralph K.M. Haurwitz American-Statesman Staff The appropriations chairman of the Texas House said Tuesday that he might try to…
Dallas Cowboys guard faces fall trial in deadly wreck
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Cowboys guard Josh Brent faces trial Sept. 23 on an intoxication manslaughter charge in a car…
Former teacher accused of sex with student
A former teacher at Northbrook High School has been accused of having sex with a teen who was a student…
Man sentenced to life in death of pregnant girlfriend
A man was sentenced to life in prison after admitting killing his pregnant girlfriend, Galveston County prosecutors said. Bernard Stinson…
DPS trooper indicted for roadside body-cavity searches
The former Department of Public Safety trooper who conducted two body cavity searches on the side of the road has…
Legislative study could jump start judicial reform
Proponents of judicial reform haven't disappeared, but they don't appear particularly confident about success these days. In 2009, Texas Supreme…
Ohio prosecutor drops charge against Pa. groundhog
CINCINNATI (AP) — Phil is off the hook.A winter-weary Ohio prosecutor who filed a tongue-in-cheek criminal indictment against the famous…
Court might sidestep major ruling on gay marriage
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court dove into a historic debate on gay rights Tuesday that could soon lead to…
Court might sidestep major ruling on gay marriage
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court dove into a historic debate on gay rights Tuesday that could soon lead to…
As Supreme Court hears landmark cases, Texans slow to warm to gay marriage
When it comes to same-sex marriage, Texans seem to be in the minority. As the Supreme Court today began hearing…
Court: Drug dog sniff is unconstitutional search
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police cannot bring drug-sniffing police dogs onto a suspect's property to look for…
Cruz, Paul vow filibuster on gun-control issues
WASHINGTON - High noon is approaching for gun-control legislation in the Senate - much less the Republican-controlled House of Representatives…
Holmes defense: Don't delay reporter's testimony
In a motion made public Tuesday, Holmes' lawyers say a New York judge rejected Jana Winter's request for an immediate…
BP's cement contractor denies destroying evidence
In a court filing, Halliburton attorneys accused BP PLC of trying to create a "sideshow" during an ongoing trial over…
Citigroup faulted over money laundering controls
The Federal Reserve hit Citigroup with an enforcement action Tuesday over breakdowns in money laundering controls that threatened to allow…
Man wins $8K after Disney 'Small World' breakdown
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney says a disabled man was awarded $8,000 by Disneyland after the "It's A Small…
Knox case puts Italian justice under scrutiny
ROME — When crooked American financier Bernie Madoff was sentenced in New York, the leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera…
Alan Norwood trial focuses on hair
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Strands of hair from a case surrounding the death of Debra Baker, who died in early…
Court rejects appeal to overturn constitutionality of Texas Open Meetings Act
AUSTIN — The nine-year legal battle over the constitutionality of the Texas Open Meetings Act has ended. The U.S. Supreme…
El Paso attorney Stuart Leeds asks judge to cut sentence; cites health of his sister
A day after declaring that great lawyers go to jail for their clients, attorney Stuart Leeds asked a judge to…
Prof's suicide linked to alleged blackmail in online sex scam
A Louisiana man is accused of using an underage female relative to lure a Texas A&M University professor into a…
State Rep. Reynolds charged with felony barratry
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors say Democratic state Rep. Ron Reynolds has been charged with illegally soliciting court cases for…
USAA lawyer accused of seeking sex with minor
A USAA attorney expecting to meet a 14-year-old girl whom he'd allegedly propositioned online was arrested by the Texas attorney…
$183k settlement over unarmed man shot by cops
A family suing two San Antonio police officers over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in 2007 agreed Monday…
Prosecutors: Woman swindled nearly $1 million from inventor
A Cibolo woman accused of swindling a San Antonio physician out of nearly $1 million in seed money for an…
Judge rejects malicious prosecution claim against ex-DA
A federal judge has dismissed a malicious prosecution lawsuit against former District Attorney Amos Barton that was brought by homebuilder…
Web widens in federal case against former DA Villalobos
BROWNSVILLE — Another state district court judge has been tied, in court documents, to the federal case against former Cameron…
Federal judge bars 'Satan' from suing public officials
An Amarillo federal judge on Monday barred a prison inmate who calls himself “Satan” from filing frivolous lawsuits against law…
Lawmakers mull constitutional amendment on beaches
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas House panel on Monday debated where private property rights end and public beaches begin,…
US Supreme Court takes up gay marriage ban
WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments beginning Tuesday on two laws critical to the rights of gay couples to…
High court takes on a new affirmative action case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's decision to hear a new case from Michigan on the politically charged issue of…
Supreme Court: Man who beat colt can be tried third time
SANTA FE - The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Monday that a horse trainer can be tried a third time…
Pa. groundhog's handler taking blame for forecast
PITTSBURGH — An Ohio prosecutor who light-heartedly filed a criminal indictment against the famous Pennsylvania groundhog who fraudulently "predicted" an…
Italy high court overturns Knox acquittal
ROME (AP) — Italy's highest criminal court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox in the slaying of her British…
New charges for man accused of impersonating pilot
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A French man accused of impersonating a pilot after he was found sitting in an airliner cockpit…
Trial under way in California city bankruptcy case
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lawyers for the California city of Stockton said Monday it has cut its budget and services…
Domestic violence expert testifies in Arias trial
PHOENIX (AP) — A domestic violence expert is testifying in the trial of a woman accused of murdering her former…
Judge: Baker murder evidence to be used in Norwood trial
On Jan. 13 1988, Debra Baker was bludgeoned to death in her North Austin home, struck six to eight times…
A Judge will issue the final punishment for Nestande today
Newsroom 3/25/2013 On Monday Travis County Judge Karen Sage will determine if Gabrielle Nestande will serve time in jail for…
Marchan’s death might void conviction
The death of Brownsville attorney Ray R. Marchan’s appeal might have created an unexpected legal twist in his case. Marchan’s…
Condemned Dallas woman asks for delay of execution
HOUSTON -- A condemned Dallas woman who avoided execution with a last-day reprieve in January asked a judge Friday to…
Jury selection starting in capital murder case
GREENVILLE — Jury selection is scheduled to begin this week in the trial of a Greenville man, charged with capital…
Former El Paso judge, businessman sentenced
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A former El Paso County judge and a West Texas businessman were sentenced to federal…
McKinney woman seeks compensation for damages resulting from raid
A McKinney woman is seeking compensation for damages done to her residence during a police raid conducted last month.Debra McHale…
Trade secrets on computer files at heart of B&W lawsuit
Dan Glenn’s computer thumb drives, the defense contractor’s lawyer said, held “secret formulas,” 1,400 pages of confidential contractor files, financial…
Case dropped against woman in Texas State University bomb hoax
AUSTIN, Texas - Prosecutors dropped the charges against a former Texas State University student accused of threatening to bomb the…
Two Grayson County employees terminated after investigation
An unraveling gasoline and diesel embezzlement conspiracy has led to the termination of two Grayson County employees. The Grayson County…
Prison gangs a growing problem in Texas and nation
Why would a violent white supremacist from Colorado escape to Texas?Where else?Texas is home to about 3,400 members of white…
County judge is a common thread in Midland's skyscraper talks
News last week of the possible downtown construction of a 53-floor "Energy Tower" fueled memories of another old building that…
Runner completes 1,012th marathon in Corpus Christi on Sunday
CORPUS CHRISTI — Larry Macon, 68, passed the finish line at the Corpus Christi Navy marathon without much notice Sunday.…
Retired Jefferson County Judge Passes Away
Retired Judge Charles Dana Carver, 69, of Beaumont, died Saturday, March 23, 2013. Judge Carver suffered from cancer. Family…
Man gets 30 years for fourth DWI
A 49-year-old College Station man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of a fourth driving-while-intoxicated…
Texas lawmakers want an end to DWI surcharge law
EL PASO, Texas — The number of drunken driving accidents in Texas has gone up in the last 10 years,…
Texas Republican leaders take aim at federal endangered species protections
American-Statesman Staff When Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott acted swiftly against a federal court ruling this month that sought greater…
What if Texas really did secede?
Plentiful resources could be the difference Texas is uniquely positioned to survive because of resources and population. It has one-fourth…
Couple at heart of Supreme Court case braced for change
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Big change is coming to the lives of the lesbian couple at the center of the fight…
Federal defenders face deep cuts, delays in cases
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The lawyers who defend the nation's poor in federal courts across the country are grappling with…
Muzzles are off in gun debate
Photo by Ron Sachs and Manuel Balce Cenet Bloomberg is pushing for universal background checks for gun buyers.$RETURN$$RETURN$ WASHINGTON —…
Jury selection an art, Oklahoma attorneys say
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — When attorney Gayle McNamara came to Cherokee County from Los Angeles several years ago, she quickly realized…
Punxsutawney Phil 'indicted' over spring forecast
CINCINNATI — Famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil might want to go back into hibernation. Authorities in still-frigid Ohio have issued an…
Cisco hit with $70M verdict for 'fraud by concealment'
Cisco Systems Inc. was on the short end of a $70 million verdict by a federal jury in Delaware that…
Experts analyze T.J. Lane's demeanor in the courtroom
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — On a day when Chardon High School shooting victims and their families were supposed to get the…
W.Va. delegate fighting to reinstate death penalty
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — With neighboring Maryland about to become the sixth state in as many years to abolish the…
NM jury wants 2 Lubbock firms to pay in $58.5M death suit
NM jury wants 2 Lubbock firms to pay in $58.5M death suit Lubbock Online March 24, 2013 12:45 AM EDT…
Jailed 23 years, NY man is freed, has heart attack
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City man whose murder conviction was overturned after 23 years in prison has…
Italian court to rule on Amanda Knox case
(CNN) - Her story made headlines all over the world. An American college student studying abroad in Italy -- charged…
Former co-worker says Morton case defendant sold him gun taken from home
SAN ANGELO The man who said Mark Norwood sold him a gun stolen from Michael Morton initially could not remember…
Special prosecutor named in Watkins contempt case
DALLAS — A special prosecutor from North Texas will investigate whether the Dallas County district attorney committed contempt of court…
Texas shootout may tie to Colo. prison chief death
DECATUR, Texas Investigators from three Colorado police agencies rushed to Texas to determine if a man identified as a parolee,…
Defendant flees before jury returns guilty verdict in Fort Worth robbery
FORT WORTH -- A defendant who fled the courthouse during her aggravated robbery trial this week was sentenced in absentia…
Longoria gets life for Mother’s Day murder
It took a Montgomery County jury only 10 minutes to find Daniel Frank Longoria Jr. guilty of the Mother’s Day…
Port Arthur man gets 55 year sentence for stealing paint
A 47-year-old Port Arthur man was sentenced Thursday to 55 years in prison for stealing paint. According to court documents,…
Crash victims unhappy with state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez's lack of response
AUSTIN -- Two women who were in a car that was rear-ended by state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez said the El…
Crash victims unhappy with state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez's lack of response
AUSTIN -- Two women who were in a car that was rear-ended by state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez said the El…
Parents jailed after CPS takes custody of 2-month-old with broken bones, bruises
A 2-month-old girl whose right arm is fractured in three places and who has 12 broken ribs, an “extreme” case…
Judge: Former school principal will not lose teaching certification
HOUSTON - A judge ruled a former Houston Independent School District middle school principal involved in a cheating scandal will…
iPhone app leads to arrest in car theft
A man who stole a car with an iPhone inside it was caught after the owner used the phone's GPS…
Circuit court judge speaks about access to justice for needy
A judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit spoke Thursday at the seventh annual “Evening with…
Judges request changes to Brazos County Courthouse renovation plans
State District Judges Travis B. Bryan III, J.D. Langley and Steve Smith proposed changes to renovation plans for the Brazos…
Marketing Deal Gives a Small Town an Identity Crisis
DISH, Tex. — In this rural North Texas town, it is no coincidence that residents of Dish watch Dish. In…
Senate gun bill would expand background checks
WASHINGTON (AP) - Gun control legislation the Senate debates next month will include an expansion of federal background checks for…
Senate Gang of 8 close on immigration deal
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators is nearing agreement on a comprehensive immigration bill that would put illegal immigrants…
Obama visit poses tough choices for Palestinians
JERUSALEM President Barack Obama spoke grandly of big picture peacemaking Thursday, but the Palestinians are focused on a specific demand…
George P. Bush to make first speech as candidate
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) -- George Prescott Bush is expected to make his first public speech as a political candidate…
Judge frees man convicted of killing NY rabbi
NEW YORK — A man who spent more than two decades behind bars for the cold-blooded slaying of a Brooklyn…
ACLU announces NM lawsuit on same-sex marriage
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico filed a lawsuit Thursday aimed at forcing state officials…
http://ap.amarillonet.com/pstories/state/ok/20130321/1114068676.shtml
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the life-in-prison sentence Thursday for a 51-year-old woman convicted of…
Jury convicts Allen Hurley in the killing of Rachel Torrisi Sierra: Second-degree murder verdict handed down
SILVER CITY — More than four years after Rachel Torrisi Sierra's body was found and nearly two years after Allen…
Judge: Aggregator of AP news can't have free ride
Media observers say the ruling against Meltwater U.S. Holdings Inc. and its Meltwater News Service, if upheld on appeal, could…
Calif corruption trial ends in mistrial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — For more than three weeks jurors heard testimony about former elected officials who were accused of…
Sarkozy lawyer calls charges 'scandalous'
PARIS (AP) — A lawyer for Nicolas Sarkozy slammed an investigation into the campaign finances of former French president, saying…
Jurors question expert witness in Arias trial
PHOENIX (AP) — Jurors in Jodi Arias' murder trial paid close attention to an expert witness who diagnosed her with…
Judge sets rules for suit over Jackson doctor
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge set the stage Thursday for trial of a civil suit by Michael…
Ky. court disbars class-action specialist Chesley
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An Ohio attorney known as the godfather of the modern class-action lawsuit was disbarred Thursday by…
Hunger strike hinders DC murder trial plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — The already-bizarre criminal case of a slain German socialite and journalist has been brought to a virtual…
Focus falls on evidence in case of Williamson Co. murder trial
Frustrated with the way law enforcement was investigating the 1986 death of Christine Morton, her brother John Kirkpatrick decided to…
Texas court rejects Death Row appeal in slaying of Irving police officer
HOUSTON -- The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected an appeal Wednesday from Randy Halprin, one of the remaining Texas…
Arson convictions challenged over fire science
Ed Graf was given life in prison 25 years ago for killing his two stepsons by locking them in a…
Appeals court to review evidence in Austin slaying
In 2005, 21-year-old Jennifer Cave was found shot, dismembered and mutilated in the bath tub at Colton Pitonyak's west campus…
Former Gov. Mark White calls for new sentence hearing for killer
HOUSTON -- Former Texas Gov. Mark White on Wednesday joined supporters of a convicted killer who contend that his death…
Judge won't let Fort Hood suspect plead guilty
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- An Army psychiatrist will not be allowed to plead guilty to any charges in the…
Former Nursing Students' Lawsuit Against Del Mar College Dismissed
CORPUS CHRISTI - A Nueces County Judge dismissed a lawsuit against Del Mar College today that was filed by nine…
Man gets life sentence for child sex assault
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com Tears flowed Wednesday from the family of victims and the defendant in the Smith County…
Ex-Texas officer pleads guilty in child porn case
A former North Texas police officer has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges that could send him to federal prison…
Hearing set in suit against raceway
A court hearing is scheduled today in connection with a lawsuit filed almost two years ago against a Caddo Mills…
Judge clears ex-HISD principal of cheating
An administrative law judge has ruled that a former HISD principal is not responsible for cheating alleged to have occurred…
Med school bill keeps moving
AUSTIN — A bill creating a new Rio Grande Valley university and a medical school that could possibly be located…
NY appeals court to consider local fracking bans
In the last few years, more than 50 New York municipalities have banned gas drilling and more than 100 have…
Arias defense works to restore expert credibility
PHOENIX (AP) — Jodi Arias' defense attorney worked Wednesday to undo any damage to the credibility of an expert witness…
Calif. mayor convicted on corruption charges
(CNN) - For years, prosecutors said, they padded their paychecks by virtue of their stature as leaders in Bell, California's…
http://www.kcbd.com/story/21753098/colo-corrections-dept-chief-shot-killed-at-home
By P. SOLOMON BANDA and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press MONUMENT, Colo. (AP) - In the weeks before Colorado's top prisons…
Fla. lawyer accused of heading charity scam talks
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A prominent Jacksonville attorney accused of masterminding a $300 million gambling ring disguised as a veterans…
Prosecutors say Mark Norwood sold gun missing from Morton murder scene
SAN ANGELO Michael Morton, wrongfully convicted of the 1986 beating death of his wife, testified Tuesday in the first day…
Court grants new hearing for man accused of murdering UT student
AUSTIN -- The case of the grisly murder of a young woman inside a West Campus apartment near the University…
Bill requires DNA testing before prosecutor could seek death penalty
AUSTIN -- Texas prosecutors would be required to test all biological evidence collected at crime scenes for DNA before seeking…
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/valley/article_10a99bb2-910a-11e2-aa92-001a4bcf6878.html
Ex-Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos and his former law partner Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio will be tried separately in…
Ex-cop to serve 45 years for child molestation
A jury Tuesday ordered a former police officer accused of molesting two children over a five-year period to serve 14…
http://myhighplains.com/fulltext?nxd_id=350762
AMARILLO -- Three California men bond out of jail after they're arrested in connection with thefts of beef shipments. …
Borger approves new synthetic drug ordinance
Borger, TX -- With synthetic drugs taking an ever-larger presence in the public eye, one area city is taking matters…
Feds: Hardin County attorney sentenced for bank fraud
Beaumont - From U.S. Attorney's Office A 40-year-old Silsbee, Texas lawyer has been sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud…
Should $29M be used to destroy the vacant Astrodome and make it a parking lot?
HOUSTON — The cost of demolishing the vacant Astrodome and building a parking lot in its place would be about…
Senate panel moves quickly to close loophole in state hit-and-run law
By Mike Ward American-Statesman Staff Tearful testimony about two Austin hit-and-run deaths led a Senate committee on Tuesday to advance…
State Senate OKs plan for term limits
AUSTIN — Statewide elected officials, including the governor, would be limited to two consecutive terms in office under a proposed…
One-third of released detainees came from Texas
More than one-third of the immigrant detainees released under a controversial federal cost-cutting measure last month came from facilities in…
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/03/19/4714853/assault-weapons-ban-dropped-from.html
WASHINGTON — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s effort to ban assault-style weapons fizzled Tuesday, as Majority Leader Harry Reid did not…
Arias prosecutor attacks reliability of evaluation
PHOENIX — Jodi Arias lied repeatedly during an evaluation conducted by a psychologist hired by the defense, who diagnosed her…
Report: Bribery probe targets Microsoft partners
REDMOND, Wash. Microsoft is entangled in a U.S. government investigation into whether the software maker and some of its business…
Defiant teen gets life sentences in Ohio shooting
T.J. Lane, 18, had pleaded guilty last month to shooting at students in February 2012 at Chardon High School, east…
Start of murder trial may depend on doctor's testimony
LAS CRUCES —A doctor's expected testimony Thursday could determine whether one of Doña Ana County's older murder cases heads to…
Russians upset by lack of charges in adopted boy's death
Russian officials expressed disbelief Tuesday with an American grand jury's decision not to charge a Texas couple in the death…
Judge approves sales of Twinkies, Wonder Bread
NEW YORK -- A bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Twinkies to a pair of investment firms Tuesday, one of…
Family says NJ overreacted to boy's gun photo
The ruddy-cheeked, camouflage-clad boy in the photo smiles out from behind a pair of glasses, proudly holding a gun his…
Jury convicts Tenn mother in newborn twins' deaths
GALLATIN, Tenn. — A jury found a 26-year-old Tennessee woman guilty of murder Tuesday in the 2011 smothering deaths of…
Judges asked to rule on warrantless GPS tracking
PHILADELPHIA (AP) A federal appeals court is being asked to decide if the government must obtain a warrant before placing…
Kan. rejects rape, incest exceptions for abortion
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas House members on Tuesday gave first-round approval to sweeping new restrictions on abortion after refusing…
Testimony begins in fake Rockefeller trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Testimony in the murder trial of a notorious Rockefeller impostor opened Tuesday with a witness telling…
Jury Chosen for Mark Norwood’s Murder Trial
SAN ANGELO — Twelve jurors were chosen Monday in the Tom Green County Courthouse to decide whether Mark Alan Norwood…
Texas state rep 'deeply, deeply sorry' for DWI arrest
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Democratic state lawmaker arrested for drunken driving offered an emotional apology on the floor of…
Former Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy sentenced to prison for stealing drugs
HOUSTON — Richard Bryan Nutt, 45, a former Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HSCO) deputy, has been sentenced to federal prison…
Socorro rep surrenders in alleged felony theft
Socorro city Rep. Jesus "Jesse" Gandara Jr., indicted last week on felony theft charges, was arrested Monday after turning himself…
A county attorney and his dog — and the attorney general
American-Statesman Staff A Northeast Texas commissioners court has barred Titus County Attorney John Mark Cobern from continuing to bring to…
Judge reduces Corpus Christi man's bail to $100,000 in March 3 hit-and-run
CORPUS CHRISTI — A state district judge reduced a Corpus Christi’s man’s bail from $1 million to $100,000 Monday related…
http://www.mywesttexas.com/statenation/article_4362945e-900c-11e2-93f7-0019bb2963f4.html
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arturo Alviter Balderrama lost his focus, his grade point average and eventually his freedom. But his…
Judge sentences man who caused accident that killed young mother
JEFFERSON COUNTY - A judge has sentenced a man charged with driving drunk and causing an accident that killed a…
Sherman Councilman arrested for DWI
By Jerrie Whiteley Herald Democrat A Sherman City Council member is facing a second driving while intoxicated charge in 10…
No charges against West Texas couple in Russian boy's death
By BETSY BLANEY / Associated Press ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors said Monday that they won't charge a Texas couple…
Trainer's sentence is described as light
The four-year prison sentence handed to an Air Force instructor for the rape of a former trainee was described as…
Bills would let San Elizario incorporate without OK from Socorro
The battle over the annexation of the historic town of San Elizario by Socorro has reached the state level, as…
Regulations proposed for lawsuit lending
Lawmakers are seeking to rein in lenders who finance lawsuits. Under a bill considered in the House Committee on the…
Courthouse getting defibrillators
Lawyer Tom Keyser was at a baseball tournament in Arizona five years ago when a pitcher for another team collapsed…
High court divided over Ariz. voter requirement
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices disagreed Monday over whether states can require would-be voters to prove they are U.S.…
Ohio AG could target football coach, host of party
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The head football coach at Steubenville High School and the owners of a house where an…
Federal judge tosses 2011 Super Bowl tickets lawsuit
PITTSBURGH — A federal judge in Pittsburgh has dismissed one lawsuit from people who bought tickets to the February 2011…
Judge overturns Mo. law on birth control coverage
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig cites a provision in the U.S. Constitution declaring that federal laws take…
NYC judge tosses murder conviction
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has thrown out the murder conviction of a man who's already served…
Reporter in Colo shootings fights order to testify
Reporter Jana Winter will also seek a stay blocking the judge's order to testify in Colorado on April 1, attorney…
Jury: Woman guilty of pushing husband to death
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A jury has found a 21-year-old woman guilty of second-degree murder for pushing her husband out…
Pa. pastor gets life sentence for killing 2nd wife
STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former Pennsylvania pastor was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole in the fatal…
Arias prosecutor questions witness's credibility
PHOENIX (AP) — A prosecutor in Jodi Arias' murder trial on Monday vigorously questioned a defense expert's credibility and the…
As odds grow long, opponents move to stop Keystone XL pipeline
With a sense of grim determination, a group of unlikely allies has begun gathering at kitchen tables, in churches and…
Ariz. salon owner loses suit over fish pedicures
PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has rejected an Arizona salon owner's claims that her constitutional rights were violated when cosmetology…
Impostor's lawyer suggests missing wife as killer
An attorney for a notorious Rockefeller impostor charged with murder has summoned up the specter of a vanished woman as…
Man gets over 3 years in iPad data breach case
NEWARK, N.J. — An admitted online "troll" was sentenced Monday to the maximum prison term under federal guidelines — more…
Judge: 3 to stand trial in Marine wife killing
VISTA, Calif. (AP) — Three members of a sex bondage ring were ordered to stand trial Monday after six days…
Sinkhole grows as buyout conversations begin
BATON ROUGE, La. — A sinkhole in swampy Assumption Parish grew to 12 acres over the weekend, and officials said…
Zimbabwe police ignore order to free top lawyer
HARARE, Zimbabwe An independent Zimbabwean lawyers' group said Monday the continued detention of one of its top members, the country's…
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/trial-to-start-in-27-year-old-murder-case-of-chris/nWt73/
BASTROP COUNTY Earlier this month, Dorothy Norwood sat in her tidy Bastrop duplex and shuffled through pictures of her eldest…
Court overturns conviction of former Harlingen commissioner
HARLINGEN — Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said Thursday that he will refile a charge against former District…
El Paso lawyer convicted of corruption resurfaces
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A West Texas lawyer who in 2007 was the first person convicted in an El…
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/state-attorney-general-seeks-stay-in-whooping-cran/nWs5Z/
American-Statesman Staff Only days after environmentalists won a victory in an endangered whooping cranes case that has wide-ranging implications for…
http://www.statesman.com/news/sports/former-ut-track-coach-files-discrimination-complai/nWtQn/
By Kirk Bohls American-Statesman Staff Former Texas women’s track coach Bev Kearney has filed gender and race discrimination complaints with…
Upshur County constables oppose area lawmaker’s measure
GILMER — The Upshur County Commissioners Court threw its support Friday behind a bill in Austin that could lead to…
Courthouse demolition puts its historical value into question
When T.O. Midkiff asked Mayor Wes Perry on Wednesday what would become of the old Midland County Courthouse, located at…
Texan’s ‘Unreal Dream’ coming to film
AUSTIN — Handcuffed and being bundled into a police car after his conviction for killing his wife, Michael Morton called…
Texas trial lawyer eyes New York storm cases
American-Statesman Staff From his Austin office, Steve Mostyn looks east. Immediately before him, he sees the Texas Capitol, the domed…
Water Rate in Small Town Has Residents Fuming
BLUE MOUND, Tex. — Minnie Wengert does not have a washing machine or a dishwasher. The 94-year-old conserves water by…
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/state&id=9031090
AUSTIN, TX -- Some Republican and Democratic legislators have joined forces on measures aimed at curtailing Gov. Rick Perry's power,…
Rand Paul wins conservative straw poll
WASHINGTON -- If there was any doubt that there is a huge amount of discord within the Republican Party, the…
With CPAC closer, Cruz secures place as conservatives’ rising star
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. After two-and-a-half months on the job, Ted Cruz capped a blistering start to his Senate career Saturday…
Conflict over gun rights exposes political gap
ATLANTA (AP) — A push to expand gun owners' rights in Georgia has exposed a political gap between the long-powerful…
Serious problems persist in indigent legal defense
WASHINGTON (AP) — It is not the happiest of birthdays for the landmark Supreme Court decision that, a half-century ago,…
2 Ohio football players convicted of raping girl
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two members of Steubenville's celebrated high school football team were found guilty Sunday of raping a…
Jury reaches verdict in NM police shooting case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The city of Albuquerque will have to pay more than $10 million in damages to the family…
Rockefeller impostor on trial for murder
LOS ANGELES — Opening statements begin this week in the murder trial of a man who spent two decades impersonating…
Partisan split marks high court gay marriage cases
WASHINGTON — No Democratic attorney general in a state that prohibits same-sex couples from marrying has signed onto a legal…
Judge rules secret FBI letters unconstitutional
They're called national security letters and the FBI issues thousands of them a year to banks, phone companies and other…
Zimbabwe police arrest PMs officials, top lawyer
HARARE, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe police arrested the country's most prominent rights lawyer and four senior officials with the prime minister's party…
Top French lawyer's body found washed up on beach
PARIS (AP) — Police have discovered the body of one of France's most prominent lawyers washed up on a beach…
Ex-tabloid editor quizzed in phone hacking probe
LONDON The former editor of Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid was questioned on Friday by police investigating phone hacking, British media…
http://www.kens5.com/news/texas-news/198239461.html
DALLAS (AP) A North Texas judge says he'll appoint a special prosecutor in the contempt case against the Dallas County…
Grand jury declines to indict ex-DA Pat Lykos
State Rep. Naomi Gonzalez arrested in Austin for alleged DWI
AUSTIN, Texas - Democratic state Rep. Naomi Gonzalez was charged with drunk driving Thursday following an early morning downtown accident…
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/03/14/4703313/sobriety-checkpoint-bill-faces.html
AUSTIN -- Efforts by officials in Arlington and across Texas to push legislation allowing police roadblocks to snare drunken drivers…
Former lawmen accused of working with alleged drug dealers
McALLEN — Three former lawmen and two alleged drug dealers were formally charged with various drug conspiracy charges. Two of…
Husband and wife police officers charged with criminal trespass
LA VERNIA, TEXAS -- A La Vernia police officer and her husband, a detective with the San Antonio Police Department,…
Kilgore man sentenced in drug trafficking case
A Kilgore man was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking violations. Brett…
Collingsworth jury delivers life sentence for sex assault
A Collingsworth County jury last Wednesday, March 6, found 62-year-old Ernest Glenn Benton guilty of the first degree felony offense…
Appeals court upholds 24-year kidporn sentence
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal court has upheld a 34-year-old Sulphur man's sentence for a scheme using Facebook to…
Warrant round up nets $80,000 for Smith County
Smith County Release Thursday, March 14, 2013 - 11:48am Smith County, Tx The results are in for the Great Texas…
Locating stations may determine high-speed rail's future in North Texas
ARLINGTON - The fate of a proposal to build a high-speed rail line connecting Dallas-Fort Worth to Houston may rest…
http://setxhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=216352
BEAUMONT - One year ago today a shooting outside the Jefferson County Courthouse left a woman dead and several people…
Assault weapons ban clears Senate panel
Assault weapons ban clears Senate panel Democrats support it, Republicans don't. Sen. Dianne Feinstein makes a passionate appeal for her…
Marco Rubio, Rand Paul Bring Charisma, Red Meat To Receptive CPAC
March 14, 2013 6:20 PM Enlarge image i Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., addresses the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference…
Court Removes Boston Judge From Trial of Crime Boss
BOSTON — The judge assigned to preside over the trial of the crime boss James (Whitey) Bulger was removed from…
5 convicted of inventing movie to hide tax fraud
The clue was in the title. In some ways "A Landscape of Lies" was a typical indie film, with a…
Missing LA-area movie exec now believed murdered
The 10-month search for a movie executive has gone from a missing persons investigation to a murder investigation, and a…
Australia presses new charges against US surgeon
Lawyers for Jayant Patel had hoped that further charges would be dropped after a Queensland state Supreme Court jury on…
Ohio rape trial focuses on texts messages
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (CNN) - A computer forensics expert testified Thursday about text messages to and from one of two Steubenville,…
Florida justices affirm verdict in smoker's death
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida's highest court decided Thursday not to upset its own landmark decision that makes it easier for…
12 years prison for disbarred NV lawyer, stalking
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — A disbarred lawyer who earlier was convicted of stalking women in Florida and New Mexico has been…
Thomson Reuters Editor Is Charged in Hacking of News Site
8:30 p.m. | Updated Matthew Keys, a 26-year-old deputy social media editor at Thomson Reuters, has been charged with assisting…
Judge: Former Lt. Gov. Carroll must testify in taping case
TALLAHASSEE — A judge told lawyers Thursday that former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll can provide information in a case against…
New Pope Shifts Church’s Center of Gravity Away From Europe
ROME — The surprise selection on Wednesday of an Argentine, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as the new pope shifted the…
In New Pope, a Choice Both Historic and Conventional
BUENOS AIRES — Like most of those in Argentina, he is a soccer fan, his favorite team being the underdog…
Judge Denies Mark Norwood's Request for New Lawyers
GEORGETOWN -- Mark Norwood, looking sickly and disheveled and sitting in a wheelchair, pleaded unsuccessfully with Williamson County state district…
El Paso drug cartel killing: Sheriff's deputies investigate whether juror fired
El Paso County sheriff's deputies have opened a criminal investigation into whether a juror in a cartel-related murder trial that…
Judicial vacancies still a problem for Texas federal courts
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt in Houston recently took senior status after 25 years of dedicated service. His action leaves…
http://myhighplains.com/fulltext?nxd_id=348662
AMARILLO -- Just two days after a Federal Judge ruled that the DPS will not be dropped from a civil…
Nolanville case ends in mistrial
BELTON — The trial of a Nolanville man accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy ended in a mistrial Wednesday…
Plaintiffs' lawyer resigns amid BP oil spill trial
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Texas lawyer has resigned from the team of plaintiffs' attorneys who brokered a multibillion-dollar settlement…
In Texas, water use for fracking stirs concerns
CARRIZO SPRINGS — In this South Texas stretch of mesquite trees and cactus, where the land is sometimes too dry…
Bill would require officials to reimburse travel
AUSTIN, Texas — Elected officials who have publicly funded security details should reimburse the state when they go outside the…
Plenty of land for parks, but no money
LIBERTY COUNTY — For 30 years, the state parks department has owned 1,700 acres of diverse wilderness that stretches from…
Bill would give relief in Park Girl cases
AUSTIN — Alleged victims of Jo Leigh Ares, known for the “Park Girl” mobile home business, would get relief from…
Texas lawmakers seek protection from federal gun laws
AUSTIN — A wave of anger at Washington's efforts to tighten the nation's gun laws washed through the Texas Capitol…
Prosecutor raises voice at Arias in Arizona trial
By BRIAN SKOLOFF Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) - A prosecutor spent much of Wednesday pointing at Jodi Arias and angrily…
Rape trial begins in Steubenville, Ohio
(CNN) - Two Steubenville, Ohio, football star sexually assaulted a young girl, treating her "like a toy," a state prosecutor…
Mich. grandma who killed grandson: I feared him
PONTIAC, Mich. — A 75-year-old woman charged with first-degree murder sobbed on the witness stand Wednesday as she told jurors…
Okla. House OKs attempt to 'nullify' health law
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House moved Wednesday to declare the federal health care law "null and void" in the…
Judge overturns verdict to 'Price is Right' model
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has overturned an $8.5 million verdict awarded to a former "Price is Right" model…
Officials: Fla. lawyer at center of $300M scheme
Authorities in Florida say three men are at the center of a scandal involving a purported veterans charity that law…
Jury seated in tax trial of Chicago Democrat
CHICAGO (AP) — A judge on Wednesday imposed a gag order on attorneys in the tax-evasion trial of a powerful…
Judge dismisses state from school fees lawsuit
BOISE, Idaho — A state judge has agreed to dismiss the state from a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the…
Top Nepal judge becomes head of interim government
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal's chief judge was named head of an interim government Thursday in an attempt by the…
Judge picked for contempt claim against Dallas DA
DALLAS (AP) A Wichita Falls judge will decide whether to order a punishment for the Dallas County district attorney after…
FBI Investigates Dallas County District Attorney
Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins is being investigated by the FBI. The scrutiny comes after allegations of prosecutorial…
Man who thought he bought off judge charged with threatening ex-jurist
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Midland-County-judge-recuses-himself-from-train-4349121.php
A Midland County judge has recused himself from the civil lawsuit that arose from a train crash that killed four…
Wife accused of shooting Gregg Co. JP released from jail
Michael Wesp Online Editor/ Fox 51 News Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - 3:44pm Longview, Tx (Fox 51) Ina Lawson was…
Villalobos, Lucio slated to go to trial in May
The trial of former Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos and his ex-law partner Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio is slated…
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/City-explains-law-that-led-to-a-ticket-for-4349532.php
A Houston statute that allows people to be ticketed for rummaging through trash bins, as a homeless man was last…
Former Forest Hill mayor sues over fight
Former Forest Hill Mayor James Gosey has sued the city, City Manager Sheyi Ipaye and former City Council member Damian…
6-year-old boy's long hair an issue at Frenship school
By LAUREL L. SCOTT AVALANCHE-JOURNAL 6-year-old boy's long hair an issue at Frenship school Lubbock Online LAUREL L. SCOTT March…
Commissioners approve settlement for man jailed after mistaken identity
By Adam D. Young AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Commissioners approve settlement for man jailed after mistaken identity Lubbock Online Adam D. Young March…
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/03/12/4678673/judge-finds-state-responsible.html
A federal judge based in Corpus Christi has found Texas officials responsible for the deaths of nearly two dozen whooping…
Dell rejects request for info leading to buyout
ROUND ROCK, Texas — Dell has rejected a request from a shareholder rights group seeking to review the internal information…
$100M suit against H-E-B over
Delta Produce LP's legal spat with H-E-B has ended. Delta and H-E-B last week agreed to a dismissal of the…
George P. Bush running for Texas land commissioner
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- George Prescott Bush filed the official paperwork Tuesday to run for Texas land commissioner next year,…
George P. Bush running for Texas land commissioner
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- George Prescott Bush filed the official paperwork Tuesday to run for Texas land commissioner next year,…
Uniform discovery to prevent injustice
Michael Morton spent nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, exonerated in 2011 on the…
Big changes brewing in Texas beer industry
AUSTIN -- After a week of negotiations between small brewers and big distributors, legislation to overhaul the way beer is…
Case Already Tried Across Social Media Heads to Courtroom
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — No cellphones, iPads or laptops will be allowed inside Juvenile Court here on Wednesday when two high…
Black smoke signals no pope on first day of conclave
VATICAN CITY — It billowed, and it was black. There was no mistaking the outcome this time. The cardinals voting…
O'Malley, the 'cappuccino priest,' a hit in Rome
VATICAN CITY — The archbishop of Boston, dressed more often in the humble brown robe of his religious order than…
Phoenix police mark 50 years since Miranda arrest
The warning from police that suspects have the right to remain silent sprang, in part, from the arrest of Ernesto…
Colo. judge enters not guilty plea for Holmes
Instead, his lawyers told the judge they weren't ready to enter a plea—despite numerous delays since the July 20 attack…
Senate panel approves gun background check
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats gave a boost Tuesday to the pillar of President Barack Obama's plans for reducing gun violence,…
Gabrielle Giffords' husband buys weapons to prove his point
PHOENIX -- The husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords went to a Tucson gun store a week ago to…
New York cop convicted in cannibalism plot
NEW YORK (AP) — Defense lawyers say everyone using the Internet should worry that their online words can end up…
Single justice to hear challenge in drug lab cases
BOSTON (AP) — A single justice of the state's highest court is set to hear from prosecutors who are challenging…
Appeals court strikes down Va. anti-sodomy law
RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down a Virginia anti-sodomy law that remains on the books…
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/article/Labor-board-to-appeal-recess-case-to-Supreme-Court-4349067.php
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Labor Relations Board said Tuesday it plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a…
Australian court clears US doctor of patient death
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An American surgeon previously convicted of the manslaughter of three patients in Australia was found not…
Federal Judge Finds No Proof of Misconduct by Craig Watkins, but that Won't Help Him in State Court
Assistant District Attorneys Russell Wilson and Heath Harris The District Attorney's office very excitedly announced today that a federal judge…
Judge decides 'Baby Chloe' will remain with foster family for now
Baby Chloe, the newborn abandoned in a plastic bag, will remain with a foster family until she is adopted, a…
Galveston jury awards $30 million in '09 fire
GALVESTON - A jury has ordered a Houston welding company to pay $30 million for starting a fire that burned…
Emotional Start to a 19 year old Lubbock Murder Trial
In court Monday, emotional answers, and tears, from one of Charlotte Ivey's daughter as she took the stand, and not…
Former hand surgeon Dr. Michael Brown jailed for child support violation
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Embattled former hand surgeon Dr. Michael Brown was back behind bars Monday night. Related ContentStory: Ex-hand surgeon…
Disbarment of former El Paso County Judge Luther Jones final
The State Bar of Texas on Monday said former County Judge and state Rep. Luther Jones' disbarment was final. In…
Feuding in-law is acquitted
For years, St. Hedwig residents Dean McInturff, 66, and Pedro “Pete” Leos, 62 — married to two sisters and living…
Trial begins for man accused of videotaping undressed UT athletes
American-Statesman Staff After a track meet in September 2010, a student-athlete was taking a shower in a locker room at…
Former prosecutor makes plea deal in assault case
SEGUIN — A former prosecutor here avoided jail time under a sentencing agreement that saw him plead no contest Monday…
Former Abilene candidate placed on probation for tampering with a witness
A former Abilene mayoral and city council candidate pleaded no contest to one count of tampering with a witness during…
Former Childress teacher's aide gets federal prison sentence for child sex charge
Shanice Lambert wept Monday and begged for a chance to return to her husband and children. “I’ll forever live with…
Pampa man gets 8 years in holdup of credit union
U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson sentenced a Pampa man Monday to serve an eight-year prison sentence for robbing a…
Tarrant Democrat files bill to boost state education spending
AUSTIN -- State Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth introduced legislation on Monday that would boost per-student funding in Texas…
Texans Rebut Governor on Expansion of Medicaid
AUSTIN, Tex. — Hundreds of activists and uninsured Texans plan to rally at the steps of the Capitol here Tuesday,…
Austin triathlete remembered for passion for family, sports
American-Statesman Staff A day after he died during a California triathlon, Austin attorney Ross Ehlinger was remembered by friends as…
Judge who quit acknowledges his legacy tarnished
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — A northern New Mexico judge who stepped down from the bench amid allegations of misbehavior acknowledges…
Fractus, Samsung go to mat again in patent war
Fractus SA, a Spain-based development and licensing concern of wireless antenna technology, is going after the cell phone giant Samsung…
Alleged prostitute recants story about sex with Sen. Menendez
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Special to the Miami Herald: A woman who allegedly appeared in a video in which…
Judge rejects Bulger's future immunity claim
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns found that an immunity agreement "cannot as a matter of public policy license future criminal…
Jailhouse romance gets attorney banned
Anonymous Kokomo Tribune The Athens Daily Review Mon Mar 04, 2013, 05:01 PM CST BUNKER HILL, Ind. — An attorney…
3 jurors picked in Pa. abortion doc's murder trial
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Three women were chosen as jurors on Monday for the trial of a Philadelphia abortion provider charged…
Judge throws out Jindal’s teacher tenure revamp
BATON ROUGE, La. — A Baton Rouge judge on Monday threw out Gov. Bobby Jindal's revamp of teacher tenure and…
Jury deliberating in 'good Samaritan' case
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Jurors Monday were deliberating the case against a Santa Fe man accused of killing a…
12 charged with manslaughter in FAMU death
Twelve former Florida A&M University band members were charged Monday with manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of a drum…
Defense wants to toss 12 counts in Zumba trial
ALFRED, Maine (AP) — Lawyers for a Maine man accused of helping a Zumba instructor run a prostitution business are…
RI expunging more crimes from court records
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island saw a 36 percent increase last year in the number of crimes that officials…
Genetic mother wins surrogacy lawsuit in Ireland
Ireland had refused the woman's demand to be recorded as the twins' mother, citing its 1937 constitution and its view…
Nestande not unusual in avoiding prison time for auto death
American-Statesman Staff Nine days ago, when a Travis County jury recommended Gabrielle Nestande receive only probation in the May 2011…
Drunken driver given probation in fatal wreck
FORT WORTH -- A Tarrant County jury granted probation Friday to a Grand Prairie man who police say was drunk…
US court reverses gang leader's murder conviction
HOUSTON (AP) — A divided federal appeals court panel has thrown out the capital murder conviction of a former Fort…
After verdict, Rosenthal faces forfeiting $5.95 million
CORPUS CHRISTI — Senior U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle temporarily halted a products liability lawsuit that Austin attorney Marc…
Marchan died from blunt force trauma, drowning
Brownsville lawyer Ray R. Marchan felt alone in the world after his conviction on federal racketeering charges, a lifelong friend…
Panola County sheriff arrested, charged in corruption investigation
CARTHAGE — Two months after being sworn into office, Panola County Sheriff Ron Clinton was arrested late Thursday in a…
Trial set to start in 19-year-old murder
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Trial set to start in 19-year-old murder Lubbock Online Walt Nett March 4, 2013 12:29 AM…
Execution date set for inmate in Rusk murder
BY KELLY GOOCH kgooch@tylerpaper.com An execution date has been set for a convict involved in the murder of a…
Man convicted of capital murder in death of formerly homeless woman
FORT WORTH -- A jury took less than 90 minutes Friday to find James Wesley Jackson guilty of capital murder…
Judge denies release of man accused of tax fraud
BROWNSVILLE — A U.S. magistrate judge denied a tax fraud investigation suspect’s motion for release and two of his co-defendants…
Former Liberty County game warden sentenced to one year in jail
On Nov. 13, 2011, Daniel Diaz, while on duty as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Warden, initiated a…
After fatal Edinburg silo accident, attorneys hound family
McALLEN — Families and friends gathered Monday morning at La Piedad Cemetery to bid farewell to their beloved Oscar Arellano.…
McAllen student's family files suit after Mexican pledge incident
The family of a McAllen ISD high school student who accused the district of violating her constitutional rights with an…
State investigates bar that trades booze for charitable donations
By Michelle Chu Reporting Texas The White House bar opened late last year on Rainey Street in downtown Austin, billing…
Michael Morton: Cleared Of Murder By DNA, Bill Would Extend Time He Could Sue Over Prosecutor Misconduct
Imagine being accused and convicted of killing your wife and being stuck in a jail cell and missing out on…
Vacancies, backlogs plague federal judiciary
WASHINGTON - When federal Judge Royal Furgeson Jr. took senior status from the federal bench in San Antonio in 2008,…
Statewide property tax idea floated
AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers soon could be debating the possibility of enacting a statewide property tax to fund the public…
GOP lawmakers seek to back away from 'fringe'
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Before a House vote to give final approval to a contentious firearms bill last week, Speaker…
Three new books revise views on Civil War
Atlanta Journal-Constitution As the world becomes more connected through the Internet, it’s becoming easier for scholars to turn up data…
Proposed sale of Masters green jacket hits lawsuit
ATLANTA — One of the most distinctive symbols in sports, the iconic green jacket awarded to the winner of the…
ExxonMobil to begin defense in NH pollution trial
CONCORD, N.H. — Round two of New Hampshire's marathon groundwater contamination trial will open this week with defendant ExxonMobil calling…
Arias prosecutor scrutinized for intense approach
He raised his voice and acted out scenarios in dramatic fashion. He snapped as she dodged questions, cutting her off…
RI estate lawyer wants death fraud plea tossed
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An estate planning lawyer who pleaded guilty to using the identities of terminally ill patients to illegally…
NM judge accused of misbehavior agrees to resign
SANTA FE, N.M. — The state Judicial Standards Commission says a northern New Mexico judge has agreed to resign amid…
Okla. justice panel unveils recommendations
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Innocence Project ranks the state among the top 10 for wrongful convictions, which a report…
Former Boy Scouts seeking $15 million in sex abuse case
By Jazmine Ulloa American-Statesman Staff Three men are seeking $15 million in damages from the regional council of the Boy…
Sen. Robert Menendez denies improper travel and hiring prostitutes
MISSOULA, Mont. Jurors deliberated for more than two hours Friday before acquitting a former University of Montana quarterback in a…
NY judge sends ex-lawyer to prison for 8 years
NEW YORK A former Chicago lawyer who participated in what authorities have called the largest tax fraud in history was…
Half of $1B Apple awarded from Samsung invalidated
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday erased nearly half of the $1 billion in damages that…
Christie says NJ will appeal sports betting ruling
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie indicated Friday he would appeal a judge's decision upholding a ban on sports…
New trial ordered over sex offender's confinement
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a new trial to determine whether a sex offender…
JAILED: Rosenthal guilty on all 13 counts
CORPUS CHRISTI — Austin attorney Marc G. Rosenthal was taken into custody Thursday after a jury in federal court in…
JUMPED: Marchan left suicide note at his home
PORT ISABEL — “The bridge is higher than I thought.” Those might possibly be the last words of convicted Brownsville…
Ethics training confirms fears about prosecutors' mindsets
It seemed the toughest part of District Attorney Mike Anderson's 2012 campaign was convincing folks that he wasn't going to…
Support growing for tougher hit-and-run laws
American-Statesman Staff Bart Griffin walked away in silence the day a Travis County jury recommended a sentence of 10 years’…
Man found not guilty of indecency with child
A 52-year-old Bryan man was found not guilty by a Brazos County jury Thursday of molesting his ex-girlfriend's granddaughter. The…
Lawsuit: Woman got pregnant by ex's sperm at clinic
More than a decade ago, Layne Hardin and his partner, Katherine LeBlanc, had a plan to save his sperm at…
Jason Payne wins appeal, gets new trial
Staff Reports A Wood County man in prison on a capital murder conviction will get a new trial thanks to…
Trial set for ex-commissioner, son charged with holding game warden at gunpoint
BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS Special Correspondent GILMER — A state district judge on Thursday set an April 29 trial date for…
Appeals justices say Stayton Avenue culvert case can go back to court
A Victoria man, who once plugged a culvert with five tons of concrete after he said it was flooding his…
US seeks $2.5 million in lawyer's laundering case
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of $2.5 million in cash from a former Carnegie…
Fort Hood shooting trial to start May 29
FORT HOOD -- The Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage is to go on trial…
Texas should recognize mobile apps as proof of car insurance, state rep says
Geico commercials already feature a pig on an airplane paying his car insurance premium with a smart phone mobile app.…
400 in El Paso hear San Antonio mayor Julián Castro's hopes for Texas
San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, told about 400 people Thursday that the…
Retiring judge honored with portrait for years of service
Outgoing Victoria County Court-at-Law 1 Judge Laura A. Weiser speaks Thursday afternoon about her career. A portrait that will hang…
GOP relents in battle over Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans raised the white flag Thursday on extending domestic violence protections to gays, lesbians and transsexuals after…
Obama urges Supreme Court to end gay-marriage ban
WASHINGTON -- In a historic argument for gay rights, President Barack Obama urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn…
Arias weeps as testimony turns to killing of lover
PHOENIX (AP) — Jodi Arias sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face in her hands as a prosecutor relentlessly questioned her about…
Juror dismissed in Bell, Calif., corruption case
LOS ANGELES — A weeping juror was dismissed for misconduct Thursday during deliberations in the public corruption trial of six…
Judge declares mistrial in Alamogordo murder case
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — A judge declared a mistrial in an Alamogordo murder case because the prosecution didn't provide the defense…
Tulsa dad accused of child neglect ordered to jail
TULSA, Okla. — A judge on Thursday ordered a Tulsa man accused of locking his toddler in a metal cage…
Ex-officer in Tulsa found in contempt of court
TULSA, Okla. — A federal judge has held a former Tulsa police officer in contempt of court, finding that the…
Army GI says he leaked secrets to spark war debate
FORT MEADE, Md. After almost three years in custody, the Army private accused in the biggest leak of classified material…
Va. governor restores Scooter Libby's vote rights
Former vice presidential adviser I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is among more than 1,000 felons whose voting rights were restored in…
Judge deals setback to NJ's sports gambling effort
TRENTON, N.J. — A federal judge upheld a 21-year-old law prohibiting sports betting in all but four states, dealing a…
Ex-CEO Greenberg: Don't blame me for AIG failure
NEW YORK (AP) — Four and a half years after insurance giant AIG collapsed, leading to the biggest bailout of…
Video shows paid sex act by Maine Zumba teacher
By DAVID SHARP Associated Press ALFRED, Maine (AP) - Prosecutors have shown jurors videos demonstrating that an insurance agent was…
Attorneys battle over jury verdict instructions in Rosenthal trial
As the end of the Marc Rosenthal trial draws near, attorneys battled in the courtroom over instructions for jurors. Testimony…
Court tosses dog-scent lineup murder conviction
By Chuck Lindell American-Statesman Staff Tossing out the capital murder conviction of an East Texas woman, the state’s highest criminal…
First charges dropped in prosecutor mess
HOUSTON—The legal mess left after a couple of criminal investigators were charged with stealing evidence has prompted prosecutors to drop…
El Paso jury finds Brian Engleton guilty of murdering his wife
State district court jurors Wednesday found Brian Anthony Engleton, 43, guilty of murder in the stabbing death of his estranged…
El Paso lawyer accused of fraud, money laundering
EL PASO, TX -- A federal grand Jury has indicted a West Texas lawyer, accusing him of laundering money fraudulently…
At murder trial, friends testify about finding body
FORT WORTH -- Jo Beth Marchand had called the Presbyterian Night Shelter home for seven years.So when church friends helped…
Abilene man convicted after reportedly breaking infant daughter's bones
An Abilene man accused of breaking bones in his infant daughter’s leg was found guilty Wednesday of injury to a…
Mayes won't be tried until two years after doctor's death
His trial date was moved back last week so District Judge William Birdsall can rule on whether statements Mayes made…
Temporary restraining order hearing on Del Mar nursing lawsuit case rescheduled for late March
CORPUS CHRISTI — A hearing in a case involving nine nursing students suing Del Mar College has been rescheduled until…
Bill would help 'Park Girl' victims
AUSTIN — Owners of manufactured housing who have won legal claims against a licensed retailer, but have not been able…
Wolff backs elusive Bexar-San Antonio merger
State Rep. Lyle Larson thinks momentum and “political courage” are building behind legislation to allow Bexar County and San Antonio…
After Abbott ruling, Austin poised to loosen environmental rules for some development
Earlier this year, after hearing city staff’s conclusion that a proposed Southwest Austin condominium development would violate city environmental rules,…
UT Arlington poised to achieve greatness, finalist for president says
ARLINGTON -- Steering the University of Texas at Arlington toward top-tier research status, building a stronger campus community and being…
Starr Bauer takes seat as new district judge
AUSTIN — Local attorney Starr Bauer has been appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to replace District Judge M.E. “Mike”…
Justices voice skepticism of voting rights law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's conservative justices voiced deep skepticism Wednesday about a section of a landmark civil rights law…
Assault-weapons hearing opens with solemn reference to Newtown victims
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s hearing on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 opened solemnly, before…
House chairman opposes universal background checks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Wednesday he opposes universal background checks on gun…
BP oil executive outlines probe of spill
NEW ORLEANS — Once the object of ridicule and focus of outrage after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf…
Pistorius substance an herbal remedy
JOHANNESBURG — The substance found in Oscar Pistorius’ bedroom after the shooting death of his girlfriend was identified by his…
Ohio court spars with lawyers in school Bible case
COLUMBUS, Ohio — State Supreme Court justices sparred with lawyers on Wednesday in a heated hour of arguments over the…
Arias prosecutor chips away at numerous stories
PHOENIX — A prosecutor on Wednesday meticulously chipped away at Jodi Arias' numerous stories in the death penalty case against…
Vegas murder suspect brags online about fast life
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas triple murder suspect Ammar Harris has a smirk on his face in a 90-second YouTube…
Zumba jury sees sexually explicit images in Maine
But the jurors showed little reaction to the images Wednesday. One of them even yawned in between photos. The judge…
SC court nixes James Brown estate settlement
Attorney General Henry McMaster brokered a settlement in 2009 that split Brown's estate, giving nearly half to a charitable trust,…
Manning to tell judge about WikiLeaks disclosures
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army private charged in the biggest leak of classified material in U.S. history is set to…
Defense rests in Rosenthal case
CORPUS CHRISTI — For a second time during the trial of Austin attorney Marc G. Rosenthal, U.S. District Judge Andrew…
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_22668034/caballero-asks-appeals-court-dismiss-disciplinary-case
El Paso lawyer Theresa Caballero is again asking a court to stop a disciplinary case against her. Caballero filed two…
Man on trial in Northeast El Paso slaying lashes out at legal team
Jurors unexpectedly got to hear Monday from a man accused of killing his wife outside a Northeast El Paso salon.…
Trial again rescheduled in EPISD fraud case
For a third time, a federal judge has rescheduled the trial of a New York businessman accused of trying to…
Madisonville officer accused of planting drugs in ex-wife's car
A Madisonville police sergeant was indicted Monday after being accused of planting drugs in his ex-wife's vehicle. A Madison Country…
Socorro votes to approve annexation plans, cannot implement any action
SOCORRO, Texas — In a special meeting Monday, Socorro City Council voted to approve the annexation of parcels of land…
Burglar who called 911 in Parker County gets probation
The "unlucky" burglar who called 911 in Parker County when a homeowner pointed a gun at him in December was…
Former Arlington Heights teacher appears in court
FORT WORTH -- A former Arlington Heights High School teacher and coach accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a…
Gilmer woman convicted of drunken driving with child sentenced
BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS Special Correspondent A state district judge placed a Pittsburg woman on five years probation of a two-year…
Teacher sues district, says yellow paint could have curbed his panic attacks
PFLUGERVILLE A former Connally High School teacher who was fired in 2011 after a series of panic attacks, stuttered speech…
City of Austin prosecutor wants to clarify city’s texting ban
By Claudia GrisalesandCiara O'Rourke American-Statesman Staff Three years after Austin police officers started enforcing a ban on texting while driving,…
Justices Sotomayor and Breyer admonish Texas prosecutor for racial remarks
Two U.S. Supreme Court justices—Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer—took the rare step of admonishing a federal prosecutor Texas from today…
Voting rights case has Texas implications
By Tim Eaton American-Statesman Staff Race and politics are at the center of a major case with Texas implications that’s…
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/federal-budget-cuts-could-have-outsized-impact-on-/nWZRt/
By Ben Kamisar American-Statesman Staff It was a poison pill that Congress was never supposed to swallow, but unless Washington…
NJ's highest court to hear 'joking judge' appeal
A judge in New Jersey is asking the state's highest court to have a sense of humor. Attorneys for Vince…
Finger-pointing marks first day of oil spill trial
NEW ORLEANS — In blistering attacks on BP's actions, corporate culture and motivations, lawyers for the U.S. government, Gulf states,…
Trial by Twitter: Montana QB’s rape case plays out in real time
| E-mail | Print Jordan Johnson sits with members of his defense team at his trial in Missoula, Mont. (AP…
Judge to discuss motions in Zumba paid-sex trial
ALFRED, Maine (AP) — The judge in the trial of an insurance agent accused of helping a fitness instructor use…
South Africa: will Pistorius train while on bail?
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Oscar Pistorius on Monday informed South African authorities that he wants to resume athletic training while on…
Prosecutor seeks trial for Costa cruise ship capt
ROME (AP) — Italian prosecutors on Monday officially requested an indictment of the Costa Concordia's captain on manslaughter charges in…
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Ind-Senate-drops-2nd-required-abortion-ultrasound-4307066.php
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A proposed requirement that doctors must try to perform a second ultrasound exam on women after they…
Concealed carry of guns goes before Illinois House
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois House will break down the issue of carrying concealed firearms into more than two…
Prosecutors to present Ohio Craigslist evidence
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Prosecutors plan to begin laying out evidence that robbery and identity theft were the motives behind…
C. Everett Koop, rock star surgeon general, dies
NEW YORK Dr. C. Everett Koop has long been regarded as the nation's doctor— even though it has been nearly…
Nestande gets 10 years’ probation for fatal wreck
View Larger American-Statesman Staff A Travis County jury on Friday recommended 10 years’ probation for Gabrielle Nestande for criminally negligent…
Former judge Limas recounts taking bribes
EDITOR'S NOTE: Valley Morning Star reporter Emma Perez-Treviño is in Corpus Christi and will be providing daily reports on the…
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/article_061aa8e8-7d6a-11e2-bfe9-001a4bcf6878.html
CORPUS CHRISTI — At the onset of Marc G. Rosenthal’s trial, his defense attorney described him as the “outsider” in…
US joins fraud lawsuit against Lance Armstrong
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department joined a lawsuit Friday against disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong that alleges the former seven-time…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MARSH_CRIMINAL_CHARGES_TXOL-?SITE=TXTYL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-02-22-14-58-03
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- The settlement of several civil lawsuits alleging Stanley Marsh 3 paid teenagers for sex won't affect…
Judge issues temporary stay of Socorro's annexation plan
A district court judge on Friday issued a temporary injunction and put the brakes on Socorro's annexation plan until the…
Pill mill' doc wants cash suit dismissed
A Houston doctor whose license was suspended after federal agents raided four of his downstate pain management clinics last year…
State continues testimony in third day of murder trial
PALESTINE — The state continued its third day of testimony Friday in the capital murder trial of a Palestine woman…
Trial starts for man accused of East El Paso cartel slaying
Jury selection is expected to begin today in the trial of a 19-year-old man accused of participating in a 2009…
Supreme Court won't hear pipeline case
A McMullen County family that has battled a pipeline company since 2009 continued to prevail in court last week. The…
Cameron DA wants to make domestic abuse a priority
BROWNSVILLE — For eight years, Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz served as magistrate, overseeing cases seven days a week,…
Roma ISD lawsuit unlikely to be settled before election filing deadline
RIO GRANDE CITY — For those suing the Roma school district over term and election date changes, it’s a race…
Ex-worker arrested after bomb scare at A&M
A former Texas A&M University employee has been arrested by University Police in connection with the bomb threat at the…
Historic letter comes home to Alamo
SAN ANTONIO - With all the pageantry worthy of a priceless document, William Barret Travis' enduring "victory or death" letter…
Karnes County finds oil money brings promise, problems
KARNES CITY — After more than three decades of running City Pharmacy on slowly decaying Main Street, Paul Bordovsky retired…
Perry stoic as Medicaid is still a large concern
AUSTIN — Oscar Juarez said the most he can do is hope his wife doesn’t get sick. The El Paso…
Cruz riles foes, wins fans in D.C.
Washington No U.S. Senate debut in memory has so teemed with tumult and controversy as Ted Cruz’s first days…
GOP House panel chairman will consider gun bills
WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Friday that he's interested in writing legislation this year…
Speakers tout gun ownership and constitution
BY VICTOR TEXCUCANO vtexcucano@tylerpaper.com Second Amendment supporters from across East Texas gathered at the Rose City Flying Clays shooting…
Supreme Court to review key part of Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department stayed silent when Indiana and Washington state strengthened their voter identification rules.But when Georgia and…
Pistorius granted bail
PRETORIA, South Africa — Oscar Pistorius was granted bail Friday, paving the way for him to be freed from custody…
Pistorius' brother also faces homicide charges
JOHANNESBURG -- The murder case involving Olympic star Oscar Pistorius took another unexpected turn Sunday with the news that his…
Macy's CEO to testify in fight over Martha Stewart
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy's Chairman, President and CEO Terry Lundgren is scheduled to testify in New York State Supreme…
Hunter acquitted of killing man mistaken for bear
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon hunter has been found not guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of a…
Costner hits setback in lawsuit
Kevin Costner has been ordered to provide more evidence to prove allegations of unpaid profits in his lawsuit against producers…
Black nurses settle discrimination suits with hospital
DETROIT — It’s been called one of medicine’s “open secrets” — allowing patients to refuse treatment by a doctor or…
Bail hearing postponed in college threat case
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A hearing to determine whether a woman charged with falsely threatening to carry out a suicidal…
5,000 hits and counting for Oregon DNA lab
CLACKAMAS, Ore. (AP) — Forensic scientist Heather Feaman has processed DNA evidence collected from crime scenes related to just about…
JFK holds complex place in black history
Not that many years ago, three portraits hung in thousands of African-American homes, a visual tribute to men who had…
A century later, women's suffrage movement celebrated
By KELLY GOOCH kgooch@tylerpaper.com Nearly a century ago, a parade in Washington, D.C., helped create a surge in the…
Two Bryan firefighters honored in memorial service
COLLEGE STATION -- First responders from around the country filled roadways and church seats amid the mournful sound of bagpipes…
Nestande found guilty of criminally negligent homicide
AUSTIN -- Gabrielle Nestande has been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, but not guilty of failing to stop and…
Rosenthal testifies as trial continues
CORPUS CHRISTI — Composed and at ease, Marc G. Rosenthal took the stand in his own defense Thursday, drawing on…
Texas killer executed for burning ex-girlfriend to death
HUNTSVILLE -- Asking forgiveness from his victim's daughter, a Brazos County man who tossed gas on his ex-girlfriend and set…
Jury finds Fort Bliss soldier not guilty of murder
However, relatives of the two soldiers killed, Army privates Preston Brown and Damien Bailey, were visibly upset after hearing the…
Fort Bend man receives life sentence in continuous sexual abuse case
A Needville man was sentenced by a jury Wednesday, February 20, 2013 to life without parole for continually sexually abusing…
Sexual Misconduct Case Against Lackland Trainer Dropped Over Phone
Updated: Thursday, February 21 2013, 09:50 AM CST SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A military judge in South Texas has dismissed…
District judge to rule Friday on restraining order to halt Socorro's annexation proceedings of San Elizario
Visiting Judge Stephen Ables will decide whether to drop the order or to issue a temporary injunction until allegations that…
Mother sues Hays County, sheriff over son’s death
American-Statesman Staff A woman has sued Hays County, Sheriff Gary Cutler and eight others who worked at the jail in…
El Paso reacts to district judge’s ballpark decision
Thursday, February 21, 2013 - 10:10pm The City of El Paso hit a home run in Austin on Wednesday, after…
City officials pleased with federal action in suit over retirement fund
FORT WORTH -- A federal judge has sent litigation over Fort Worth's major changes to the municipal pension back to…
DPS forbids its troopers to shoot from an aircraft
AUSTIN -- State troopers are now forbidden to shoot from aircraft unless they are under fire, the Department of Public…
Texas joins 10 states in lawsuit over Dodd-Frank
Texas is joining 10 other states in a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the way the Dodd-Frank Wall Street…
House passes bill to cover $4.5 billion Medicaid IOU
American-Statesman Staff The Texas House on Thursday cleared an emergency budget bill that will cover the $4.5 billion tab for…
Perry names RGV judge to UT Board of Regents
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry has appointed McAllen resident Ernest Aliseda to the University of Texas System Board of Regents…
Oscar Pistorius bail hearing nearing decision
PRETORIA, South Africa — The defense and prosecution both completed their arguments Friday in Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing, with the…
Drew Peterson screams, then gets 38 years for murder
JOLIET, Ill. — Drew Peterson — the swaggering Chicago-area policeman who gained notoriety after his fourth wife vanished — lost…
Pa. judge, her 2 sisters convicted of corruption
Justice Joan Orie Melvin and older sister Janine Orie were convicted Thursday of theft-of-service charges and other crimes. Former Sen.…
Hearing set in ex-Oklahoma lawmakers' bribery case
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two former Oklahoma lawmakers facing felony bribery charges are due in an Oklahoma County courtroom to be…
Vicksburg, Miss., mayor faces fed bribery charge
The 39-year-old Democrat wore an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles during his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Jackson Thursday.…
Landlord suspicious of Maine Zumba instructor
ALFRED, Maine — A landlord who rented office space to a Zumba instructor accused of being a prostitute testified he…
Ex-Vt. college president dies in apparent suicide
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The former acting president of a small Vermont liberal arts college was found dead in an apparent…
Convicted NH woman might be sent back to Rwanda
CONCORD, N.H. A woman convicted of lying about her role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide to obtain U.S. citizenship could…
Prosecutor questions woman in Arizona murder case
PHOENIX A woman charged in the stabbing and shooting death of her Arizona lover traded barbs with a prosecutor under…
Cruise lawsuits are in, but Carnival has advantage
MIAMI (AP) — Lawsuits are already filed in this month's disastrous Triumph cruise ship voyage, but the legal deck is…
Sixth teen sex suit: Boy kept 'black book' for Amarillo artist Stanley Marsh 3
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - The judge presiding over the Sept. 11 war crimes tribunal is allowing defense lawyers…
Inquest jury recommends charging 3 Milwaukee cops
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Three Milwaukee police officers who ignored a suspect's pleas for help as he gasped for air in…
Man wrongly convicted of Corsicana woman's murder goes free
CORSICANA -- A 58-year-old man walked free Monday after serving years for a crime he didn't commit -- the fatal…
Rosenthal pleads with Judge Hanen to release him from jail
CORPUS CHRISTI — The defense in the federal trial of attorney Marc G. Rosenthal said Monday he should be released…
Carlos Ochoa heads to jail three days after conviction of murder
Carlos Ochoa headed to the Hidalgo County Jail late Monday afternoon after the first day of this sentencing trial. On…
Mother of Sex Assault Victim Sues Perpetrator and His Parents
An Abilene mom believes that prison time for the man who raped her daughter is not enough punishment. She is…
Jury picked for Nestande manslaughter trial
American-Statesman Staff Nine men and three women were selected Monday to form the jury in the fatal hit-and-run trial of…
El Paso County attorney reconsiders litigation to stop Socorro annexation plan
SOCORRO, Texas — El Paso's County Attorney Jo Ann Bernal on Monday advised county commissioners that she plans to go…
Willie Gandara Sr. pleads not guilty to new public corruption charge
Former Socorro mayor and Socorro Independent School board trustee Willie Gandara Sr. has formally pleaded not guilty to a new…
Judge dismisses defamation suit filed against citizen by Jacinto City police officer
A Harris County judge on Monday threw out a defamation suit filed by a Jacinto City police officer against one…
Judge tosses suit filed by former TSU law students
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by two former students at the Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall…
McKinney man pleads guilty to threatening Grayson County D.A.
A McKinney man pleaded guilty Monday morning to charges that he threatened Grayson County District Attorney Joe Brown, and assistant…
Appeals court to determine eminent domain powers of TransCanada Keystone Pipeline
In a few weeks, an appeals court will hear arguments on whether a Beaumont judge erred by granting a foreign…
Judge approves $1.9M settlement in Gregg County Jail inmate death
Longview, TX — A federal judge this morning approved a $1.9 million settlement agreement between Gregg County and survivors of…
Wannabe TV producer found guilty on 39 counts
Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery on Monday found wannabe TV producer Gemase Lee Simmons guilty of all 39 federal…
AF chief accused of influencing Lackland sex case
An Air Force instructor facing 52 years in prison for sexual misconduct on Monday accused the top Air Force commander…
TexMessage: Ron Paul files trademark claim against RonPaul.com
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Texas school finance fight flares
AUSTIN — How the state will pay for public schools will take center stage this week in the political theater…
State senate grills Board of Ed chief on evolution, politics
AUSTIN — The head of the Texas Board of Education acknowledged Monday that she once quizzed potential curriculum experts on…
Gun victims' relatives emerge as advocates
WASHINGTON — Several people whose lives have been shattered by gun violence will be watching from the packed House gallery…
Lawmaker: Schools should teach students how to use guns
WASHINGTON — Several people whose lives have been shattered by gun violence will be watching from the packed House gallery…
Compromise NM bill on gun checks heading to House
SANTA FE, N.M. — A compromise bill to expand background checks for gun buyers is heading to the New Mexico…
SHOTS EXCHANGED: 3 dead in courthouse shooting in Delaware
Police stand outside the New Castle County Courthouse, Monday morning, Feb. 11, 2013 in WIlmington, Del. , after a man…
Fugitive ex-LA cop charged with murder, could face death penalty
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A fugitive ex-Los Angeles police officer was charged Monday with murdering a Riverside police officer and special…
GOP senators to Supreme Court: Uphold Defense of Marriage Act
WASHINGTON — Ten U.S. senators are urging the Supreme Court to overturn the rulings of multiple lower courts and to…
Senate heads toward vote on anti-violence act
WASHINGTON — The Senate is heading toward a strong vote on broadening the reach of the Violence Against Women Act,…
Daniel Salinas, at center of Sunland Park scandal, released after judge eliminates $200k bond
LAS CRUCES — A former Sunland Park politician, who has been charged as a central figure in the border town's…
Judge sued over relationship in child support case
DETROIT — A Detroit-area man says his civil rights were violated in a child support case because a Wayne County…
Feds wrap up case against former Detroit mayor
Kilpatrick spent $840,000 more than he earned as Detroit's mayor from 2002 until 2008, Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Michael Bullotta…
Penn St. weighing Sandusky case settlement demands
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The lawyer brought in by Penn State to help settle Jerry Sandusky-related claims said Monday that he…
Rape trial begins for ex-Montana quarterback
MISSOULA, Mont. — The rape trial of a former University of Montana quarterback is about a woman who was betrayed…
Troubled Nevada lawmaker banned from legislature
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers on Monday banned troubled Assemblyman Steven Brooks from the legislature and placed him…
Soccer faces epic fight against match-fixing
ZURICH — Soccer is falling under a cloud of suspicion as never before, sullied by a multibillion-dollar web of match-fixing…
Anderson inquiry played to 2 audiences
Georgetown Theatrics peppered with scornful bickering punctuated former prosecutor Ken Anderson’s court of inquiry last week as each side played…
Court of inquiry and the Michael Morton case
Normally Williamson County District Judge Ken Anderson would have spent this past week hearing motions and perhaps presiding over a…
Main government witnesses testify in Rosenthal case
CORPUS CHRISTI — Prosecutors are highlighting agreements and payments in an attempt to show a mode of operation for Austin…
Judge rules Rosenthal violated pre-trial release deal
Stunning defense attorneys and surprising others in the courtroom, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen on Friday revoked Marc G.…
Slain prosecutor remembered for zeal in crime fighting
TERRELL -- A Texas prosecutor gunned down outside his courthouse office last month was remembered Saturday for his zealousness in…
Death row inmate pleads guilty in DA-judge affair case
DALLAS, TX -- A Texas death row inmate whose conviction was complicated by revelations that his trial judge and the…
Daughter takes stand in capital murder case
A Brazos County jury Friday heard Tammy Toliver beg for her mother's life during a recorded phone conversation with her…
Guilty of murder, former Edinburg mayor’s son free on bond
EDINBURG — Just minutes after a jury convicted him of murder, the son of a former Edinburg Mayor walked out…
Former El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos now faces only single count
When he pleaded guilty in 2007, El Paso County Chief of Staff Travis Ketner implicated his boss in a panoply…
Former Socorro Mayor Willie Gandara Sr. hit with another charge
Federal prosecutors have added another charge to the corruption case of Guillermo "Willie" Gandara Sr., a former Socorro mayor and…
Yassine Enterprises founder cites grounds for appeal of conviction
American-Statesman Staff Hussein Ali “Mike” Yassine,” who once ran nine of downtown Austin’s best-known nightclubs, is gearing up to appeal…
Everman man gets 89 years in prison for his role in 2011 killing of store owner
A Tarrant County jury deliberated two days, but in the end, Jeremy Hopkins (right) got an 89-year prison sentence for…
Judge orders new Hidalgo ISD elections
EDINBURG — Hidalgo voters will head back to the polls within the next 90 days after a state district…
Texan convicted in $300K bogus checks case
2/7/2013 10:00:00 AM Prosecutors in Dallas on Wednesday announced 45-year-old Jason Dvorin of Southlake has been convicted of conspiracy to…
Divorce forms will burden lower courts with teaching litigants the legal system
By approving forms last year that encourage do-it-yourself divorces, justices of the Texas Supreme Court thought they were helping the…
Former jail officials sue Bell sheriff
BELTON — Two former high-ranking Bell County Jail officials filed a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Eddy Lange, claiming they were…
In middle of Texas Legislature's budget fight is a pile of cash
AUSTIN — State Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, learned a tidbit from an old hand at crafting a state budget. Before…
Texas revisits allowing open carry of handguns
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Bryan Hull hopes that the Ruger LC9 pistol holstered on his hip sends a clear message.He's not…
Brownsville sets sterling example with scholastic chess
The legacy of competitive scholastic chess in Brownsville received unexpected vindication this past week in Austin when state District Judge…
Nonprofit touted as key to cutting cost of public health care
By Mary Ann Roser American-Statesman Staff The hospital districts in Travis and Nueces counties have publicly owned, privately operated hospitals,…
Off duty, under scrutiny: How much off-the-clock behavior can the state regulate?
American-Statesman Staff Three years ago, while on his computer at home one evening, professor Rodney Hicks clicked the wrong button.…
MUELLER TRIAL: Frederick Mueller released on bond after mistrial
GUNNISON, Colo. — Before the jail door closed behind him, Frederick Mueller was wrapped in the arms of his two…
Testimony to resume in Arizona boyfriend killing
PHOENIX — A woman charged with killing her lover in his Arizona home after a lust-filled day of sex and…
$1 million bounty for fugitive L.A. ex-officer
LOS ANGELES -- An extensive manhunt continued Sunday as Los Angeles officials announced a $1 million reward for information leading…
Nev. lawmaker accused of grabbing for cop's weapon
Troubled Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas on suspicion of physically attacking a family member,…
Lawmakers test legal waters for regulating drones
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are considering whether Congress should set up a special court to decide when drones can kill American…
Kidnapper's motive may never be known, officials say
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. -- Authorities may never know why a south Alabama man killed a school bus driver and held…
Bipartisan group of senators works on gun background check plan
WASHINGTON -- A cornerstone of President Barack Obama's drive to check gun violence is gathering bipartisan steam as four senators,…
Former Montana QB's rape trial begins
Former Montana QB's rape trial begins Lubbock Online February 9, 2013 12:56 AM EST Copyright 2013 Lubbock Online. All rights…
State loses school funding case
AUSTIN — State District Judge John Dietz on Monday declared the state school finance system unconstitutional, ruling in favor of…
A timeline of Texas school finance court battles
AUSTIN, Texas — Here's a look at major dates in Texas' school finance debate: — 1984: Edgewood Independent School District…
Man accused of threatening to kill local judge
By Julie Chang American-Statesman Staff A man has been charged with retaliation after he was accused of threatening to kill…
Morton 'drained' on day one of inquiry
GEORGETOWN (KXAN) - Michael Morton said Monday he was "drained" following five hours of testimony at the Court of Inquiry…
Sowder dismisses Leach due process claim
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Sowder dismisses Leach due process claim Lubbock Online Walt Nett February 5, 2013 12:26 AM EST…
County attorney in San Angelo arrested
SAN ANGELO — The county attorney in Tom Green County is free on personal bond after his arrest over the…
Lawyers present opening remarks in Rosenthal trial
CORPUS CHRISTI — Federal prosecutors and defense counsel on Monday provided opposing pictures of Austin attorney Marc G. Rosenthal’s role…
El Paso County will block Socorro annexation plan
El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday gave the green light to the county attorney to fight Socorro's annexation plan,…
El Paso man sentenced to 12 years in prison in intoxicated manslaughter case
Eric Barajas, the man convicted of striking and killing two pedestrians who were crossing Lee Treviño Drive in 2009, was…
Fort Worth man, 19, gets 30 years for role in shooting death of Southwest High honor student
FORT WORTH -- A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday for his role in the robbery…
Ex-teacher gets max penalty for classroom molestations
It took jurors less than 30 minutes Monday to give the maximum sentence to former St. John Berchmans Catholic School…
Angelina Co. probation officers will soon become armed warrant team
LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - It may take up to six months, but sooner than later Angelina County probation officers will…
Immigration system 'broken,' Castro to tell House panel
Mayor Julián Castro is expected to tell members of the House Judiciary Committee today at a congressional hearing on immigration…
Obama sees consensus on background checks for gun buyers, if not on assault weapons ban
MINNEAPOLIS -- President Barack Obama declared Monday on his first trip outside Washington to promote gun control that a consensus…
Piers Morgan brings gun-control crusade to Katy
A Katy gun store and shooting range provided the setting for Monday's episode of CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," which featured…
U.S. expected to file civil lawsuit against Standard & Poor's
The U.S. government is expected to file civil charges against Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, alleging that it improperly gave…
Facebook judge case goes to Florida Supreme Court
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether a judge can preside over a…
Super Bowl electrical outage remains mystery
NEW ORLEANS — As the Superdome's energy provider and stadium management try to determine what caused a 34-minute power outage…
Morton prosecutor faces court of inquiry this week
American-Statesman Staff Exactly 16 months after Michael Morton was freed from prison, an unprecedented hearing will begin Monday in Georgetown…
Search continues for killer of Kaufman County prosecutor
Investigators continue to comb through legal cases this weekend, searching for clues as to who might have killed Kaufman County…
Supreme Court tosses $200,000 award in suicide
By Chuck Lindell American-Statesman Staff The Texas Supreme Court on Friday tossed out a $200,000 medical malpractice award for the…
School-funding lawsuit: As closing arguments near, lengthy court fight still looms
AUSTIN — After more than a year in the works and roughly a 100-day court battle, a historic school funding…
McCown: Texas shortchanging its future
By F. Scott McCown During his State of the State address last week, Gov. Rick Perry wisely noted that the…
S.A.'s Specia seeks to right Family Services ship
AUSTIN — The scene, a front-and-center seat before the Texas Senate Finance Committee, usually is about as welcoming as a…
El Paso DA calls for removal of Socorro City Council
El Paso District Attorney Jaime Esparza filed a petition in state district court on Friday that may lead to the…
Rosenthal trial starts today in Corpus Christi
CORPUS CHRISTI — Besides 101 people who could be called as witnesses in the trial of Marc G. Rosenthal that…
Judge orders Marchan to fed prison
Attorney Ray R. Marchan, convicted in connection with former state District Judge Abel C. Limas’ racketeering scheme, has been ordered…
Inmate pleads guilty to threatening federal judge
A Brown County jail inmate has pleaded guilty to one count of mailing a threatening communication stemming from a letter…
Jury set in Robertson capital murder trial
The capital murder trial of Stanley Wayne Robertson is set to begin Monday now that the time-consuming and mentally tedious…
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/01/4593309/federal-judge-strikes-down-challenge.html
A federal district judge in Austin has denied a motion by Central Texas commercial dog breeders to block the state's…
Father's impact statement brings court to tears
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - After Judge Jim Bob Darnell read the verdict pronouncing 21-year-old Trenard Nunley guilty as charged, Jalen's…
Crime lab backlogs weighing down court system
American-Statesman Staff A mounting backlog of samples awaiting testing at the Austin Police Department crime lab is causing unprecedented delays…
Is there still a place for a 'Cadillac' school like UT?
AUSTIN - If colleges were automobiles, the University of Texas at Austin would be a Cadillac: a famous brand, a…
Texas freshman QB, Texas A&M lineman arrested in separate incidents
A freshman backup quarterback at Texas was arrested Saturday in Austin for public intoxication and carrying a fake driver's license.Connor…
Texas regents mull coaches' conduct with students
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — University of Texas regents Sunday ordered a review of policies regarding inappropriate relationships between employees and…
Houston jury convicts woman of alien smuggling resulting in death
HOUSTON – Demi Mishel Muniz, of Los Angeles, Calif., has been convicted of conspiracy to transport and harbor aliens resulting…
DA files motion to revoke ex-Upshur County commissioner's bond; defense attorney cites miscommunication
GILMER — Less than two days after being released from jail on a reduced bond, freedom for embattled former Upshur…
Former DA responds to grand jury’s demand for answers on early dismissal
On Jan. 28, 2013, the Cleveland Advocate and Dayton News published an online news article regarding the early dismissal of…
Yassine attorney required to document what, if anything, he’s been paid
American-Statesman Staff A judge is requiring the lawyer for an Austin nightclub operator convicted of money laundering to document what…
Witness: Corpus Christi man fatally shot took methamphetamine about an hour before killing
CORPUS CHRISTI — The roommate of a Corpus Christi man who was fatally shot in 2011 described him as a…
Jurors begin deliberating on man charged with deaths of two pedestrians
During closing arguments today at the 384th District Court with Judge Patrick Garcia presiding, state prosecutors alleged that Barajas was…
Judge will hear porn/fraud case
A wannabe reality TV producer chose Friday to have a judge instead of a jury decide whether he tricked aspiring…
Reports: Sheriff says 'Sniper' author and ex-SEAL Kyle killed at Texas range with another man
GLEN ROSE, Texas (AP) -- Former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with another…
Conservatives make gun issue new rallying cry
CONCORD, N.H. — An immigration debate is raging and a budget crisis looms in Congress, but the conservative activists gathered…
Law firm: Phoenix lawyer dies from shooting wounds
PHOENIX (AP) — A lawyer wounded by a gunman in a Phoenix office shooting this week has become the second…
Judge upholds UO firing instructor over threat
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the University of Oregon by an instructor…
Mistakenly freed killer captured while watching TV
CHICAGO (AP) — Two days after a stunning series of errors allowed a convicted murderer to walk out of a…
US court rejects Oklahoma murder conviction appeal
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court has rejected the appeal of an Oklahoma man convicted of killing a 13-year-old…
Hawaii lawmakers propose shielding celeb privacy
The bill's author says he's pushing the law at the request of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, the former "American…
Yale student gets probation in tailgate death
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Yale University student received a special form of probation Friday that will leave him with…
State Bar asked to investigate prosecutor's action
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The State Bar of Arizona is being asked to investigate a former Pima County prosecutor for…
Russian judge fired after falling asleep in court
MOSCOW — A Russian judge has been fired after he caught 40 winks in court and then sentenced an outraged…
Britain says no charges against Australian DJs for royal hoax
LONDON — Two Australian disc jockeys who called a London hospital impersonating members of the royal family as a hoax…
Judge: No show trial for German far-right suspects
The trial of Beate Zschaepe—the sole surviving member of a neo-Nazi trio that allegedly killed nine businessmen and a policewoman…
Prosecutor killed near North Texas courthouse
KAUFMAN — An assistant district attorney was shot and killed Thursday morning near the North Texas courthouse where he worked,…
Randy Travis pleads guilty to DWI and avoids possible two years in prison
Country singer Randy Travis avoided jail time by pleading guilty Thursday to a charge that could have meant two years…
http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/courts/2013-01-31/nunley-jurors-undecided-resume-deliberations-today-child-abuse
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Nunley jurors, undecided, to resume deliberations today in child abuse case Lubbock Online Walt Nett February…
New agency chief seeks $263 million to protect children, elderly
By Chuck Lindell American-Statesman Staff With cases backing up and workers quitting in droves, Child Protective Services and related agencies…
County seizes Amarilloan's cash for second time in a month
Potter County authorities filed a motion to keep more than $3,000 police seized from an Amarillo man on New Year’s…
Ex-NBA player Van Exel's son convicted of murder
DALLAS — A North Texas jury has found the 22-year-old son of former NBA player Nick Van Exel guilty of…
Lawyer's trial set to start: Jurors picked in Rosenthal criminal case
EDITOR’S NOTE: Valley Morning Star reporter Emma Perez-Treviño is in Corpus Christi and will be providing daily reports on the…
Ex-officer admits smuggling guns to Mexico
A former policeman in deep South Texas faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to helping…
Ruling may slow Houston's tearing down of nuisance properties
The city of Houston is planning to lawyer up more often to fight blight with the wrecking ball because the…
Following criticism, Austin to keep lobbyists off committee to rewrite land-use rules
American-Statesman Staff Facing a tide of criticism, Austin Council Member Bill Spelman on Thursday scrapped a proposal to allow lobbyists…
Nonprofit managing millions in tax money likely to close most meetings
By Mary Ann Roser American-Statesman Staff A nonprofit that will manage hundreds of millions of tax dollars as it overhauls…
TCU students makes film to remember friend killed by drunken driver
FORT WORTH -- Caten Hyde and Aaron Pennywell grew up together, playing street ball at night, carving pumpkins in Cub…
Committee assignments bring welcome news for Texas Panhandle lawmakers
AUSTIN — Texas House Speaker Joe Straus announced his committee appointments for the 83rd session on Thursday, and it was…
Austin senator wants public vote on budget trick
By Kate Alexander American-Statesman Staff Four years ago, state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, was alone in the wilderness calling for…
9 judges charged with Philadelphia ticket fixing
PHILADELPHIA — Get caught speeding? Running a red light? Leaving the scene of an accident? For years, it was no…
Phoenix gunman found dead of apparent suicide
PHOENIX — A man who shot and killed a call-center CEO and critically wounded a lawyer at a Phoenix office…
Patrick Fitzgerald takes on Socrates at mock trial
CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Fitzgerald has prosecuted mobsters, terrorists, a White House aide and two Illinois governors.On Thursday, the former…
Union head takes on NFL on player safety issues
NEW ORLEANS So much for labor peace in the NFL. Less than 18 months after the league and players ended…
Jury: Oregon car-bomb suspect guilty of terrorism
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three hours before they handed down a sentence that could put an Oregon man in prison…
Appeals judges: Anti-paparazzi law appears legal
LOS ANGELES — An appeals panel says California's anti-paparazzi statute appears to be constitutional based on a brief filed by…
Suit claiming Hebrew National not kosher dismissed
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A federal judge in Minnesota has thrown out a lawsuit that claimed Hebrew National's hot dogs…
Falk trial still stalled; awaiting new judge
The capital murder case of John Ray Falk Jr. remained on hold Wednesday and the records sealed pending assignment of…
Judge withdraws execution date in college slaying
CONROE, Texas — A state district judge Wednesday withdrew next month's execution date for a 41-year-old convicted killer who now…
Testimony concludes in Texas school finance trial
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Months of testimony in the sweeping school finance trial concluded Wednesday, with a leading advocate arguing…
Judges Want to Overhaul Indigent Defense: County judges move to reform criminal defense practice
According to the American Bar Association, the first of 10 principles that should guide the delivery of criminal defense for…
LCRA Wins One: A judge has ruled that LCRA didn't breach its contract with wholesale rates
The Lower Colorado River Authority earned a victory last week in the lingering legal dispute with several of its wholesale…
Judge lowers bonds for ex-Upshur County commissioner, son in game warden assault
An Upshur County district judge drastically lowered bonds today for a former commissioner and his son, who were each being…
Tarrant County sex offender gets life after abusing 8-year-old
This article contains explicit descriptions.FORT WORTH -- A convicted sex offender received an automatic life sentence after he was found…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TX_MOTHER_CHILDS_BEATING_DEATH_TXOL-?SITE=TXTYL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-31-07-44-45
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A San Antonio woman has pleaded guilty just before trial to having a role in the…
Nunley calls scalding 'an accident,' says he didn't check water temperature before putting boy in tub
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Nunley calls scalding 'an accident,' says he didn't check water temperature before putting boy in tub…
Fort Worth DA: No intention of resigning
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The district attorney in Fort Worth says he's not bowing to calls for his resignation…
Judge denies Hasan's request to toss death penalty
FORT HOOD – An Army judge on Wednesday rejected a bid by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's military defense team to…
13 ex-prison workers in Midland indicted in bribery case
MIDLAND — Thirteen former West Texas federal prison workers have been indicted in a bribery and smuggling investigation. Prosecutors say…
Prosecutor: Country star Randy Travis expected to enter plea in Texas drunken driving case
SHERMAN, Texas (AP) -- Country music star Randy Travis is scheduled to appear in a North Texas court, where prosecutors…
Multiple DWI offender gets 40-year prison sentence
A Gilmer man with a string of driving while intoxicated convictions dating to 1994 was sentenced this week to 40…
North Texas man sentenced for nose bite
A North Texas jury has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for biting off the nose of a…
North Texas man sentenced for nose bite
A North Texas jury has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for biting off the nose of a…
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Texas-judge-reaffirms-order-on-Scout-abuse-files-4237762.php
A judge in San Antonio has reaffirmed an earlier ruling requiring the Boy Scouts of America to turn over “perversion”…
Alamo letter by Travis gets important 'aid'
Did William Barret Travis forget a word in his famous public plea to “come to our aid, with all dispatch”?…
Perry sees windfall in rainy day
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry's proposal to tap into the rainy day fund for tax relief could affect revenue long…
House members negotiate a proposal on immigration
WASHINGTON — A group of a half-dozen House members, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, is nearing completion of wide-ranging…
Obama uncle in Mass. gets Dec. deportation hearing
Onyango (ohn-YAHN'-goh) Obama is the half brother of the president's late father. He has lived in the U.S. since coming…
Giffords pleads for gun curbs; NRA fights back
WASHINGTON — Severely wounded and still recovering, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begged lawmakers at an emotional hearing Wednesday to act…
Teen who performed at Obama inaugural events shot dead in Chicago
(CNN) -- A teen who performed at events around President Barack Obama's inauguration was shot to death in Chicago this…
Rapid-fire gun triggers now in cross-hairs
WASHINGTON - For gun enthusiasts, the Slide Stock is an exciting add-on that enables shooters to unleash bursts of machine-gun-like…
TexMessage: Poll shows Texans narrowly favor assault weapons ban
Texans favor a proposed ban on assault weapons, according to a poll by Public Policy Polling, with 49 percent in…
Christmas tree-lighting bomb plot goes to jury`
PORTLAND, Ore. — The federal terrorism trial of an Oregon man accused of attempting to detonate a bomb at Portland's…
Judge OKs $4 billion criminal settlement for BP spill
1/30/2013 10:08:00 AM What the plea deal approved by U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance doesn't resolve, though, is the federal…
George Zimmerman Wants to Delay Trial for Trayvon Martin Shooting
Attorneys for the former neighborhood watch volunteer charged with shooting Trayvon Martin to death on Wednesday asked for more time…
Judge Denies New Trial for Sandusky
A Pennsylvania judge Wednesda) denied Jerry Sandusky's bid for a new trial. But his lawyers are vowing to take the…
Sen. Robert Menendez denies improper travel and hiring prostitutes
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Robert Menendez's office issued a statement Wednesday saying he had traveled several times on a plane…
Sen. Robert Menendez denies improper travel and hiring prostitutes
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Robert Menendez's office issued a statement Wednesday saying he had traveled several times on a plane…
State filing responds to Nebraska lawsuit filed by opponents of Keystone XL oil pipeline
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- The state of Nebraska has responded to a lawsuit filed by three opponents of the Keystone…
Activists try to save old Warsaw ghetto building
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — It was the place where Jewish women did their ritual bathing. It was a tuberculosis clinic.…
Judge halts execution of female inmate
HUNTSVILLE The first woman scheduled to be executed in the United States since 2010 won a two-month reprieve Tuesday, hours…
Judge certifies South Texas teen to be tried as adult in federal agent's shooting
EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- A teenager accused of shooting a federal agent near the U.S.-Mexico border will face an attempted…
Tech prof changes defendants in suit over tenure opinion
LUBBOCK — A Texas Tech professor battling the university’s administration over his refusal to accept tenure has changed his lawsuit…
Texas AG: Socorro broke law when it extended terms
The Texas attorney general said Tuesday that Socorro violated state law by extending terms of the mayor and City Council…
Texas cancer-fighting agency is a financial mess
The Texas State Auditor has produced a 99-page report showing that the troubled Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas…
Settling DA case saved hundreds of thousands of dollars, officials say
Senior Tarrant County officials said Tuesday that they saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by quietly settling a sexual…
Hung jury derails baby death trial
The baby death trial of Indiana resident Johnnie Ray Byrkett was derailed Tuesday after jurors sent a note indicating they…
Trooper to Be Terminated Over Roadside Cavity Search
The female Texas trooper who performed a roadside cavity search on two Irving women will be terminated according to the…
Appeal denied in local murder case
GREENVILLE — A Greenville man has the lost an appeal of the conviction and life prison sentence he received for…
Attorney trial begins this week
EDITOR’S NOTE: Valley Morning Star reporter Emma Perez-Treviño is in Corpus Christi and will be providing daily reports on the…
Sugar Land bank robber convicted
A 27-year-old Tennessee man has been convicted for his role in a bank robbery that led to a shoot out…
La Salle County finds itself surfing a wave of prosperity
COTULLA — The newly restored La Salle County Courthouse opened over the weekend with a flourish — speeches, guided tours…
County searches for solutions to save homeowners from foreclosure
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas -- Williamson County conducted a property loan audit that revealed some major red flags. The county clerk…
Kerr County district clerk ends 44-year run
KERRVILLE — Robbin Burlew was appointed Tuesday to replace Kerr County District Clerk Linda Uecker, who is retiring Thursday after…
Mother distracts, shoots home invader
MAGNOLIA, Texas - A mother says she found herself face to face with three home invaders while she was home…
Senate hearing pits NRA, gun-control supporters
WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association and gun-control advocates, including the husband of wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, are facing…
Perry seeks Texas infrastructure upgrades, constitutional amendment returning excess taxes
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday credited spending restraint for igniting the Texas economy but also proposed…
Texas reaction mixed to Obama call for immigration reform
American-Statesman Staff With bipartisan momentum building in the U.S. Senate for a sweeping overhaul of the nations immigration system, President…
Sextortion: Calif. hacker accused of coercing online stripteases
LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities have arrested a California man they say hacked into hundreds of social media and email…
Man ordered to trial in deaths of 2 Oklahoma girls
OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma man was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on murder charges in the deaths of…
Judge leaves Apple’s patent infringement award intact
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has denied a request by Apple Inc. to increase its $1.05 billion award from a…
SD senator seeks to get rid of alienation lawsuits
A South Dakota state senator had hoped a sensational trial that aired details of a prosecutor's romance would help him…
Defense begins making case in boyfriend slaying
PHOENIX (AP) — Jodi Arias has acknowledged shooting, stabbing and slitting the throat of her lover. She says it was…
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2013/jan/29/doctor-cliff-fall-killed-victim/
GUNNISON, Colo. — Dr. Werner Spitz on Tuesday pointed out a fracture near the base of Leslie Mueller’s skull —…
Former Ill. Gov. Ryan to be released from prison
George Ryan on Wednesday will become the latest former Illinois governor to go through a prison door. This time, he's…
Dutch court rejects most of Shell spill case
A Dutch court has ruled that a subsidiary of international oil giant Royal Dutch Shell should be held responsible for…
Doctor says not only cyclists used his doping
MADRID (AP) — The doctor at the center of Spain's long-awaited Operation Puerto trial testified Tuesday that athletes from sports…
Judge OKs BP's guilty plea to manslaughter, other charges, $4 billion in oil spill penalties
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- BP PLC closed the book on the Justice Department's criminal probe of its role in the…
Minnesota judge orders release of more confidential Boy Scout records on sexual abuse
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Minnesota judge on Tuesday ordered the handover of confidential national Boy Scout records on sexual abuse…
Judge declares mistrial in capital murder case of John Ray Falk Jr.
District Judge Ken Keeling declared a mistrial Monday -- an extremely rare move for a trial judge -- immediately after…
Texas woman's execution 1st in US since 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas woman convicted of the gruesome slaying and robbery of her neighbor, a retired 71-year-old…
Audit finds new issues at cancer agency
American-Statesman Staff The states troubled cancer-fighting agency, already under criminal investigation, got more bad news Monday with a critical audit…
Charter schools say their smaller share of state aid is unconstitutional
American-Statesman Staff For the first time in Texas protracted legal wrangling over how to fund public education, charter schools Monday…
Recording of defense attorney with Limas could force recusal
A 2008 audio recording between then-404th state District Court Judge Abel C. Limas and defense attorney John Blaylock has created…
Lawyer for Mike Yassine asks to withdraw from case
American-Statesman Staff The lawyer representing an Austin nightclub operator found guilty of money laundering says the case has left him…
Bond hearing set for former Upshur County commissioner, son
State District Judge Lauren Parish on Monday set a Thursday bond reduction hearing for a former Upshur County commissioner and…
Pridgen gets 20-year sentence for 2009 shooting death
PALESTINE — After about two hours of deliberations, a jury found Robert Lynn Pridgen guilty of murder for the 2009…
Teacher on trial in classroom molestation case
Three young girls took the witness stand Monday as the indecency with a child trial began for former St. John…
Perry has a surprise in his State of the State address
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry will use his State of the State address to call for amending the Texas Constitution…
Immigration proposal upsets Texas Republicans
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate immigration reform proposal unveiled Monday received a cool response from Texas Republicans, despite the importance…
Father of Newtown victim heckled at hearing
HARTFORD -- Some came dressed in camouflage and others in suits. Some wore National Rifle Association hats, casual clothing or…
Bill would exempt Wyoming from federal gun ban
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming legislative committee is set to hear a bill that seeks to pre-empt any federal…
Authorities: NY judge opens door to Swiss records
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Monday authorized the Internal Revenue Service to require UBS AG to produce records…
Testimony begins in hearing over Weleetka deaths
OKEMAH, Okla. — The grandfather of one of two girls found dead along a rural Oklahoma road in 2008 testified…
No alarm, only 1 exit in Brazil nightclub fire
SANTA MARIA, Brazil The nightclub Kiss was hot, steamy from the press of beer-fueled bodies dancing close. The Brazilian country…
Judge approves deal on New Orleans' signage limits during Super Bowl week
NEW ORLEANS -- An agreement Monday has resolved a lawsuit over plans by the city of New Orleans to enforce…
‘Goat’ ad brings possible Super Bowl fame
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Moose, the goat, is an enthusiastic eater and a good spokesman for Doritos, which he consumes by…
Antigua gets OK to become copyright haven
LONDON Americans call it piracy. Antiguans call it justice. The islands of Antigua and Barbuda are threatening to strip intellectual…
Guatemala ex-dictator to stand trial on genocide
A former U.S.-backed dictator who presided over one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's civil war will stand trial on…
Anti-abortion protestor is banned from District of Columbia
WASHINGTON -- Rives Grogan was up a tree during President Barack Obama's inauguration. Now he's out on a limb, legally…
Kwame Harris charged with felony abuse
Former 49ers and Raiders tackle Kwame Harris faces charges that he assaulted his boyfriend at a Menlo Park restaurant after…
White House: Egypt's democracy on 'difficult path'
WASHINGTON (AP) — Egypt is on a "difficult path" to a peaceful democracy, the White House said Monday as months…
$1M lawsuit alleges Bridgeport police brutality
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A man seen on a video posted on YouTube being beaten by three Bridgeport police officers…
Credit card cases at risk from ruling
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) - Some $425 million of enforcement actions against credit card companies could be at risk as a result…
Capital murder case to resume: Judge blunt in comments regarding appeals court
During a capital murder trial hearing Friday, District Judge Ken Keeling showed little restraint in commenting on a higher court…
Commission investigating texting incident between two San Jacinto County judges
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct is investigating two district judges for San Jacinto County — 411th District Court Judge…
'I was sexually harassed by Joe Shannon, District Attorney'
This report contains sexually explicit material. The personal journal of former Assistant District Attorney Sabrina Sabin, made public Friday, explicitly…
Texas Court hits open beaches law
GALVESTON - The Texas Supreme Court dealt another blow Friday to the Texas Open Beaches Act in a case pitting…
Deal could halt Keystone XL pipeline protests
LONGVIEW - An agreement reached between attorneys for a company building a Canada-to-Gulf Coast oil pipeline and various groups protesting…
State seeks to keep convicted killer David Leonard Wood on death row
Convicted serial killer David Leonard Wood will remain on death row if the judge presiding over his post-conviction hearing agrees…
Former El Paso County Judge Briones wire a fail for feds
Federal investigators apparently didn't get much when they persuaded former County Judge Dolores Briones to wear a wire in 2010…
Defendant's apology in El Paso sex case fails to impress judge; hearing reset
A federal judge delayed the sentencing of a man accused of trying to use the Internet to lure five minors…
Former El Paso youth minister gets 30 years for child porn
With tears in his eyes, a former youth minister convicted on child pornography charges apologized to his victims and his…
Former Spring Branch ISD teacher found with same boy she's accused of assaulting
HOUSTON—Kathryn Murray, 29, is at an age for adult relationships. But it is one she allegedly keeps having with a…
Judge overturns results of South Texas school board race, incumbent wins back seat
EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- A judge has overturned the results of a South Texas school board election after finding that…
Texas-size troubles for the state's No. 12 bank
Of the 536 banks based in Texas, none has bigger problems than Edinburg's First National Bank. One dollar of every…
Misdemeanor plea in fatal DWI case
A soon-to-be lawyer who was charged with intoxication manslaughter four years ago after he ran over a motorcyclist while driving…
Ex-QB Vince Young: 'I probably' signed for loan
DALLAS — Former NFL quarterback Vince Young admitted under oath he probably signed at least some of the documents for…
Businessman acquitted in stock fraud trial
A San Antonio businessman blamed the district attorney's office for destroying his career Friday after he was acquitted by a…
State revenue up, but no push seen to restore school funding
AUSTIN -- Historic state budget cuts wiped out 100 public school jobs in Odessa. Two years later, the school district…
Tort reform foes team up to force insurance companies to pay promptly
By Tim Eaton American-Statesman Staff Trial lawyers and doctors have a long history of acrimony at the Texas Capitol, much…
Gov. Rick Perry: Texas to make abortion as rare as possible
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry told a crowd of more than 3,000 people Saturday at rally decrying the…
Dallas DA Craig Watkins says he'll seek 3rd term in 2014, unworried about primary challenge
DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins says he'll seek a third term next year. Watkins told WFAA-TV…
Cycling agrees to amnesty for doping confessions
LONDON — Cyclists will be offered a chance to confess to past doping offenses without fear of retribution in an…
Armstrong meeting with USADA appears unlikely
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong's lawyers say the cyclist will talk more about drug use in the sport, just…
Appeals court says Obama's recess appointments are unconstitutional
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama violated the Constitution when he bypassed the Senate last year to appoint three members of…
Obama picks Mary Jo White to lead SEC
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will nominate Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, tapping an attorney…
Egypt declares state of emergency in 3 provinces
CAIRO Egypt's president declared a state of emergency and curfew in three Suez Canal provinces hit hardest by a weekend…
Democrats may stand in Obama's way on gun measures
WASHINGTON — As the Senate prepares to begin debating new gun control measures, some of President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats…
Once GOP stronghold, West veers into Dems' column
DENVER — A political generation ago, the West signaled the nation's rightward swing, from the emergence of Ronald Reagan to…
Obama's birth certificate still being questioned by Texas Republicans
When President Obama was sworn in Monday, he paused as he exited, commenting that he wanted one last look at…
Fox News, Sarah Palin cutting ties
NEW YORK (AP) - Fox News Channel is parting ways with former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, ending her…
Casey Anthony files for bankruptcy as she vows to keep fighting legal issues
Sunday, January 27, 2013 - 16:00 KDBC Staff (CNN) — Casey Anthony's fate keeps changing. Two years ago, her murder…
Jury foreman conduct results in Okla. mistrial
TULSA, Okla. — A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday in a case that deals with what a prosecutor called…
Suit says Johnson & Johnson knew hip implant was faulty
LOS ANGELES -- A lawsuit brought by a man whose hip implant caused metal poisoning accuses medical giant Johnson &…
Mistrial Declared In Ex-Cheerleader’s Libel Suit
COVINGTON, Ky. (January 25, 2013)-- federal judge declared a mistrial Friday in the trial of a defamation lawsuit against a…
Retired dentist gets 20 years in wife's death
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A Smith County jury took six hours Thursday to decide punishment for a retired Tyler…
Whitehouse man found guilty in death of girlfriend
By DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A Smith County jury sentenced a Whitehouse man Thursday to 42 years in prison after finding…
Abilene man convicted of murder sentenced to life in prison
Danny Calamaco, of Abilene, who was convicted Thursday morning in the 2010 murder of another Abilene man, was sentenced to…
Lubbock man gets 75 years for sexual assault
LUBBOCK — Scotty Dean Justice was sentenced to 99 years in prison Wednesday afternoon by the same jury that convicted…
Fort Worth man guilty in scalding death of 2-year-old daughter
FORT WORTH -- A 27-year-old man who killed his 2-year-old daughter by holding her down in a bathtub of scalding…
Judge denies Marchan request to remain free on bond
A federal judge has denied attorney Ray R. Marchan’s request to remain free on bond and to stay his sentence…
DA Anderson reverses "trace case" policy
Newly elected Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said Thursday he will prosecute as felonies drug cases that involve trace…
Roberts jailed in Lubbock to face bail-jump charge
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Roberts jailed in Lubbock to face bail-jump charge Walt Nett January 25, 2013 12:17 AM EST…
Prosecutors: Defendant ran 'most dysfunctional' business in S.A.
Jurors worked nine hours but couldn't reach a decision Thursday in the trial of a San Antonio businessman accused of…
Four people in Maverick corruption probe plead guilty
DEL RIO — Four people caught up in a corruption probe in Maverick County pleaded guilty to a range of…
Judge denies new trial for Lorenz
SEGUIN — A motion for a new trial was denied Thursday for Cody Lorenz who pleaded guilty to murder while…
Ex-UT kicker Erxleben faces new fraud counts
AUSTIN — Former Texas All-American and NFL kicker and punter Russell Erxleben, who previously served a federal prison sentence for…
Matamoros cartel boss sentenced to seven years
BROWNSVILLE -- An Mexican drug cartel manager who stayed involved in cartel business right up until his conviction was sentenced…
Profile: Lawyer Pete Schenkkan
Gray-suited Pete Schenkkan doesnt look like a philosopher or a poet. Given his brushed-back hair and studied smile, he appears…
2nd person charged in Lone Star College shooting
One man bumped into another man. That was the catalyst for an argument that erupted into gunfire at a Lone…
Tarrant trails only Harris County for the most concealed handgun permits
FORT WORTH -- Curtis Van Liew always knew something bad could happen.Then, one cool fall evening in 1985, on his…
Dems push assault weapons ban
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats unveiled legislation Thursday to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines like those used in the school…
TexMessage: Texas Republicans unanimously oppose assault weapons ban
Yesterday, Democrats reintroduced a bill that would ban the sale, transfer, manufacturing, or importation of military assault weapons and high…
Whats a filibuster look like? Not Jimmy Stewart
WASHINGTON From Jimmy Stewart's fictional all-night talkathon to real-life dramas over World War I and civil rights, the Senate's filibuster…
New Senate Rules to Curtail the Excesses of a Filibuster
WASHINGTON — Senators will still be able to talk and talk and talk, though for not quite as long as…
Former Okla. judge agrees to deferred prosecution
OKLAHOMA CITY — Attorney General Scott Pruitt says former Pittsburg County Special Judge William Layden Jr. has agreed to a…
Edmond man accused of threatening judge, attorneys
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MUELLER TRIAL: Aquatic expert testifies at trial
GUNNISON, Colo. — Nearly 30 witnesses have testified on behalf of state prosecutors in the murder trial of San Angelo…
Prosecutors waive death penalty in Texarkana death
TEXARKANA, Ark. — An Oklahoma couple accused of kidnapping and killing a man whose body was discovered at Texarkana Speedway…
Courts cut $172 million from Bratz doll verdict
SAN FRANCISCO A federal appeals court on Thursday tossed out $172 million in damages Mattel Inc. had been ordered to…
Former federal prosecutor named to head SEC
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Judge strikes down retirement law pushed by Jindal last year
A Baton Rouge judge struck down one of Gov. Bobby Jindal's key initiatives Thursday, ruling the state House violated the…
Mexico's legal soul search after Frenchwoman freed
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexicans are engaged in national soul searching over their country's flawed justice system as newly freed…
Judge who made rape remark not picked as justice
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A candidate for the Indonesian Supreme Court who suggested in a panel interview that rape victims…
Texas education chief says talk of restoring funds should wait until school finance suit ends
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams sidestepped the debate over $5.4 billion slashed from public schools two…
Texas sheriff: Not all gun control violates rights
DALLAS — A suburban Dallas sheriff said Wednesday he doesn't consider all gun control to be unconstitutional, days after posting…
McLennan Co. Sheriff will not enforce new federal gun, ammo laws
The sheriff of McLennan County, in Waco, says he will not enforce new federal laws that restrict guns or ammunition.…
House bill aimed at removing Texas guns from U.S. regulation; experts say idea is unconstitutional
By Tim Eaton American-Statesman Staff State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, filed a firearms-related bill Wednesday aimed at helping the…
Travis DA: Current CPRIT board not under suspicion, but inquiry ‘far from finished’
By Laylan Copelin American-Statesman Staff Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg on Wednesday clarified the focus of her investigation into…
Jury finds retired Tyler dentist guilty
By DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A Smith County jury took an hour and 20 minutes Wednesday to find a retired Tyler…
Former state psychiatrist charged with public lewdness
American-Statesman Staff The psychiatrist facing felony charges that he molested five adolescent psychiatric patients under his care while he worked…
Fort Worth father testifies that 2-year-old's death in a tub was accidental
FORT WORTH -- A father accused of killing his 2-year-old daughter by holding her down in a bathtub filled with…
Judge: 17-year-old still charged with capital murder in North Texas deaths
WEATHERFORD (AP) — A North Texas judge declined Wednesday to dismiss a capital murder charge against a 17-year-old accused of…
Stanford investors must repay bogus CD interest, judge says
R. Allen Stanford's defrauded investors must repay any interest they earned on the bogus certificates of deposit at the heart…
Jury awards Metro officer $305,000 in promotion dispute
Metro transit police superiors retaliated against a patrol officer when they disrupted his attempts to earn a promotion, a federal…
Family of Sgt. Joshua Michael joins parade crash lawsuit
The family of Army Sgt. Joshua Michael has joined a lawsuit over the crash of a freight train into a…
Expert: 'Revenge porn' suit will be hard to win
A "revenge porn" website named in a class action lawsuit filed last week by a Beaumont attorney has re-launched with…
Prosecutor in San Antonio says no charges to be brought against 2 UT players, case closed
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- No charges will be brought against two Texas football players investigated after a reported sexual assault…
Legislative Notebook: 15 senators draw 2-year elections
Fifteen state senators will face voters in 2014, rather than serving a typical four-year term, following the once-a-decade re-election term…
Travis Democratic Party chairman holds early fundraising lead in race for county judge
By Farzad Mashhood American-Statesman Staff With longstanding Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe set to retire next year, fundraising is well…
District Judge For Southwest Texas Passes Away
DEL RIO -- A longtime district judge in Southwest Texas has passed away. Judge Carl Pendergrass died…
Justice Sonia Sotomayor visits Austin to promote new memoir
People around the world watched U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor administer the vice presidential oath of office to Joe…
Virgin Galactic supports NM spaceport legislation
SANTA FE, N.M. — Spacecraft operators and manufacturers, along with their parts and services suppliers, will be shielded in New…
Antlers Ex-Judge Not Guilty In Boy's Bike Death
ANTLERS, OK -- Former Pushmataha County district judge Doyle Blythe was acquitted of all charges, after a two-day trial in…
Murder trial of San Angelo man focuses on water
GUNNISON, Colo. — Water will be the focus of testimony today as attorneys play video of tests run in the…
Goat found not guilty of vandalism
SYDNEY (AP) -- Gary the flower-eating goat's graze with Australian police has ended with his comedian owner getting the last…
Court puts American Indian status in jury's hands
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An Arizona man serving 90 years in prison on assault and firearms charges will have that sentence…
Trial of suspects in India gang rape set to begin
Police were on alert outside the sprawling court complex in south Delhi as the suspects arrived. The court is expected…
Mexican millionaire tied to money scheme is dead
A Mexican businessman embroiled in a high-profile fight in San Antonio over the government's seizure of more than $4 million…
Parents to publicize NY lawsuit depositions
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — The parents of a college football player who was shot and killed by a policeman in…
DA: Cancer agency investigation continues
By Laylan Copelin American-Statesman Staff Travis County prosecutors on Tuesday disputed a statement from an official with the states troubled…
Family court judge dismisses Splendora child welfare bus case
Nearly a year after their two children were found living virtually unsupervised in an old school bus in Splendora, the…
Texas college shooting started with a fight
Nearly a year after their two children were found living virtually unsupervised in an old school bus in Splendora, the…
Tax-districts bill to seek cash for extra security at Texas schools
AUSTIN -- Communities that want to boost safety measures at public schools might have to pay up. Texas lawmakers announced…
Texas attorney general opts not investigate Stephens County incident
The Texas attorney general's office has declined to investigate a November incident in which a man who was then the…
Adams sentenced in felony DWI
Former San Angelo City Councilman Fredd Adams, the owner of an Abilene funeral home, pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony DWI…
Fort Worth man gets 90 years for impersonating a police officer.
FORT WORTH -- A Fort Worth man was sentenced to 90 years in prison Friday for impersonating a police officer…
Fort Worth court dismisses NFL custody case
The fate of the infant daughter of pro football player Jovan Belcher, who killed his girlfriend in December before turning…
Former Stanford officer gets 5 years in prison
Another confederate of disgraced financier R. Allen Stanford is headed to federal prison for his role in a multinational, multibillion-dollar…
Congressional panel will look into Lackland sex scandal
SAN ANTONIO - A House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday will focus on the growing sex scandal at Joint…
Jury convicts Justice on all counts in rape, assault case
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Closing arguements expected today in murder trial of Whitehouse man
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Ex-dentist accused in wife's death back in jail
By DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A retired Tyler dentist on trial in his wife’s shooting death was back in Smith County…
Victoria County Commissioners to appoint new judge for County Court
• Approved fee changes for the Victoria County Floodplain Administration. • Appointed Commissioner Clint Ives to the Metropolitan Planning Organization…
MUELLER TRIAL: Witness tells a different version
GUNNISON, Colo. — Jurors on Tuesday heard a new version of what happened at Cottonwood Creek the day Leslie Mueller…
Convicted Pa. pastor faces trial in 1st wife death
STROUDSBURG, Pa. — A former Methodist clergyman convicted of bludgeoning his second wife to death in 2008 now faces trial…
Criminal probe ongoing into Jeffs polygamous sect
PHOENIX — Law enforcement in a town dominated by one of the nation's largest polygamous sects has been preventing women…
Ex-Judge On Trial For Antlers Boy's Death
ANTLERS, OK -- A former judge is on trial for an accident that killed a 6-year-old who was riding a…
Colo. sheriff: Only courts can rule on gun control
The Colorado sheriff whose county includes the movie theater where 12 people were shot and killed last year says law-enforcement…
Virgin Galactic, trial lawyers reach agreement on spaceport liability bill
SANTA FE — Southern New Mexico's $209 million Spaceport America is now better positioned to attract businesses and space travelers…
Woman strip searched after flight on 9/11 sues
DETROIT (AP) — A woman who says she was ethnically targeted for a strip search at Detroit Metropolitan Airport filed…
Plan to post TN appeals court proceedings online raises concern from judges, family lawyers
A recent Tennessee Supreme Court rule change that will make oral arguments from all of the state?s appeals courts available…
DA will review Los Angeles church files for crimes
LOS ANGELES Prosecutors who have been stymied for years in their attempts to build a criminal conspiracy case against retired…
Louisiana: Former Governor Seeks End to Sentence
Edwin Edwards, a former governor of Louisiana who spent eight years in federal prison for his role in a riverboat…
Rape Trial Challenges a Jam in India’s Justice System
NEW DELHI — For Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful politician, the 23-year-old victim of the fatal gang rape last month…
Editor gets 10 years in jail for Thai royal insult
BANGKOK A prominent Thai activist and magazine editor was sentenced to a decade in prison Wednesday for defaming Thailand's monarchy,…
Obama summons nation for 2nd term: ‘We are made for this moment’
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President Obama's 2013 inaugural address
Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time we…
Texas redistricting fight: Lawmakers await ruling as battle nears end
AUSTIN — The two-year Texas redistricting battle could soon enter its final phase, and whether the outcome is welcome news…
Armstrong's enemies find vindication, sadness
First shunned, then vilified by Lance Armstrong, Mike Anderson had to move to the other side of the world to…
Dallas County DA backs 'Racial Justice Act'
DALLAS -- The Dallas prosecutor who built a reputation for freeing wrongfully convicted inmates says he has an idea to…
Judge rules pipeline not his jurisdiction
A Nacogdoches County court-at-law judge ruled Friday that his court does not have legal jurisdiction over the dispute between landowner…
Dallas woman guilty of injury to a child in 10-year-old stepson's dehydration death
DALLAS (AP) -- A Dallas woman was convicted Friday in the dehydration death of her 10-year-old stepson who was denied…
Texas couple with 2 kids left alone on old bus back to court Tuesday
SPLENDORA, Texas (AP) -- The parents of two young children discovered living virtually unsupervised in an old school bus in…
El Paso county to restart $18M civil RICO suit
A federal judge has ordered the county to resume a civil $18 million racketeering suit against three defendants after they…
Initial ruling set by former judge, signed by sitting judge
The probated sentence handed down to a man who pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child younger than…
Denison man sentenced to prison for child abuse
Judge Rayburn Nall sentenced James Anthony Kirvin, 54, of Denison to a total of 58 years in prison on Friday…
Liberty County grand jurors upset probe was halted early
Disbanded a month before their term was scheduled to end last year, members of a Liberty County grand jury investigating…
Appellate Court upholds 2007 murder conviction of former SFA football player
LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - In a unanimous decision, justices with Texas' 14th Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the 2007 murder…
South Texas man convicted, sentenced to life in prison for 2003 house fire that left wife dead
GOLIAD, Texas (AP) -- A South Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison over a 2003 house fire…
Judge dismisses lawsuit of ex-Weslaco worker
WESLACO – The city of Weslaco declared victory this month against a former employee who claimed he was fired for…
U.S. Marshals arrest former Tech student convicted of manslaughter
LUBBOCK — U.S. Marshals arrested a former Texas Tech student who pleaded guilty to intoxicated manslaughter in Houston early Monday…
Woman testifies in Whitehouse murder trial of former husband
By DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com The former wife of a Whitehouse man accused of shooting and killing a woman who…
Prosecution, defense set for Rosenthal trial
As the trial of attorney Marc G. Rosenthal nears, the defense and the prosecution have been laying out their positions…
Mexia man sentenced to life in prison for 2011 shooting death of his father, 54
GROESBECK, Texas (AP) -- A Central Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 fatal shooting…
Panhandle man pleads to misdemeanor in United Supermarkets extortion case
LUBBOCK - A Panhandle man pleaded guilty last week to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing the mail in connection with…
West Texas doctor pleads guilty in drug case
MIDLAND — A West Texas doctor faces at least 10 years in prison for writing fake prescriptions for hydrocodone and…
Airport feud ends: Discrimination found, but FAA complaint dismissed
HARLINGEN — A tumultuous chapter has concluded with a federal agency’s dismissal of a complaint that Sun Valley Aviation Inc.…
Again, Hall says he will challenge Parker
Nearly two decades after first announcing his interest in running for mayor, Houston lawyer Benjamin L. Hall III, made it…
Thousands rally against stricter gun control laws in events from New York to Washington state
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Thousands of gun advocates gathered peacefully Saturday at state capitals around the U.S. to rally against…
Gun purchase mental-health records a patchwork
WASHINGTON - Even though a community college suspended him for classroom outbursts and confrontations with police, Jared Loughner passed background…
Collin County Sheriff Won't Enforce Gun Laws That He Says Violate Constitution
Collin County Sheriff Terry Box says he, nor his deputies, will enforce unconstitutional gun laws put in place by whom…
High court to hear appeal in case of jilted woman
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from a jilted woman who was convicted under an anti-terrorism…
Michigan Supreme Court justice charged with fraud
DETROIT (AP) — Federal prosecutors have filed a fraud charge against Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway, just a few…
Maine judge delays hearing for ex-prosecutor
AUGUSTA, Maine — A federal judge has agreed to postpone a Feb. 5 court date for James Cameron, Maine's former…
Charles Taylor appeals war crimes conviction
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands Prosecutors urged international judges Tuesday to reject former Liberian President Charles Taylor's appeal against his war crimes conviction…
India gang-rape trial opens Thursday in new court
NEW DELHI (AP) — The trial of five men accused of the rape and murder of a student aboard a…
Berlusconi sex-for-hire verdict likely after vote
MILAN — Judges hearing ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi's sex-for-hire trial are indicating that the verdict could come down after national elections…
Tymoshenko's lawyer faces legal action in Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine — The top lawyer for jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko says he is under criminal investigation…
Lance Armstrong admits doping: 'I'm a flawed character'
CHICAGO (AP) - He did it. He finally admitted it. Lance Armstrong doped. He was light on the details and…
Doping admission could cost Armstrong millions - lawyers
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong's admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career could hurt his bank…
IOC VP: Armstrong must tell 'whole truth'
LONDON (AP) -- Lance Armstrong's doping confession to Oprah Winfrey was "too little, too late" and failed to provide any…
Can we forgive Lance Armstrong?
Gore Vidal called us ?the United States of Amnesia.? And now Lance Armstrong?s televised confession to doping raises the question…
Ex-judge says lawyer offered him money for cases
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — While a personal injury attorney's cases were pending in his courtroom, a former South Texas judge…
Judge finds conspiracy existed in Rosenthal case
Several witnesses, including former state Rep. Jim Solis and ex-state District Judge Abel C. Limas, testified Thursday that they acted…
3rd Maverick County commissioner indicted
DEL RIO, Texas — A third Maverick County commissioner has been indicted in a South Texas corruption probe including bribery…
Court told education system is failing Texas businesses
AUSTIN -- The head of the state's largest business lobbying group testified Thursday that Texas' inadequate education system has left…
Texas Legislature bill would allow concealed carry of handguns on college campuses
AUSTIN — The debate over limiting guns has officially moved to Texas. A day after President Barack Obama proposed sweeping…
Corpus Christi man gets 13-year prison term after pleading guilty to being felon in possession of firearm
CORPUS CHRISTI — A Corpus Christi man was sentenced Thursday to more than 13 years in prison after being pleading…
Attorneys for condemned man seek DNA testing in Montgomery County case
Lawyers for a death row inmate set to be executed next month will seek DNA testing under a recent Texas…
2 witnesses say Tyler dentist told them he killed his wife
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A bail bondsman and a nurse testified in the second day of the murder trial…
El Paso jury sentences Shawntrell Dawkins to 33 years in death of goddaughter
Shawntrell Dawkins, the woman convicted in her goddaughter's fatal beating, was sentenced to 33 years in prison Thursday. Jurors deliberated…
City of El Paso files lawsuit to OK baseball stadium plans
The city this week filed a lawsuit in Austin asking the state courts to conclude that it's entitled to proceed…
Man granted new trial takes plea deal in 2008 slaying
FORT WORTH -- A Mansfield man who won his appeal of a murder conviction and was granted a new trial…
Leaf faces new hearing in Randall, official says
Randall County Criminal District Attorney James Farren said Ryan Leaf is coming back to Texas. Leaf, the former West Texas…
Lubbock man's son tells of murder plot during trial
LUBBOCK — A Lubbock man's son Wednesday corroborated earlier stories of a plot his biological parents devised to eliminate a…
Last defendant pleads guilty to killing sex offender in Lubbock
Zeven Devon Sanders, the last of three defendants in the December 2010 murder of a sex offender from Oregon, was…
Houston-area man sentenced to 45 years in child porn cases, calls self 'monster' in court
HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston-area man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison in a child pornography investigation in…
Homeland Security agent guilty of faking records
BROWNSVILLE -- A former U.S. Homeland Security agent pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to fake investigative records, and details released…
Mueller trial testimony gets technical
GUNNISON, Colo. — Testimony in the trial of Frederick Mueller took a turn for the technical Thursday. State prosecutors continued…
Victim's dying words can be used against murder defendant
A young woman's dying statements to police identifying her sister's boyfriend as the assailant who stabbed her and other family…
Vilma's defamation suit against Goodell dismissed
New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma's defamation lawsuit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with the bounty case was…
Oklahoma Supreme Court rejects textbook challenge
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Supreme Court has refused to consider a lawsuit that alleges a charter school bill amended…
Autopsy shows Belcher was drunk when he shot girlfriend, self
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher was legally drunk when he killed his girlfriend, North Texas…
Hobby Lobby president expects long court battle over federal contraceptives mandate
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The president of Hobby Lobby, which is fighting the government’s requirement to cover all contraceptives, asked Charlotte…
Oregon family reacts to attorney's bombshell that he knew location of victim's body
An attorney for an Oregon man sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing a Portland teenager told a packed…
In Te’o Story, Deception Ripped From the Screen
The show on MTV is called “Catfish,” and this is how it works. In every episode of the show, a…
Prosecutor gives emotional defense in hacker case
A federal prosecutor who has faced sharp criticism following the suicide of an Internet freedom activist appeared to fight back…
Military Judge Rejects Defense Requests at Terror Hearings
WASHINGTON — A military judge at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, declined this week to rule on whether the…
Florida: Court Rules Against Unions on Pensions
The State Supreme Court sided on Thursday with the governor and lawmakers and ruled as constitutional a 2011 law that…
Federal court hears 'Sister Wives' lawsuit
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A federal judge heard arguments on whether Utah can prohibit plural marriage but issued no…
Obama announces proposals to curb gun violence
WASHINGTON (AP) — Braced for a fight, President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun…
Obama Tells Senate That It’s Time to Confirm A.T.F. Director
WASHINGTON — President Obama indicated on Wednesday that along with asking Congress to pass measures like an assault weapons ban,…
Texas leaders reject gun control plans through web ads, rally and governor calling for prayer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A state lawmaker pushing a bill to defy federal gun laws. A governor disgusted by what…
Texas, Houston leaders differ on gun control proposals
Harris County’s top law enforcement officials and Houston’s mayor expressed support for President Barack Obama’s gun control proposals, particularly those…
Abbott wades into national gun control fray with new ads
By Jonathan Tilove Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott Wednesday began running Web ads in Manhattan and Albany, N.Y., inviting New…
Appeals court approves change to jury instructions in murder trial
It's been 43 days since jurors were released and the capital murder trial of John Ray Falk Jr. was put…
Texas school funding trial expert: Spending more money on schools doesn't equal better results
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- An expert witness in the lawsuit over funding for Texas public schools testified Wednesday that more…
Texas schools get poor marks on teaching unbiased Bible course
By Ben Kamisar Among the 60 school districts that took advantage of a 2007 state law allowing them to teach…
Ex-DA Villalobos pleads not guilty
Defense attorneys for former Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos and his former law partner Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio disagreed…
Spurs Sued by Miami Lawyer for Resting Top Players vs. Heat
SAN ANTONIO - If you buy any product any product and it's not what it is promised to be, you…
Young Arlington rapper's killer gets 35-year sentence
A jury deliberated less than two hours before assessing a 35-year-sentence against Edward Earl Washington III for the murder of…
El Paso jury finds Shawntrell Dawkins guilty in goddaughter's death
Jurors deliberated for two hours Wednesday before convicting a 33-year-old woman of murder in her goddaughter's fatal beating in 2008.…
Retired dentist's 911 call played at trial, prosecutors say Tyler man admits shooting wife
TYLER, Texas (AP) -- A retired East Texas dentist on trial for the shooting death of his wife of 26…
DeGuerin vows to try again after ex-coach denied new murder trial
David Temple, the coach and former Katy High School football star, will stay in prison, serving a life sentence for…
Edinburg native gets $500,000 bond for vandalizing Picasso painting
HOUSTON (AP) -- A man accused of vandalizing a 1929 Pablo Picasso painting in Texas, in an act caught on…
Man from Mexico gets prison in bribery case, attempted human smuggling at border
MCALLEN, Texas (AP) -- A Mexican man has been sentenced to 1 1/2 years in a U.S. prison for trying…
Deputy accused of helping drug traffickers
Investigators arrested a deputy Harris County constable accused of helping narcotics traffickers. Tomas Roque was a reserve deputy with Harris…
Jurors hear interview with San Angelo man telling of wife's death
GUNNISON, Colo. — Jurors listened to a 40-minute interview of Frederick Mueller on Wednesday, detailing his account of his wife's…
Secession? No. Splitting Texas into other states? Allowable by law
WASHINGTON — Texas can't legally secede from the Union, as the White House reminded petition signers last weekend, but a…
Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah already under scrutiny
Lance Armstrong fans and skeptics will watch him Thursday night the way they watched him during the Tour de France…
Judge orders man not to have more children
SHELL LAKE, Wis. (AP) — A northwestern Wisconsin judge has ordered a man not to have any more children until…
Lawyer: Surgeons left 16 items in German after op
BERLIN (AP) — A lawyer in Germany claims surgeons left up to 16 objects in her client's body after an…
Colorado town asks judge to lift gag order in movie theater rampage
DENVER (Reuters) - The Colorado city of Aurora has asked a judge presiding over the criminal case of last summer's…
Government official refuses court order to arrest Pakistan prime minister
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's anti-corruption chief refused an order by the country's top court to arrest the prime minister in…
Yahoo Says Its Legal Costs In The Mexico Lawsuit Are More Than $300 Million (YHOO)
Yahoo is embroiled in a lawsuit with a former Mexican partner, Worldwide Directories, with which it ran a telephone-directory project…
Ex-SC Gov. Sanford done apologizing, ready to run
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, whose political career was derailed four years ago because of…
Judge fines Russia for not returning collections
A federal judge Wednesday fined Russia $50,000 a day until it complies with his earlier order that the country return…
Iowa chief justice: Courts need more funding
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mark Cady, chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, sked lawmakers gathered for a joint session of…
Appeals court rules on news media access to polling places
Media organizations in Pennsylvania don't have the right to report from, or take photos and video within, polling places, the…
Obama is expected to unveil gun-control plans today
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is expected to unveil a series of tough new initiatives today aimed at curbing violence…
N.Y. state approves toughest gun controls since Newtown
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Jumping out ahead of Washington, New York state enacted the nation's toughest gun restrictions Tuesday and the…
Bill aims to make federal gun laws 'unenforceable' within state borders
Texas lawmakers are already planning for the possibility of stricter gun regulations. Republican Rep. Steve Toth is in the process…
Travis County to honor gun show contract
AUSTIN -- Travis County commissioners Tuesday voted down a proposed ban on gun shows at county facilities.The commissioners voted unanimously…
Oprah: Lance Armstrong admitted doping
AUSTIN — Lance Armstrong has finally come clean. Armstrong confessed to doping during an interview with Oprah Winfrey taped Monday,…
WADA: Lance Armstrong needs to confess under oath
LONDON — Lance Armstrong must make a full confession under oath — not just an admission in a television interview…
School finance trial to look at efficiency
AUSTIN — The sweeping case challenging how Texas public schools are funded entered a new phase Tuesday, focusing on efficiency…
Dewhurst downplays budget freeze on business funds
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry likes bragging that Texas is open for business, but the state budget on the…
Second Judge Drops out of Teen's Murder Trial
HIDALGO COUNTY - The trial of a teenager accused in the murder of nine illegal immigrants is again at a…
Saenz says DA Office to pursue two cases of alleged wrongdoing
Two high-profile cases involving allegations of wrongdoing are being pursued, new Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz said. The…
District Judges should make final decision whether or not commissioners are removed Featured
Staff -Eagle Pass According to County Attorney Rick Ramos, it is up to The Honorable Cynthia Muñiz-Berain, District Judge…
Ex-HPD officer faces 25 years for running drug money
A former Houston police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to running drug money as a courier for an organization that laundered…
Jury selection starts in ex-dentist's murder trial
TYLER, Texas (AP) — Jury selection begins the murder trial of a retired 76-year-old dentist in the fatal shooting of…
Whitehouse Deputies: Man was drinking before shooting
By DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A Whitehouse man accused of shooting and killing a female friend in March told authorities he…
Waco: Local Judge Won’t Hear New Sheriff’s Lawsuit
WACO (January 15, 2013)--Citing a personal conflict, Waco's U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. on Monday signed an order…
Judge pays fine for campaign report error
State District Judge Janet Leal has paid a $100 fine for improperly filling out campaign contributions during the past three…
DiGiovanni gets admonishing letter, Zachry cleared in ethics scandal
Former Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni will receive a “letter of admonition” from the city's Ethics Review Board for “unknowingly”…
Middle school teacher sentenced for sexting student
A former middle school math teacher was ordered Tuesday to register as a sex offender, surrender his teaching certificate and…
Newspaper deceived by 'Missing dog' story
JACKSONVILLE, Tex. — The feel-good story about a homeless man who lost, then recovered, his service dog has turned out…
White House Rejects Petitions to Secede, but Texans Fight On
AUSTIN, Tex. — More than 100,000 people who signed an online petition calling on the Obama administration to allow Texas…
US Attorney’s husband causes backlash on Twitter with posts on hacker’s suicide
By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, already under fire after the suicide of a prominent computer…
ICJ urges Sri Lanka to reinstate ex-chief justice
The International Commission of Jurists has condemned the appointment of a trusted aide of Sri Lanka's president as the country's…
Lady Gaga tries to keep courtroom talk a secret
Lady Gaga's attorneys want a federal judge in Chicago to quash portions of a courtroom discussion about whether she and…
Widow of Colorado theater shooting victim sues psychiatrist
(CNN) -- The widow of a victim killed in last year's Colorado movie theater shooting is suing the accused gunman's…
U.S. to appeal contraception coverage ruling won by Bible publisher
The federal government will appeal a temporary court order won by a Bible publisher that blocked the Affordable Care Act's…
Jurors hear voicemail that Ariz. woman allegedly left for her boyfriend hours after his death
PHOENIX – Jurors have heard more police interrogation in the trial of a woman accused of killing her boyfriend…
Teacher fired for porn work not allowed to return to classroom
An Oxnard middle school teacher’s bid to return to the classroom after she was fired for appearing in pornographic films…
Ex-Bachmann aide alleges campaign finance violations
WASHINGTON - A top adviser in Michele Bachmann's 2012 White House bid has filed a complaint with federal election officials…
In Delhi Gang Rape Case, a Controversial, Outspoken Lawyer for the Defense
Saurabh Das/Associated Press Lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma talking to reporters outside the Saket district court in Delhi on Thursday. NEW…
Text messages are key in Sacramento murder trial
He called himself "The Boogie Man" and he fished in the sea of relationship chat rooms to snag compliant women,…
Lance Armstrong confesses to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs
AUSTIN — Lance Armstrong ended a decade of denial by confessing to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to…
Justice Department will likely join lawsuit against Lance Armstrong, AP source says
WASHINGTON – An attorney familiar with cyclist Lance Armstrong's legal problems said Tuesday that the Justice Department is highly…
Straus emerges from Legislature’s first week stronger than ever
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus survived yet another attempt on Monday to limit his power. Of the Big Three the…
House, Senate budget proposals leave $5B unspent, cuts off funding to troubled cancer agency
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Republican lawmakers proposed early budget drafts Monday that would keep in place deep spending cuts to…
White House: 'Yeah, about that secession, Texas'
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Bad news for thousands of people who wanted to see Texas secede: The state is…
Former Fort Worth pediatrician convicted of indecent exposure found dead
FORT WORTH -- A former Fort Worth pediatrician who failed to appear in court Friday to be sentenced on an…
Arrest of Fort Worth DWI officer may nullify his caseload
FORT WORTH — Tarrant County prosecutors are concerned that the drunken driving arrest of a DWI officer this month may…
Trial due for Tyler man who shot nagging wife
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A retired Tyler dentist will go on trial Wednesday for allegedly shooting and killing his…
Man's trial in shooting death of friend starts today
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com The trial for a Whitehouse man accused of shooting and killing a female acquaintance in…
Hearing about Noonday gun range set for February
BY ADAM RUSSELL arussell@tylerpaper.com A civil case pitting rural homeowners against a neighboring gun range will be heard by…
Defense attorneys allege false information
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com The defense attorneys for a Tyler man who is working to get his name cleared…
Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso: All-women judges' panel a first
›› Photos: Yvonne Rodriguez sworn in to Eighth Court of Appeals The Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso made…
Tejano star sues DA over child sex assault evidence
BROWNSVILLE — An attorney representing jailed Tejano superstar Joe Lopez has filed a lawsuit against the Cameron County District Attorney’s…
Ex-federal agent charged in alleged cover-up
McALLEN, Texas A former Department of Homeland Security special agent was charged Monday in South Texas, accused in a conspiracy…
Judge denies bond for man in donkey-dragging case
A judge has denied bond for a Splendora man accused of dragging a donkey from the back of an SUV…
Collin County child rapist sentenced to five life sentences
Nevada, Texas resident Julian Gutierrez was sentenced to five life sentences Friday for repeatedly raping his step-daughter, according to a…
Plano man receives maximum 40-year sentence for child molestation
Lewis Michael Wall, 52, of Plano, received a 40-year sentence on Friday for repeatedly molesting a child, Collin County District…
Kendall County probate lawyers oppose judicial proposal
BOERNE — Local lawyers Monday decried a proposal to ask lawmakers to convert the Kendall County court-at-law into a state…
Strip clubs sue over city's new restrictions
More than a dozen strip clubs have sued the city of San Antonio over amendments to ordinances requiring entertainers to…
West Texas Energy Industry Could be Stymied by Small Grouse
In a few months, a grouse known as the lesser prairie chicken will emerge from its West Texas winter hideaway.…
Smith County GOP chair Oravetz to resign; saying party 'beyond repair'
BY ADAM RUSSEll arussell@tylerpaper.com Smith County Republican Chairman Ashton Oravetz announced he will resign as of Friday because the…
San Angelo man's trial moving too slow for judge
GUNNISON, Colo. — Judge Steven Patrick voiced concern Monday evening that the trial of Frederick Harold Mueller is not moving…
Colorado high court changes rules for confessions, proof of crime not needed
To use a confession as evidence against a defendant, prosecutors will now have to prove that the confession is reliable…
NY poised to be 1st to pass post-massacre gun bill
ALBANY, N.Y. Days after calling for an overhaul of gun control in New York following the Connecticut school shooting, Gov.…
Steve Stockman threatens to seek impeachment if Obama takes executive action on guns
Share this gallery: 1 of 3 Share this gallery: 1 of 3 Rep. Steve Stockman President Obama won’t…
Justice Clarence Thomas Breaks His Silence
WASHINGTON — One of the abiding mysteries at the Supreme Court is why Justice Clarence Thomas has failed to say…
Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan’s supreme court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in a corruption case on…
Mubaraks new trial could answer a key question
CAIRO Hosni Mubarak's new trial may resolve key questions unanswered in his first one: Who ordered the crackdown that left…
Mob captain claims Hoffa buried in Detroit
DETROIT — A man convicted of crimes as a reputed Mafia captain has come forward with claims that missing Teamsters…
George P. Bush already raises more than $1M for political bid
AUSTIN — George P. Bush is proving his famous political family name still can persuade donors to open their checkbooks…
Former judge pleads guilty to theft
LAKE CHARLES (AP) -- A former state court judge has pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in 14th Judicial…
Judge postpones trial for ex-BP engineer charged with deleting texts about oil spill response
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge agreed Monday to postpone the trial of a former BP engineer charged with…
PBS trumps Hollywood examining slavery
Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" may have lost in most of its Golden Globes categories Sunday, but it is still one of…
Judge blocks Planned Parenthood from Texas program
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge refused to allow Planned Parenthood to temporarily rejoin a health program for low-income…
Judge likely to consider El Paso attorney Theresa Caballero guilty of misconduct
A visiting judge apparently will skip a jury trial of some disciplinary charges against local lawyer Theresa Caballero and go…
Armstrong Will Confess Drug Use to Winfrey, Sources Say
After nearly 15 years of vehement denials, Lance Armstrong will confess that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career…
Armstrong’s Business Brand, Bound Tight With His Charity
After Lance Armstrong was successfully treated for testicular cancer more than 15 years ago, his sports agent predicted that the…
Appellate judge’s appeal starts Monday
AUSTIN — A state appeals court judge reprimanded for trying to influence Brazoria County officials will have his appeal heard…
Attorney declared mentally fit to stand trial in shooting case
American-Statesman Staff A Williamson County attorney who has spent a year and a half in a state psychiatric hospital on…
Court spares Houston child killer from execution
A Houston court has stopped the scheduled February execution of child killer Britt Ripkowski, saying that he suffers from bipolar…
Capital murder trial to begin
Jury selection begins today for the capital murder trial of a Dallas man connected to a fatal shooting at a…
Supreme Court to rule on Texas districts
WASHINGTON — Texas redistricting plans that were ruled discriminatory to minorities now are before the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices…
Houston lawyer gets 10 years for $7.8M Ponzi scam
A former lawyer in Houston who pretended to be a real estate investment tycoon has been sentenced to 10 years…
Another Yassine suspect accepts plea agreement
American-Statesman Staff Another suspect snared in the federal governments multi-year investigation of Austin nightclub operator Yassine Enterprises has accepted a…
JP arrested on theft charges in Maverick County
A Maverick County justice of the peace has been arrested on state criminal charges. Sheriff Tom Schmerber said Justice of…
Six generations of courage and vision from an Austin family
American-Statesman Staff In 1962, Bertha Sadler Means put her foot down. Furious that her children were not allowed to skate…
Lubbock man gets prison for making fake money
ASSOCIATED PRESS Lubbock man gets prison for making fake money January 11, 2013 5:22 PM EST Copyright 2013 Lubbock Online.…
Former pediatrician convicted of indecent exposure fails to appear in court
A Tarrant County judge issued an arrest warrant for a former Fort Worth pediatrician convicted of indecent exposure after he…
Jail time sought for domestic violence
Cameron County and state prosecutors will be seeking jail time for defendants who beat up women, or men, in cases…
West Texas daughter of gang leader sentenced to 18 months for relaying messages from prison
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A West Texas woman has been sentenced to a 1 1/2-year prison term for relaying…
Deferred adjudication in Rogers assault case
Johnnie B. Rogers (right) and his attorney Richard Davis make their way out of the courtroom Friday after Rogers was…
Brown reinstates Hicks, McCoy to team
AUSTIN — The two Texas players suspended for breaking team rules the day before the Valero Alamo Bowl have rejoined…
Some State Legislators Blur Line Between Public and Private Interests
On the presidential campaign trail, Gov. Rick Perry waxed eloquent about the merits of Texas’ part-time Legislature, saying that Congress…
Dewhurst pushing teacher gun training
AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wants the state to pay to train school officials to carry concealed guns in…
Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas, faces name change and more accountability
AUSTIN — Names can be deceiving, as anyone who has examined the Texas Railroad Commission knows. The agency, established in…
In California, It’s U.S. vs. State Over Marijuana
STOCKTON, Calif. — Matthew R. Davies graduated from college with a master’s degree in business and a taste for enterprise,…
Kentucky sheriff says he won't enforce new gun laws he considers unconstitutional
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- An Eastern Kentucky sheriff said Saturday that he will not enforce any new gun control laws that…
Justices to Hear Case on Groups’ Free Speech
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide cases on the First Amendment rights of groups fighting AIDS…
NBC host will not be charged for wielding illegal ammunition clip on air
WASHINGTON -- NBC journalist David Gregory won't face charges for displaying what he said was a high-capacity ammunition magazine on…
Justice Sonia Sotomayor makes herself at home in Washington
WASHINGTON -- Justice Sonia Sotomayor is a proud daughter of New York City, and her adjustment to life in the…
Internet Activist, a Creator of RSS, Is Dead at 26, Apparently a Suicide
Aaron Swartz, a wizardly programmer who as a teenager helped develop code that delivered ever-changing Web content to users and…
Man sues florist after wife sees note to his lover
Leroy Greer meant to say it with flowers to his girlfriend, but his wife heard about it too, and now…
Judge Martin McDonald accused of bias again
Senior Judge Martin McDonald, who was removed from two cases last fall for bias, including one in which he threatened…
Family court judge fights conduct counts
Family Court Judge Steven Jones filed a response late Thursday challenging the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline's authority to take…
Trial and error: A justice’s appeal to her colleagues had no merit
Chutzpah is not a legal term, but it describes suspended state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin's unsuccessful attempt to…
Court orders retrial for Mubarak
CAIRO -- An Egyptian appeals court on Sunday overturned Hosni Mubarak's life sentence and ordered a retrial of the ousted…
President of Sri Lanka Dismisses Chief Justice
NEW DELHI — President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka removed the nation’s chief justice from office on Sunday in the…
Human trafficking scope is unknown
Atlanta -- The situation was dire, police warned. The city of Atlanta was under siege by human traffickers. Some 1,000…
Judge approves exhumation of lottery winner's body
CHICAGO (AP) — A judge Friday granted prosecutors permission to exhume the body of a Chicago lottery winner who was…
Judge dismisses woman's Michigan courthouse cursing charge
A contempt charge was dismissed Friday against a woman who got in trouble for cursing in a courthouse, according to…
BP seeks judge's ruling on size of Gulf oil spill
BP urged a federal judge Friday to rule the company can't be penalized for millions of gallons of oil that…
Treasury Won’t Mint Coin to Defy Debt Ceiling
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department said Saturday that it will not mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin to head off an…
Texas calls on Supreme Court to settle water dispute with New Mexico
American-Statesman Staff Raising the heat in a long-simmering dispute between Texas and New Mexico, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality…
LCRA asks state for emergency drought powers likely to cut off water to rice farmers
American-Statesman Staff The board of the Lower Colorado River Authority voted Tuesday to ask for emergency drought powers from the…
Judge: School can move girl in ID-tracking case
SAN ANTONIO — A Texas school district can transfer a student who is citing religious reasons for her refusal to…
A&M professor who jumped to his death was respected by students, peers
A department head at Texas A&M University died Tuesday after jumping from the Northside Parking Garage, according to officials. Details…
State calls first witness in child pornography trial
A series of child pornography images authorities said were downloaded by a 37-year-old Bryan man were shown Tuesday to a…
Girlfriend testifies in Arlington Super Bowl-bet murder trial
FORT WORTH -- Edward "Tre" Earl Washington III was a member of the Arlington street gang called the Lynch Mob…
Grand Jury To Consider Midland Train Crash
MIDLAND (AP) - Grand jurors will consider the case of a train collision that killed four veterans riding on a…
Women describe recruiter's sexual pursuits
SAN ANTONIO - A Houston-area Air Force recruiter accused of rape doggedly pursued a woman when she was a 17-year-old…
Former teacher in Ennis gets 5 years in prison for soliciting boys, seeking cell phone photos
WAXAHACHIE, Texas (AP) -- A former agriculture science teacher at a high school in North Texas has been sentenced to…
Accord reached in church sex-assault lawsuit
The Archdiocese of San Antonio and a Floresville man who claimed he was 12 when his priest began to molest…
Murder-plotting swindler punished again
A Helotes woman still on parole for plotting the 1986 murder of her estranged husband — then collecting roughly $180,000…
Land Board releases $300 million for Texas schools
AUSTIN — The Texas School Land Board has voted 2-1 to release $300 million from the Available School Fund to…
Jury selection continues in trial of San Angelo man accused of murder
GUNNISON, Colo. — Jury selection continued Tuesday in the murder trial of a San Angelo businessman, accused of killing his…
Perry says more tea party values may have aided Romney
By BY WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS Perry says more tea party values may have aided Romney BY WILL WEISSERT January…
Oprah to interview Lance Armstrong
(CNN) - Lance Armstrong will give his first television interview since being stripped of his Tour de France titles to…
Social media abuzz over Piers Morgan vs. Alex Jones
By Josh Levs and Ben Brumfield Was it a debate? A berating? A surreal televised "stunt"? No matter what you…
Police: Colo. shooting suspect planned massacre
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — As officials this week laid out the most detailed portrait yet of last year's Aurora movie theater…
Sex, savageness at heart of Ariz. murder trial
PHOENIX — The photographs present a chilling portrait of sex and death. A nude Jodi Arias on Travis Alexander's bed.…
Man who rode horse while drunk gets time served
BUNNELL, Fla. — A Florida man accused of riding his horse while intoxicated during a police chase has changed his…
Swiss court wipes slate clean on ancient farm debt
GENEVA — A Swiss court has wiped out an annual debt that farmers have had to pay the Catholic Church…
Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib, other sites receive $5M
WASHINGTON — A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to torture detainees at the infamous…
Sweden seeks 2 Britons for smuggling garlic
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Swedish prosecutors say they have issued international arrest warrants for two Britons suspected of masterminding a smuggling…
AIG Would Be 'Hard Pressed' To Join Lawsuit Over Its Federal Bailout
January 09, 2013 8:00 AM Enlarge image i Manhattan: The headquarters of American International Group Inc. (AIG). Shen Hong/Xinhua /Landov…
INFLUENCE GAME: NRA lobbying targets courthouses
WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association has enjoyed high-profile success over the years in shaping gun-rights legislation in Congress and…
Will Texas lawmakers judge it time to merge high courts?
At least one Texas lawmaker wants to put nine of the state's most powerful elected officials out of jobs.The rationale…
Mark Norwood’s trial set for March
ROUND ROCK The trial of Mark Norwood, accused in the 1986 beating death of Christine Morton in Williamson County, has…
Grand jury to hear Midland train crash case
A prosecutor in Midland next week will present to a grand jury a case from a train crash that killed…
After DWI arrests, Fort Worth PD chief vows to fire officers caught driving drunk
Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead held a media conference Thursday morning to vow a more efficient, strong-armed handling of…
Houston lawyer accused of embezzling $9 million arrested in Rhode Island
A Houston lawyer who has been on the run since June when he was accused of stealing more than $9…
Odessa man officially sentenced in bath salts case
The 68-year-old Odessa man convicted of selling bath salts out of a supposed bookstore was officially sentenced to federal prison…
Spring couple sentenced for defrauding FEMA after Hurricane Ike made landfall in Texas in 2008
HOUSTON (AP) -- A husband and wife from Spring have been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of defrauding…
Appeals court reverses judge’s decision denying arbitration
Horton Judge Donald Floyd, 172nd District Court, abused his discretion by denying a motion to compel arbitration in a construction…
TJC professor arrested on theft charges, resigns post
By FAITH HARPER fharper@tylerpaper.com A well-known Tyler Junior College professor was arrested for theft the day after Christmas and has…
With drought persisting and pressure from customers, LCRA likely to cut off rice farmers in 2013
By Asher PriceandMarty Toohey American-Statesman Staff With a stubborn drought depriving Central Texas of rain, and facing pressure from Austin…
Fired Fort Worth medical center head blasts UNT System chancellor
Editor's note: An earlier version of this report incorrectly described the nature of Nancy Sterling's company. ML Strategies is a…
Comal County to appeal FEMA grant denial
Comal County Commissioners voted Thursday to appeal a Federal Emergency Management Agency decision to withhold $7 million of $12.26 million…
New judges spend first day in Bell County courtrooms
BELTON — Two new judges held hearings Thursday at the Bell County Justice Center as John Gauntt and Jack Jones…
Nine new U.S. lawmakers from Texas take oath of office
WASHINGTON - Ted Cruz took the oath of office as a U.S. senator at midday Thursday, shedding his political newcomer…
Judges overturn rape conviction, urge law change
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California appellate judges urged legislators to update an arcane 19th century law, as the panel reversed…
Judge: No TV broadcast of Guantanamo 9/11 trial
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A military judge has denied a request to allow television broadcast coverage of the…
NY court: Flipping finger at cops not worth arrest
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - A Vietnam veteran and retired airline pilot arrested after giving the…
Settlement approved in fatal obsession lawsuit
Georgia Smith was shot five times on Jan. 17, 2011, but lived because her daughter, 19-year-old Promethea Pythaitha, covered her…
Orlando goes from DA to new position in juvenile justice
LAS CRUCES — Many key players have settled into new jobs since last November's election, which pushed sweeping change through…
ICE busts 245 child porn sex suspects, some linked to Texas
SAN ANTONIO -- More than a hundred sexually-exploited victims, some as young as three years old, have been identified and…
Wis. court: Parents cant sue over Indian nickname
MADISON, Wis. — Students' parents lacked the legal standing to try to stop the state from forcing the Mukwonago Area…
Planned Parenthood seeks temporary injunction to restore state funding
By Adam D. Young AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Planned Parenthood seeks temporary injunction to restore state funding Adam D. Young January 3, 2013…
McBryde recuses himself in murder-for-hire case
FORT WORTH -- The federal judge presiding over the murder-for-hire case that targeted Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck last spring has…
Ethics agency fines Texas billionaire's PAC $6,500
AUSTIN, Texas — State ethics officials fined Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons' political action committee $6,450 over campaign contributions to Texas…
Deadline a year away for e-filing in civil and family cases in Tarrant County
The Texas Supreme Court has been wrestling with questions of how to handle vast numbers of paper documents filed in…
Advocacy group pushes for breathalyzers in drunk drivers' homes
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Advocates of ignition interlock devices want to close a loophole they say puts drunk drivers back…
TABC inquiry of El Paso bar eyed in fatal crash completed
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials have completed their investigation of a bar in the Cincinnati Entertainment District that might have…
Judge denies new trial motion
GREENVILLE — A state district judge has denied a motion for a new trial, filed by attorneys for a West…
Fight over Firefighting Heading to Court
The fight over firefighting in southern Bexar County will be going to court. And soon. That became clear Tuesday night…
Stephens County Sheriff's Office changes hands without incident at midnight, Dec. 31
The Stephens County sheriff's transition went smoothly at midnight Dec. 31, said County Judge Gary Fuller. He said there was…
Ex-DA steps up to role on bench
Jack McGaughey said he was "perfectly content," to end his career in the District Attorney's Office. However, when the opportunity…
Courthouse bustles as officials take the oath of office
Sonny McAfee, the new district attorney for the 33rd and 424th state judicial districts, takes the oath of office while…
Brad Morin takes oath as area’s new district judge
A standing-room only crowd packed the 71st District Courtroom Wednesday morning to share in the investiture of newly elected 71st…
Big Country Journal: Talking parrot livens up Mo's Place in Old Glory
OLD GLORY — It was a voice from above. "Gotta go to church." Looking wildly around, the woman felt caught.…
NJ Gov. Christie blasts House Speaker Boehner, Republicans in Congress
TRENTON, N.J — Gov. Chris Christie's blunt talk has long been one of his hallmarks. But Christie, who has verbally…
Hall opposes fiscal cliff measure, cites lack of spending cuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late Tuesday evening Rep. Ralph Hall (TX-04) voted “no” on the Senate agreement on the so-called fiscal…
Indicted ex-judge allowed to keep defense lawyer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A former Las Cruces judge awaiting trial in a bribery case can keep a defense lawyer who…
New Mexico Supreme Court to hear prostitution case
SANTA FE -- The New Mexico Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case involving two college professors accused…
Arraignment for accused Tulsa courthouse shooter
TULSA, Okla. — Arraignment is scheduled for a 24-year-old man charged with shooting into a crowded Tulsa plaza and wounding…
Ala. professor appealing life sentence in shooting
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A former professor who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting three colleagues during a staff meeting has…
Wind industry avoids a tax blow
The deal that kept the nation short of the fiscal cliff also spared wind energy advocates a tax consequence they…
Lawmakers criticize cancer agency; fate of $85 million in recent grants uncertain
By Laylan Copelin American-Statesman Staff State lawmakers on Thursday publicly tackled the states troubled cancer-fighting agency, criticizing how it handled…
Cameron County backs merger: Universities closer to having access to fund for med school
Cameron County Commissioners’ Court on Thursday approved a resolution supporting the establishment of a Valley-wide emerging research facility and medical…
Anti-tax activist sues Houston over bond measures
A local anti-tax activist filed a lawsuit Thursday to block the city of Houston from borrowing $410 million to add,…
State employee says she was unfairly fired for supporting liberal candidate
By Marty Toohey American-Statesman Staff A former manager at the Texas Water Development Board is suing the agency, alleging she…
Whistleblower lawsuit alleges racism, illegal pay
McALLEN — A former court reporter has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Hidalgo County, claiming she was wrongfully terminated after…
New judge sets hearing in Fort Hood shooting case
By Jeremy Schwartz American-Statesman Staff The new military judge in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting case has called a scheduling…
Man given 60-year term for attacking ex-girlfriend
FORT WORTH -- A man with a history of violence against women was sentenced to 60 years in prison Thursday…
Pair indicted in road rage case
Road rage might be to blame for a wreck in Kirby last year that left a 2-year-old paralyzed and his…
Judge denies new trial for Yara Belen Perez in girl's death
A state district judge Thursday denied a request for a new trial for Yara Belen Perez, the woman convicted in…
Politics, not courts, main obstacle for new gun laws
WASHINGTON - Despite the sweeping language of a 2008 Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of the District of…
Moms take their call for gun control to Cornyn's office
Norri Leder, a Houston mom, said she watched TV pundits discuss the pros and cons of firearm restrictions after last…
Marshall judge holds last day of court
MARSHALL — Seventy-first District Judge William Hughey ended his tenure on the bench this week with laughs, smiles and tears…
End of world fears prompt school absence questions
With many across the world anticipating Dec. 21 as the day the Mayan calendar, and possibly the world, ends, some…
Judge allows evidence against man in GPS case
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is allowing prosecutors to use evidence in a drug conspiracy conviction that had been…
Dillard's to pay $2 million, start fund in sick-leave suit
National retailer Dillard’s Inc. will pay $2 million and start a fund to further pay claims from employees adversely affected…
Judge denies Penn State's bid to delay whistleblower lawsuit
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania judge on Thursday denied Penn State’s request to put on hold former assistant football coach…
Bicyclist gets $2.1M verdict but half the blame
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque bicyclist has won a $2.1 million judgment for injuries he received in a crash with…
$7M recommended in legal fees over Okla. DHS case
TULSA, Okla. — A federal magistrate in Tulsa is recommending that the state pay $7 million in legal fees in…
Some Egyptian judges say Shariah is complicating factor in draft constitution
CAIRO -- Peppered throughout Egypt's constitution, which is expected to pass in a referendum Saturday, is a renewed emphasis on…
Judge: La. woman can flip finger in holiday lights
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana woman ran afoul of police when she gave her neighbors an unusual holiday greeting,…
Obama urges Congress to act fast on gun control
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines…
Texas leaders call for halting grants issued by cancer institute
State leaders called Wednesday for a moratorium on grants issued by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.Gov. Rick…
DPS Sued After Body Cavity Search On The Side Of The Road
Wednesday, December 19 2012, 10:42 PM CST DPS Sued After Body Cavity Search On The Side Of The Road "I…
Keystone XL foes say fed study should consider climate effects
The Obama administration is set to unveil a fresh environmental analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline as early as this…
Judge says fences will make bars better neighbors
A dispute between Upper Kirby bar owners and residents of the David Crockett Addition subdivision finally may be over. After…
Tarrant DA opposes shock probation in $13 million fraud case
FORT WORTH -- Tarrant County District Attorney Joe Shannon described Chekeelah Phelps as the ringleader of the biggest mortgage fraud…
Woman arrested, accused of stealing Christmas decorations in Parker County
An Aledo woman whose criminal record includes prison time for solicitation of murder was in the Parker County Jail on…
Texas Tech, Professor in Standoff Over Tenure
Texas Tech University professor James Wetherbe's plan was to write some thought pieces at the end of a long academic…
South Texas airline mogul sentenced to 30 years in prison for child porn convictions
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- The founder of a South Texas cargo airline was given 30 years in prison Wednesday for…
Houston lawyer gets nearly 4 years in prison for keeping benefits of veterans he was helping
HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston attorney who scammed the finances of some veterans must serve nearly four years in prison…
Hope and concern on death penalty, exonerations
Two reports issued this week offer news that's both sobering and encouraging about crime and punishment in America, especially regarding…
Swiss bank to pay $1.5 billion for manipulating interest rates
GENEVA -- Swiss bank UBS will pay about $1.5 billion and two former traders face criminal prosecution as the bank…
Court to decide whether religious challenge to health care law may proceed
WASHINGTON — Federal judges on Friday seriously entertained ways to revive a religious liberty lawsuit that North Carolina’s Belmont Abbey…
Judge's arrest ordered in widening Bolivia scandal
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivian authorities ordered the arrest of a judge in a widening scandal triggered by an…
Backing grows for gun control
WASHINGTON — Congressional gun rights supporters showed an increased willingness Tuesday to consider new legislation to control firearms in the…
NRA breaks silence, pledges ‘meaningful contributions’ to prevent further massacres
The National Rifle Association on Tuesday broke its silence over the Newtown, Conn., tragedy just enough to say it would…
Time for a serious discussion about guns
By Editorial Board Even before the first of the funerals were conducted in Newtown, Conn., the impact of the elementary…
Commentary: The biggest threat to my Second Amendment rights
The column originally scheduled to appear today in this space was withdrawn, at my request — possibly to be published…
S.C. lawmaker proposes letting teachers carry guns in schools
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Public school employees with concealed weapons permits could carry guns in South Carolina schools if a bill…
Texas can reduce DWI fatalities by instituting sobriety checkpoints, prosecutors say
Whether police should be allowed to operate random checkpoints on highways to deter drunken driving has long been a topic…
City Councilman's eligibility hinges on DWI charge
SAN ANGELO, Texas — City officials are waiting for the outcome of the felony charge Fredd Adams faces before they…
Landowners appeal ruling allowing condemnation of private SE Texas property for pipeline
BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) -- A group of Southeast Texas property owners are appealing a ruling to the Texas Supreme Court…
Change of Venue: Federal judge rules Rosenthal trial be moved to Corpus Christi
A federal judge has ruled that the trial of Austin attorney Marc G. Rosenthal should be moved from Cameron County…
Dallas Cowboys' Brent ordered to wear tracking monitor
DALLAS — A judge ordered Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent to wear an electronic monitor pending his trial on…
Public hearing at Capitol on name, enforcement of Texas Railroad Commission
By Asher Price American-Statesman Staff Quick question: Which state agency regulates train traffic? If you answered Texas Railroad Commission, youd…
His beard thicker, Hasan meets new judge
FORT HOOD - The judge who took over the Nidal Hasan case will not require the former Army psychiatrist charged…
A personal view of judicial elections
I’ve mentioned in this space before that my father Charles A. Kuffner, Jr. was a Supreme Court justice in New…
Salary reality: Many lawyers don't earn big bucks
People have a false impression about lawyers — that they all make six-figure salaries. With at least three big law…
Henry J. Strauss
Henry James Strauss Henry James Strauss, 88, died on December 16, 2012, in Austin after prolonged illness. He was born…
Lawyers and judges needed for student competition
WASHINGTON — The American Bar Association Law Student Division is seeking 85 lawyers and judges to evaluate the negotiation skills…
Judge resets 2 BP workers' manslaughter trial to 2014 to give lawyers time to prepare
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Two BP rig supervisors charged with manslaughter in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater…
Appeals court sides with newspaper in labor fight
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal appeals court on Tuesday sided with the publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press in a…
Former exec. pleads guilty to insider trading
ATLANTA — The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta says the former head of investor relations for Carter's Inc. has pleaded…
German prosecutors charge ex-Porsche chiefs
BERLIN — German prosecutors have charged two former Porsche executives with market manipulation in connection with the sports car company's…
Leahy sworn in as president pro tempore of Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont was sworn in Tuesday as president pro tempore of the Senate.As…
French judges keep Strauss-Kahn pimping charges
PARIS — French judges decided Wednesday not to drop pimping charges against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his…
Jury returns $17.3M verdict against Clippers owner
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has returned a $17.3 million verdict against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in…
Trenton mayor due in court on bribery charges
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The mayor of New Jersey's capital city is due in federal court Wednesday for an arraignment…
Court fines woman in Berlusconi 'bunga bunga' case
MILAN (AP) — A Milan court fined a Moroccan woman at the center of Silvio Berlusconi's sex-for-hire scandal €500 ($650)…
Gun control gets unlikely backers on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prominent gun-rights advocates in Congress are now calling for a national discussion about restrictions to curb gun…
Harris County DA Pat Lykos sued for unlawful retaliation
In what is probably a start of litigation surrounding the Houston Police Department’s Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) vans and what…
For Tarrant alcohol intervention program grads, it's a journey
FORT WORTH -- When Allen Dixon was arrested for his third driving while under the influence offense, he was passed…
Three cops accused of taking bribes plead guilty
Three former Houston police officers accused of taking cash bribes from cantina owners in exchange for overlooking criminal activity pleaded…
Dallas NT Brent goes to court for bond hearing
ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is scheduled to appear in court as prosecutors seek modification of…
Lawyers inspect train signals at accident site
A group of attorneys, data collectors and train employees converged Monday at the site of the Nov. 15 train-parade float…
Judge weighs Texas school's tracking ID program
Hasan returns to court with new judge
FORT HOOD – The case of Maj. Nidal Hasan goes before a new military judge who could decide to revisit…
Texan gets 10 years in failed international murder-for-hire plot, targeted woman from Ukraine
BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) -- A Southeast Texas man who pleaded guilty in a failed international murder-for-hire plot over an online…
New fracking rules require disclosure of water totals
Starting Feb. 1, drilling operators in Texas will have to report many of the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing.…
Former CA executive sentenced in bribery case
SANTA ANA, Calif. A federal judge has sentenced a former Orange County four months in prison plus four months of…
Bin Laden film leak by Defense official is referred to Justice
WASHINGTON -- Pentagon investigators concluded that a senior Defense Department official who's been mentioned as a candidate to be the…
Judge denies Apple request to ban Samsung phones
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge late Monday rejected Apple Inc.'s demands that its chief rival in the more than…
Judge to hear motions in Va. capital case
MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — A judge will hear arguments about whether prosecutors acted improperly by making a jailhouse visit to…
Nude Scarlett Johansson pic costs man 10 years
LOS ANGELES (CNN) - A Florida man who said he became addicted to spying on celebrities must spend the next…
Obama tells town 'These Tragedies Must End'
NEWTOWN, Conn. — President Barack Obama traveled to this bereaved town Sunday evening and chided the nation for having not…
Gun control debate begins to simmer after massacre
WASHINGTON — Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of last week's elementary school shooting must include a ban on…
High court fight looms over right to carry a gun
WASHINGTON (AP) — The next big issue in the national debate over guns — whether people have a right to…
Innovative Texas judge honored for drug case reform
After more than two decades of dealing with some of the justice system's toughest problems, one of North Texas' most…
Supreme Court hears DUI blood draw case
By THELAW.TVThe U.S. Supreme Court will decide the constitutionality of involuntarily blood draws on drunken-driving suspects without a warrant. This…
Once celebrated, Texas' $3B cancer-fighting effort reeling amid resignations, criminal probe
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas put up $3 billion in taxpayer money and promised cancer breakthroughs. But a criminal investigation,…
Questions linger in Cirilo 'Chilo' Madrid case
The seven days of testimony in the trial of Cirilo "Chilo" Madrid answered many questions about an 18-month conspiracy in…
Texas Supreme Court declines appeal on El Paso mayor, city Reps recall
The Texas Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a lawsuit over the attempted recall of Mayor John…
Top official at troubled El Paso school district resigns after months of scrutiny
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A top administrator for the troubled El Paso school district has resigned in the scrutiny…
Waco judge helps sexual abuse victim get visa
WACO, Texas — A state district judge in Central Texas has helped a 13-year-old sexual abuse victim get an immigrant…
Austin lawsuit raises questions about the privacy of online consumer reviews
American-Statesman Staff When it comes to reviewing businesses on sites such as Google Places, Trip Advisor and Yelp, be truthful,…
North Texas Tollway Authority now wants to run its own court
The North Texas Tollway Authority wants to create an internal toll road court that would force "habitual violators" into a…
Student back in court regarding high tech school badges
SAN ANTONIO - The family of a 15-year-old student fighting the use of tracking badges in her San Antonio high…
5 Hidalgo County deputes ordered to resign
McALLEN — Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño asked five deputies to resign Thursday after learning they were under federal investigation,…
Judge tells 2 bars to pay tab for noise
Two bars on Kirby Drive and their landlord must pay $140,600 for disrupting a nearby neighborhood, a judge ordered Friday,…
Upshur jury sentences man to nine years for assaulting public servant and retaliation
Staff Reports An Upshur County jury sentenced a Big Sandy man Tuesday to five years in prison for assault against…
Triple homicide trial begins next month in Rusk County
By KELLY GOOCH kgooch@tylerpaper.com A teen accused of killing a mother and her children will be tried in Rusk…
Same-sex couples head out of Texas to marry
HOUSTON — They're called destination weddings, and couples choose them for all the predictable reasons: the romantic setting, a convenient…
First federal judge hangs around like a bad cold
On Dec. 18, 1860, a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives recommended the impeachment of John Charles Watrous, Texas’…
Judges seek class-action lawsuit in dispute over salaries
WASHINGTON -- With the nation teetering on an economic "fiscal cliff," federal judges may soon force Congress to dedicate possibly…
Judges consider reviving suit against healthcare law
WASHINGTON -- Federal judges seriously entertained ways Friday to revive a religious liberty lawsuit that North Carolina's Belmont Abbey College…
Judge denies access to prison standards book requested by convicted Arkansas rapist
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- A convicted rapist has been denied his request for a book that sets out prison…
Judge rules for Tulsa in police officer lawsuit
TULSA, Okla. — A federal judge has ruled for the City of Tulsa in a lawsuit filed by a police…
Court lets slaves' descendants sue Cherokee chief
OKLAHOMA CITY — Descendants of slaves owned by members of the Cherokee Nation can sue the current chief in an…
Cornyn to become Senate minority whip
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, will soon be the Senate Minority Whip, a job with a lot more than a title.His…
McAfee 'not out of the woods' legally
Software developer John McAfee is a free man because he managed to elude police in Belize and slip into Guatemala,…
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/12/17/4489847/electoral-college-casts-its-votes.html
FORT WORTH, Texas — Kaye Moreno of Fort Worth heads to Austin today for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.She will be one…
Judge halts TransCanada pipeline work
By Ramit Plushnick-Masti An East Texas judge has ordered TransCanada to temporarily halt work on a private property where it…
Appeals court decision could come soon in murder trial
Tuesday came and went without word from the state's 10th Court of Appeals on a request from prosecutors that put…
Appeals court hears Williamson County landfill operator’s plea to keep records private
By Claire Osborn American-Statesman Staff The operator of Williamson Countys landfill argued before an appeals court Monday that its daily…
Judge worries new Harris mental health court is in peril
A Houston judge says one of her colleagues and the newly elected district attorney are working to close Harris County's…
Cirilo "Chilo" Madrid case goes to jury Thursday
The prosecution and the defense Tuesday rested their cases in the corruption trial of Cirilo "Chilo" Madrid. Jurors will receive…
Intent in dispute in double-murder trial
American-Statesman Staff The defense in the capital murder trial of Jose Aviles isnt contesting whether he killed Norma Hurtado and…
Planned Parenthood sues Texas; Perry backs fetal pain bill
Planned Parenthood on Tuesday filed federal and state court lawsuits seeking to remain in the Womens Health Program when Texas…
Director of Texas cancer agency submits resignation
AUSTIN -- Turmoil surrounding an unprecedented $3 billion cancer-fighting effort in Texas worsened Tuesday when its executive director offered his…
Breathalyzer Required For Cowboys Player's Car, His Attorney Denies Eyewitness Claims
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas Cowboys player driving the vehicle involved in the Irving crash that killed team practice…
Hearing turns into tense legal wrangle
BELTON — What could have been a simple sentencing hearing turned into tense legal arguments Tuesday, with accusations made against…
Feds seize luxury SPI condo of fugitive ex-Tamps. governor
Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba — the former Tamaulipas governor whom U.S. federal officials have tied to money laundering and drug trafficking…
Tallest building in Texas is in Denison, in 1891
By Donna Hunt Herald Democrat As we wait for the building that has housed the Katy Antique Station for a…
Judge sets date to rule on BP plea deal over spill
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge says she will decide next month whether to accept a plea deal that calls…
Judge: Trial necessary over Boeing division sale
WICHITA, Kan. — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a trial is necessary to decide claims brought against Boeing by…
Soldier's case dominated by testimony on suicide
FORT MEADE, Md. — In a military hearing for Pfc. Bradley Manning that has unfolded over the past two weeks,…
Hobby Lobby asks for stay in birth-control lawsuit
OKLAHOMA CITY — Attorneys for both sides in Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.'s lawsuit challenging the federal health care law are…
Michigan lawmakers approve right-to-work bills
LANSING, Mich. Over the chants of thousands of angry protesters, Republican lawmakers made Michigan a right-to-work state Tuesday, dealing a…
Americans finding dozens of ways to mark 12-12-12
A Michigan sixth-grader will put aside her nerves and get her ears pierced on her 12th birthday. Two law-enforcement officials…
Egypt judges say most will boycott referendum
CAIRO — Most Egyptian judges rejected any role Tuesday in overseeing the country's constitutional referendum, a move likely to cast…
Attorneys make case to appeals court in murder trial
WACO -- The capital murder trial of John Ray Falk Jr. remained on standby Monday as attorneys awaited a ruling…
In court, TEA official surprises with new definition of “college ready”
By Kate Alexander American-Statesman Staff The Texas Education Agency is recommending lowering the threshold for which students it deems college…
Cowboys' Brent Admits He Was Drinking Before Deadly Accident, TABC To Investigate
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for a private memorial that will be held at an undisclosed…
Friend of former County Judge Dolores Briones testifies at Cirilo "Chilo" Madrid trial
Jan Zavala, a longtime friend of former County Judge Dolores Briones, on Monday testified that she didn't see anything wrong…
Second man convicted of capital murder in Fort Worth store slayings
FORT WORTH -- It took a jury less than 45 minutes to decide that Randy Seibel, the second suspect to…
Potter County Commission split over naming bridge for Manny Perez
Potter County commissioners split Monday on suggesting the city of Amarillo name the Grand Street bridge for late Potter Commissioner…
Bounty ruling for NFL players finally at hand
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — More than nine months after the NFL first disclosed its bounty investigation of the New Orleans…
HSBC to pay $1.9B to settle money-laundering case
WASHINGTON (AP) HSBC said Tuesday it will pay $1.9 billion to settle a U.S. money-laundering probe, avoiding a protracted legal…
Gunmen attack Egyptian opposition protesters
CAIRO (AP) — Masked gunmen attacked opposition protesters camped out at Cairo's Tahrir Square early on Tuesday, firing birdshots at…
Judge says no to N.C. 'Choose Life' plates
(CNN) - A federal judge ruled that North Carolina's new "Choose Life" license plates are unconstitutional because the state does…
Feds join suit claiming nursing home fraud
LUMBERTON, Miss. (AP) — Federal officials are joining a whistleblower lawsuit claiming a former south Mississippi nursing home operator withheld…
Cahill jury set to start 6th day of deliberations
BOSTON (AP) — Jurors in the trial of former Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill are set to begin their sixth day…
Groups sue to stop immigration initiative
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — An immigrant's advocacy group and others have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a voter-approved initiative…
Court rejects Texas landowners' pipeline argument
HOUSTON — A Texas court has rejected an appeal filed by landowners who argued a Canadian company did not have…
Landowner takes different tack in suit against North Texas pipeline
By Tim Eaton American-Statesman Staff Acting as his own lawyer, a retired chemist from East Texas filed a lawsuit Thursday…
Pity the poor judges
It’s hard out here on a judge. For longer than anyone remembers, you had to be a Democrat to be…
FLDS TRIALS: Appeal denied in child sex case
SAN ANGELO, Texas — A member of a polygamist sect had his child sexual assault conviction appeal rejected after failing…
Ethics Commission drops plan to take over criminal ethics enforcement
By Mike Ward American-Statesman Staff Facing a fast-brewing storm of opposition, the Texas Ethics Commission on Thursday quickly abandoned its…
Parents' lawsuit spreads blame in jailed teen's alleged rape
For months, no one stopped or questioned Robert Emerson Robinson for leaving his post as a jailer on the boys…
Central Texas man sentenced to life imprisonment for 5th drunken-driving conviction.
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) -- A 45-year-old Central Texas man is going to prison for at least 15 years after…
Prosecution rests in child assault trial
By DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com Prosecutors rested their case Thursday against a Whitehouse man accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old…
Hurst teen says he used foul language, but denies resisting arrest
A teen whose videotaped arrest by a Hurst policeman prompted the officer being placed on administrative leave admits he used…
Inmate waits 30 years for retrial or release after conviction overturned
HOUSTON -- A Kansas man who remains in a Texas prison more than 30 years after his murder conviction was…
Millionaire Marsh is freed on bail
AMARILLO -- Millionaire Texas artist Stanley Marsh 3 has been freed on $300,000 bail after being charged with 11 counts…
Soccer coach suspended over purported 'confession'
A high school soccer coach is on administrative leave after a document purporting to be his confession in the 2003…
UCI names 3-member panel to probe Armstrong links
GENEVA — British judge Phillip Otton will chair the three-member panel investigating the International Cycling Union's links to the Lance…
Prosecutors to question Manning in WikiLeaks case
FORT MEADE, Md. — Military prosecutors planned to go face-to-face for the first time Friday with an Army private charged…
Gunmen kill environmental activist in south Mexico
MEXICO CITY A band of gunmen killed an environmental activist who had received death threats for standing up to drug…
Judge scolds woman tried in lotto winner's death
A judge has been losing patience with the woman being tried in a Tampa, Fla., courtroom on charges of swindling,…
Senate panel OKs protection for e-mail
WASHINGTON -- Over objections from law enforcement officials, the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would require police to…
Justices discussing whether to hear gay marriage case
WASHINGTON -- The running fight over gay marriage is shifting from the ballot box to the Supreme Court.Three weeks after…
Appeals to be heard on NLRB members
WASHINGTON -- In a major test of presidential power, federal appeals courts are starting to hear legal challenges to President…
LA judge dismisses suit over park Nativity scenes
A Los Angeles federal judge on Thursday dismissed a Christian group's lawsuit to force suburban Santa Monica to reopen spaces…
Palestinians rejoice over newly won 'state' status
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly voted by a lopsided margin over U.S. and Israeli objections to grant Palestinians…
Judge denies request to testify at murder trial
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge in Chattanooga has denied a request to testify in a murder trial.According to…
Utah AG to hold town hall meeting with polygamous sect leaders along Utah-Ariz. border
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff plans to meet Friday with members of a polygamous sect…
Arrest warrant issued for Texas high court judge
By Chuck LindellandTony Plohetski American-Statesman Staff The longest serving judge on Texas highest criminal court has a warrant out for…
Texas attorney general says state will try to seize Warren Jeffs' West Texas polygamist ranch
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas wants ownership of Warren Jeffs' massive ranch where prosecutors say the convicted polygamist sect leader…
Stanley Marsh 3 booked on 11 felony counts, freed on $300K bond
A Lubbock special prosecutor filed 11 criminal charges against Stanley Marsh 3 on Wednesday, alleging the Amarillo millionaire performed oral…
Ethics Commission to consider taking over watchdog job from Austin prosecutors
By Mike Ward American-Statesman Staff The Texas Ethics Commission, long criticized for its lax enforcement of public officials, is considering…
Prosecutors resist Villalobos request
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday rejected arguments by indicted Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos for a hearing to determine…
Fort Worth murder case dismissed when witness says victim pulled a knife on defendant
FORT WORTH -- A murder trial ended abruptly Wednesday after a prosecution witness testified that the defendant acted in self-defense…
2 El Paso lawyers named US magistrate judges
Two El Paso lawyers will take their seats on the federal bench for the first time next month after being…
Midland warning seen as too brief
A railroad crossing in Midland where a train crashed into a parade float, killing four war veterans, was designed to…
Fort Worth ex-con gets 99 years for robbery, evading arrest
FORT WORTH -- The man who drove the getaway car after a TCU student was assaulted and her purse was…
Man gets life for being one of 20 to rape girl, age 11, near Houston
A Texas man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the attack of an 11-year-old girl…
Fort Worth man accused of trying to deal with Iran
For anyone -- let alone a middle-age airplane mechanic from Fort Worth -- the plan to smuggle seven jetliners into…
Harris housing agency may sue law firm over funds
The Harris County Housing Authority on Wednesday voted to sue the law firm Haynes and Boone, if necessary, to recover…
Texas Republicans named to 4 key committees in Congress
WASHINGTON - San Antonio Rep. Lamar Smith was elected chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology on…
Egyptian courts suspend work to protest Morsi move
By HAMZA HENDAWI CAIRO — Egypt’s highest appeal courts suspended their work Wednesday to protest presidential decrees that gave the…
Egypt crisis raises fears of 'second revolution'
CAIRO — Faced with an unprecedented strike by the courts and massive opposition protests, Egypt's Islamist president is not backing…
US wildlife service sued over wolves
ALBUQUERQUE -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is being sued over what environmentalists claim is the agency's failure to…
Long-running water war heading to New Mexico Supreme Court
SANTA FE - Some water disputes in the West never seem to end, but one of New Mexico's long-running battles…
Palestinians certain to win recognition as a state
UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinians are certain to win U.N. recognition as a state Thursday in a General Assembly vote…
Venezuela judge on trial refuses to enter court
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan authorities began trying the country's most famous judge in absentia Wednesday while she refused to…
Panel: Reyes may have broken ethics rules, law
WASHINGTON (AP) — An independent House panel has concluded that there is substantial reason to believe Texas Rep. Silvestre Reyes…
Judge to rule on expert witness in sex slave case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge will decide if an expert in kinky sex may testify in the…
'Robin Hood' system deters school tax hikes, pollster testifies
AUSTIN -- A pollster said during Texas' school finance trial Tuesday that the "Robin Hood" funding system makes voters in…
Texas high school graduation rates among nation's highest under new, national reporting system
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas and five other states have tied for the nation's third-best high school graduation rate, according…
San Antonio school district sued over program to track students with microchips
AUSTIN -- To 15-year-old Andrea Hernandez, the tracking microchip embedded in her student ID card is a "mark of the…
Ex-maid recants El Paso attorney Theresa Caballero accusation
Local attorney Theresa Caballero has been cleared of an assault accusation after her former housekeeper withdrew her claim, police said…
Texas DIY divorce forms are far from uncontested
Plenty of websites and self-help books claim to provide free divorce forms and instructions for tackling the legal process yourself.…
Prosecutor calls defendant in gang rape one of the 'pack of dogs'
LIBERTY - Liberty County prosecutors described Jared Len Cruse as one of a "pack of dogs" who gang-raped an 11-year-old…
'It is time to move forward': Alamo's embattled Daughters find closure in scathing AG report
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The head of the Alamo's longtime caretakers said Tuesday her embattled group has found closure in…
Perry taps San Antonio attorney and campaign donor John Steen as Texas secretary of state
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday named a San Antonio attorney and businessman who served on the…
Henderson County man withdraws threat to sue over Christmas tree star
By BETTY WATERS blw@tylerpaper.com An atheist has apparently changed his mind about his threat to sue Henderson County in…
Female elementary teacher in South Texas gets 10 years in prison for sex with male student, 12
DALLAS (AP) -- A female elementary school teacher in South Texas has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for…
Judge awards starving horses to Safe Haven
Emaciated horses seized from a Rusk County pasture last week were awarded to Safe Haven Equine Rescue and Retirement Home…
Travis County to require $11 hourly wage for all incentive deals; Austin weighs similar requirement
By Marty Toohey American-Statesman Staff Austin labor leaders declared Tuesday a milestone, after Travis County leaders decided to require any…
Round Rock woman among those suing for right to fight in ground combat units
American-Statesman Staff Leander High School graduate Maj. Mary Jennings Hegar was a combat helicopter pilot on her third tour of…
Federal Judge Paul Brown dies at age 86
By Jerrie Whiteley Herald Democrat Grayson County’s legal community mourned Tuesday as people began to learn of the death of…
Judge orders tobacco companies to say they lied
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered tobacco companies to publish corrective statements that say they lied about the…
3 BP employees to be arraigned in oil spill probe
NEW ORLEANS — Two BP rig supervisors and a former BP executive were scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on criminal…
Judge bars suburban Memphis schools
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that six Memphis suburbs cannot start public school systems, sayig that…
Judge tosses charges in medical marijuana cases
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A judge has thrown out charges against four employees of two Lansing medical marijuana facilities, saying…
Marine on trial for suicide attempt
WASHINGTON -- Marine Pvt. Lazzaric Caldwell slit his wrists and spurred a legal debate that's consuming the Pentagon, as well…
Sexual predators turn to Web to snare victims
CHICAGO — Derrick Chaney may have come across as a catch on the dating website he used - successful, connected…
Egypt mass protests challenge Islamist president
CAIRO — The same chants used against Hosni Mubarak were turned against his successor Tuesday as more than 200,000 people…
Addiction counselor charged with murder in DUI
TORRANCE, Calif. — The convertible hit Phillip Moreno so hard that it knocked him out of his shoes and lodged…
Perry taps chief of staff for Texas Supreme Court
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry has tapped his chief of staff for an open seat on the Texas Supreme…
Court of Inquiry in Michael Morton Case Delayed
GEORGETOWN -- The court of inquiry that will determine whether the former prosecutor who oversaw the wrongful conviction of Michael…
Judge appointed to hear recusal motion
Billy Ray Stubblefield, presiding judge of the 3rd Administrative Judicial Region, will decide whether the judge in lawyer Theresa Caballero's…
Sixth teen sex suit: Boy kept 'black book' for Amarillo artist Stanley Marsh 3
A former “trusted aide” to Stanley Marsh 3 and another former minor sued Stanley Marsh 3 on Monday, alleging the…
Sixth teen sex suit: Boy kept 'black book' for Amarillo artist Stanley Marsh 3
A former “trusted aide” to Stanley Marsh 3 and another former minor sued Stanley Marsh 3 on Monday, alleging the…
Judge stops school from expelling girl who refused to wear track
A GPS tracking device on your child, would you be okay with that? A San Antonio school district is requiring…
Austin superintendent testifies in ongoing school finance trial
American-Statesman Staff Austin school district Superintendent Meria Carstarphen on Monday swatted down arguments from a state lawyer that the district…
Trial under way for prisoner accused in death of officer
On Sept. 24, 2007, Susan Canfield was up in time to make it out the door shortly after 5 a.m.…
Documents: Former El Paso County Judge Dolores Briones aided FBI inquiry since 2010
Former County Judge Dolores Briones allegedly has been cooperating with the FBI in a corruption investigation at least since April…
Texas Supreme Court simplifies paperwork for some divorce cases
The Texas Supreme Court is trying to make it easier for the growing number of people who want a divorce…
Texas open records law needs update, advocates say
AUSTIN - The state's 40-year-old law designed to keep government in the open needs a few tweaks to catch up…
Lawyer: 'City of Midland could be sued for train crash but likely won't'
The Nov. 15 train accident that claimed the lives of four military veterans and injured 16 other people may put…
DUI suspect who struck man is addiction counselor
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — Sherri Wilkins' past was checkered with addiction, crime and prison time, but in a matter of…
Couple going to prison, husband must repay more than $16M over Houston condominium loan fraud
HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston-area man has been sentenced to seven years in prison and must repay more than $16…
$3.4B Indian lawsuit ends, disbursements to begin
HELENA, Mont. — After nearly 17 years of courtroom arguments, congressional negotiations and Indian Country bickering, hundreds of thousands of…
Judge to hear motion to dismiss sex abuse charges
Hinds County Judge Bill Gowan will hear the motion on Dec. 18. Langworthy's trial is scheduled for Jan. 28. Jeff…
White House website hit with secession petitions
WASHINGTON -- In the three weeks since President Barack Obama's re-election victory, his most ardent foes -- nearly 1 million…
Hearing on lawyer's motion in NY Facebook case
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The latest in a string of lawyers who've represented a New York man in a multibillion…
GI faces pretrial hearing in WikiLeaks case
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — An Army private charged with spilling U.S. secrets to the website WikiLeaks is heading to…
Justice William Joseph Cornelius
JEFFERSON — Justice William Joseph Cornelius was born in Sweetwater, Texas, on June 6, 1927, to James Rufus Cornelius and…
Justice on elections: ‘Hate the game, don't hate the player'
AUSTIN — Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett showcased himself as such a staunch conservative in his re-election bid that…
El Paso Attorney Theresa Caballero case delayed; she says judge is biased
The disciplinary trial of El Paso Attorney Theresa Caballero that had been scheduled for Monday was delayed after Caballero asked…
Travis County judge lays down the law: No reading in court.
American-Statesman Staff So Im sitting in the 147th Travis County District Court, reading a book on the 1980s AIDS epidemic…
Ex-Tech engineering prof wins slander, assault suit against department head
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Ex-Tech engineering prof wins slander, assault suit against department head Walt Nett November 23, 2012 1:44…
Man gets $5.1M for workplace mishap
LUBBOCK — A Lubbock County jury awarded a former resident and his estranged wife some $5.5 million in damages in…
Court to decide if illegal act bars lawsuit
By Chuck Lindell American-Statesman Staff Mary Ann Arredondo has spent 5½ years trying to sue the man she holds largely…
Attorney’s election as judge delays voter fraud case
It may take more than a year before seven Montgomery County residents indicted for allegedly committing voter fraud wind up…
El Paso man condemned for shooting estranged wife, friend, loses state court appeal
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the conviction of an El Paso man sent to…
Trial beginning in corrections officer's death
BRYAN, Texas — A convicted killer already serving a life prison term for murder is now facing a possible death…
Harris County vacates Law Center floors to avoid installing sprinklers
Harris County will vacate the top two floors of its Family Law Center to avoid installing a $2 million sprinkler…
Midland rail tragedy could spark changes
Over the past few decades, landmark lawsuits have formed the backbone of changes in railroad safety systems. Although most of…
Daughters of the Republic of Texas cited for mismanagement of the Alamo
AUSTIN -- The Alamo is the symbolic heart of Texas, a monument to courage and self-sacrifice.The story of the 1836…
'Right under our noses': Defeating human trafficking in Texas begins with schools, legislature
With 27 million slaves suffering around the globe, human trafficking is a worldwide epidemic. But in the United States -…
Lawmakers to take up water financing, but to what degree remains an open question
American-Statesman Staff Lawmakers tend to agree about the need to improve Texas water infrastructure, which saw most of its last…
Lawmakers to review Texas Open Records Act
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers are considering possible changes to the Texas Public Information Act, including how to reduce frivolous…
Texas still in quest for education accountability
After decades of experimenting with testing, scoring and weighing student performance in the classroom, with the purpose of holding someone…
SpaceX acquires more properties
SpaceX continues to invest in Cameron County, buying more property as well as options it holds on other lands, as…
Supreme Court to consider timing on gay marriage
WASHINGTON -- After two decades when gay rights moved from the margin to capture the support of most Americans, the…
Egypt's top judges slam president's new powers
In a statement carried on MENA Saturday, the Supreme Judicial Council says they regret the declarations President Mohammed Morsi issued…
Secularists join to oppose Morsi
CAIRO -- Supporters of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and the human-rights advocates who dedicated themselves to toppling the longtime…
Deliberations resume in actress' fatal crash case
SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Jurors in the aggravated manslaughter trial of a former "Melrose Place" actress are due to resume…
Judge's recusal complicates Okla. Youth Expo suit
OKLAHOMA CITY — The recusal of an Oklahoma County judge from a lawsuit filed by two state lawmakers that challenges…
Casey Anthony detectives overlooked Google search
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Florida sheriff's office that investigated the disappearance of Casey Anthony's 2-year-old daughter overlooked evidence that…
Adultery and email a dangerous combination
Adultery. Reckless passion. Steamy emails. The latest national scandal has all the makings of a cheap romance novel, a "Saturday…
Death of man in Mexico raises constitutional question in U.S.
MATAMOROS, Mexico — In a case that could become a legal landmark, the family of a Mexican man who was…
BP, workers head to court over criminal charges in Gulf disaster
BP is preparing to plead guilty to manslaughter and other crimes arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico rig explosion…
No new trial for Mich. teacher who killed husband
DETROIT (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a two-year-old decision that granted a new trial to a Detroit-area…
Speedy trial demanded in Philippine massacre
The protesters carried mock coffins to represent the victims, including 32 media workers, of the Nov. 23, 2009, massacre as…
Another long trial expected for ex-NY lawmaker
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A retired state senator who was one of New York's most powerful politicians faces only two…
Courts weigh public prayer
WASHINGTON —It happens every week at meetings in towns, counties and cities nationwide. A lawmaker or religious leader leads a…
Tagliabue expects to rule on bounties by December
NEW ORLEANS — Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue plans to complete all hearings in the NFL's bounty probe of the…
Hobby Lobby appeals morning-after pill decision
OKLAHOMA CITY — Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court to block part of the federal health…
'Lincoln' a captivating presidential portrait
BY STEWART SMITH ssmith@tylerpaper.com There are few directors in the history of cinema as skilled as Steven Spielberg. This…
Judge William J. "Bill" Cornelius
JEFFERSON — Services for Judge William J. "Bill" Cornelius, 85, of Jefferson, will be 11 a.m. Friday, November 23, 2012,…
Judge in education lawsuit wonders if Texas is 'satisfied with mediocrity'
AUSTIN -- The judge in Texas' sweeping school finance trial wondered Tuesday if "maybe we as a state have been…
Judge presses for a number to fill school funding gap
AUSTIN — Judge John Dietz has heard a steady hum of witness testimony about inadequate and inequitable public school funding…
Woman gets 80 years for deadly Texas day care fire
HOUSTON — It had been Jessica Tata's dream to run a day care. She was soon in over her head,…
CPS worker gets probation for false report
GALVESTON – A Galveston judge sentenced a Child Protective Services worker to four years probation for falsely reporting that he…
Sexual abuse case against Amarillo icon Marsh grows
AMARILLO - For years, it has been hard to tell what has fascinated and shocked residents of this conservative Texas…
Midland says group lacked parade permit
MIDLAND — The organization that sponsors a parade through town during a days-long event for wounded veterans did not have…
County creates veterans' court: Defendants could avoid jail time, have records wiped clean
Collin County veterans who find themselves on the wrong side of the law may soon have another option rather than…
Potter County JP unlikely to face dismissal for DUI charge
A Potter County justice of the peace who was arrested on a DUI charge Saturday morning is still able to…
Lawyer avoids prison for $500,000 embezzlement
A San Antonio attorney who pleaded no contest to plundering her senile grandmother's multimillion-dollar fortune gave up her legal career…
Man faces sentencing for extorting QB Griffin
WACO, Texas — A former Baylor basketball player faces up to three years in prison at sentencing for trying to…
Two more Stanford executives convicted in Ponzi scheme
Two former accounting executives were found guilty of helping Texas financier R. Allen Stanford hide a Ponzi scheme that bilked…
Garage owner sentenced to 25 years for killing ex-employee
FORT WORTH -- An auto repair shop owner was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday for killing an unarmed…
Radack says county should control Port of Houston Authority
Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack on Tuesday fired the latest salvo in a fight over who should control the Port…
Judges Cracking Down On No-Show Potential Jurors
Before jumping to conclusions they are taking steps to make sure these no show jurors aren't because of bad addresses.…
Texan gets prison, must pay $1.4 to child porn victim
MCALLEN, Texas -- A South Texas man who pleaded guilty in a child pornography investigation must serve more than 17…
Parents file wrongful death suit in daughter's August 2011 wreck
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Parents file wrongful death suit in daughter's August 2011 wreck Walt Nett November 21, 2012 12:33…
Towing company agrees to $10,000 in refunds
Bexar Towing has agreed to refund nearly $10,000 to vehicle owners for charging them more than what San Antonio allows…
Wiley organization ‘gives back’ at inaugural dinner
Wiley College’s Deep Soldier Organization hosted the first Judge William T. Hughey Thanksgiving Dinner for some area non-profits in the…
Secession?: Post-vote childish outburst is unrealistic waste of time
Call it the losers’ last gasp. Or maybe it’s the epilogue to silly season. We’re talking about the nutty idea…
Ex-hedge fund trader charged in $276 million insider ploy
NEW YORK — A former hedge fund portfolio manager was arrested Tuesday in what prosecutors are calling perhaps the most…
Okla. court rules Tulsa-area schools lack standing
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that two Tulsa-area school districts lack standing to sue to block…
Supreme Court may put Katie's Law in jeopardy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Could the U.S. Supreme Court rule the swab of DNA that led police to Katie Sepich's…
Kelley's sister appears before media
WASHINGTON -- Natalie Khawam emerged tentatively from the shadows Tuesday to put a human face on her role as one…
Neb. lawmakers to study effectiveness of DUI laws
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers will evaluate the effectiveness of Nebraska's driving-under-the-influence laws when they return to the Capitol next…
Texas judge rules against correcting errors in school finance evidence presented by districts
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A state judge hearing arguments Monday in the Texas school finance trial denied a motion to…
Prosecutors seek harsh sentence for day care owner; defense asks for mercy
Houston Prosecutors on Monday asked a jury to sentence a Houston woman convicted of murder after a fire at her…
Specia is the right man to lead DFPS
There is new reason to hope that the state agency charged with protecting our children and the elderly will soon…
Stanley Marsh 3's wife, firms refute teen sex suits
Stanley Marsh 3’s wife and two of his companies threw their first counterpunches Monday, asking that the lawyer representing minors…
Garage owner convicted of murder in 2011 slaying
FORT WORTH -- The owner of a southeast Fort Worth auto repair shop was convicted of felony murder Monday in…
Court drama follows arrest of policeman
EDINBURG — Police from San Juan and McAllen faced off in a courtroom Monday over the DWI arrest of a…
Judges checking accuracy of call-up lists to address juror no-shows
By Walt Nett AVALANCHE-JOURNAL Judges checking accuracy of call-up lists to address juror no-shows Walt Nett November 20, 2012 12:19…
Man gets 5 life sentences for sexual assault of girl
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com The mother of a 9-year-old girl told the Tyler man convicted of sexually assaulting her…
Lawyers prepare for possible litigation in train wreck aftermath
Two firms said they are laying the groundwork for a lawsuit in regards to Thursday's fatal train accident, citing the…
Multiple DWI convictions land driver in jail for life
COMAL COUNTY -- A Comal County jury sentenced a man to life in prison for DWI. 45-year-old Cornelio Garcia-Mata had…
Potter JP Arrested for DWI
AMARILLO -- A Potter county Justice of the Peace was arrested over the weekend. Precinct 4 JP…
Judge rejects Nativity displays in Santa Monica
LOS ANGELES — There's no room for the baby Jesus, the manger or the wise men this Christmas in a…
Kansas appeals court attorney fired over tweet
TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas appeals court attorney was fired Monday after using foul language about the state's former attorney…
Poland thwarts terror attack on top leaders
WARSAW, Poland Polish authorities have arrested a man who was planning to detonate a four-ton car bomb in front of…
Documentary says inmate involved in Simpson case
TAMPA, Fla. A documentary about an inmate on Florida's death row says the convicted killer might have been involved in…
Judge denies Hobby Lobby's morning-after case
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A federal judge Monday rejected Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.'s request to block part of the federal…
Two workers shoulder blame for 2010 BP oil disaster
By Michael Kunzelman ASSOCIATED PRESS Two workers shoulder blame for 2010 BP oil disaster Michael Kunzelman November 20, 2012 12:02…
Texas court OKs do-it-yourself divorce forms
AUSTIN - The Texas Supreme Court has approved new do-it-yourself divorce forms - designed only for couples without children or…
Texas school financing focuses on reform
During opening statements in the current trial over how the state finances its public schools, a lawyer for the state…
Specia solid pick for family agency
Senior District Judge John J. Specia Jr. has spent the better part of his legal career protecting the best interests…
Appeals court is reshaped by Dem voters
Among the many electoral victories scored by local Democrats on Nov. 6, nothing matched what the party pulled off in…
Election of judges full of pitfalls
Some years back, two Austin campaign reform activists armed themselves with a video camera on Election Day and confronted voters…
Duval County jury returns $27.5 million verdict Thursday against Wal-Mart, employee in death of teen
CORPUS CHRISTI — A Duval County jury returned a $27.5 million verdict against Wal-Mart on Thursday in connection with the…
Houston man gets death penalty for two murders in Fort Bend
A Houston man received the death penalty Wednesday in the 240th District Court for two murders in 2008. Judge Thomas…
Trevino indicted on four charges related to his former charity
Precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino was indicted Friday, accused in four felony indictments including abuse of official capacity, misapplication of…
Witnesses testify that Tata was nurturing, caring
Nurturing, caring and loving. That's how witnesses on Friday described Jessica Tata, the woman facing life in prison for felony…
Woman awarded $2.16 million in suit against FedEx
A Brazos County civil jury on Friday awarded a local woman $2.16 million in damages for an August 2008 accident…
Shotgun killer handed 40-year sentence
Two years after jurors became hopelessly deadlocked regarding whether Tracy Devon Brown was deserving of the minimum or maximum sentence…
Settlement in pit bull case leaves appeal problem unresolved
FORT WORTH -- All people, and even some dogs, deserve a day in court.The recent settlement of a lawsuit in…
No death penalty sought in slaying
Seven of eight men, including one who hasn’t been arrested yet, accused in the July slaying-kidnapping of 22-year-old Reyes Bocanegra…
Jury gives man 20 years for biting roommate
HITCHCOCK — A man accused of being intoxicated during a biting assault of his roommate was convicted and sentenced to…
Appeals court orders convicted Shelby Co. murderer's release
LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - After more than 15 years behind bars for a crime that a convicted murderer claims he…
13th Court of Appeals upholds man’s murder conviction
Last week, justices for the 13th Court of Appeals upheld a Victoria man's murder conviction. Gilbert Llamas, also known as…
Lackland trainers' misdeeds not just sexual
Elite trainers at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland have been busted in the past 10 years for DWI, assault, abusing trainees…
Austin Man Sentenced To Probation, Jail Time In Crash That Killed 2 People
Friday, November 16 2012, 05:33 PM CST Austin Man Sentenced To Probation, Jail Time In Crash That Killed 2 People…
Plans to Demolish City Hall In Federal Judges Hands
EL PASO — A federal judge will decide whether to stop plans to demolish city hall to make room for…
Stanford receiver sues law firms Greenberg Traurig and Hunton & Williams
Ralph Janvey, receiver over R. Allen Stanford and his companies’ assets, filed a lawsuit against two law firms and Stanford’s…
Appeals court upholds conviction in hearsay case
DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a man found guilty of murder based on…
Recalling Gettysburg and a 'new birth of freedom'
The great new film Lincoln, starring famed actor Daniel Day-Lewis and directed by Steven Spielberg, chronicles our 16th president's role…
Ohio lawyer group stirs anger wading into politics
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio State Bar Association, the state's largest professional organization of lawyers, usually stays above the…
New Oklahoma Ten Commandments monument has 2 typos
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma lawmaker who paid for a new Ten Commandments monument at the state Capitol says two…
Judge weighs delay in Penn St. whistleblower suit
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — A key witness against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky will learn in about…
Bible publisher wins injunction in contraceptive fight
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge on Friday temporarily prevented the Obama administration from forcing a Christian publishing company to provide…
BP's criminal plea in spill sets stage for civil duels
While this week's plea deal closes the door on criminal charges against BP in the deadly 2010 blowout and oil…
Defense lawyers say BP rig workers are scapegoats
NEW ORLEANS — While BP has resolved a sweeping criminal probe of its role in the massive 2010 oil spill…
Judge approves FTC's $22.5M fine of Google
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has approved a $22.5 million fine to penalize Google for an alleged privacy breach,…
Explosive and emotional testimony in Jessica Tata trial
Shewas the last witness for the state in the case against Jessica Tata - and she made a lasting impression.…
DeSoto man gets 10 years' probation, $10,000 fine in "squatter" case
FORT WORTH -- Moments after he was sentenced to 10 years of probation and was ordered to pay a $10,000…
El Paso attorney Stuart Leeds' law license placed on probation
The law license of local attorney Stuart Leeds will be on probation for the next six months and he will…
Texas lawyer accused of helping cartel denied bond
EL PASO, Texas — A West Texas lawyer charged with trying to launder $600 million for a Mexican drug cartel…
DA, judge at odds over immigrant wreck case
Whether a teen charged with murder might be tried as an adult for his role in a deadly Palmview crash…
Federal judge hears arguments against tax proposition, says he’ll rule Thursday
U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel pointedly questioned a lawyer who argued in court Wednesday that Proposition 1, which Travis County…
Fulbright & Jaworski to merge with global firm Norton Rose
Fulbright & Jaworski LLP is merging with global law firm Norton Rose to create a 3,800-lawyer enterprise that will be…
Jaworski not forgotten despite name change, law firm exec says
Leon Jaworski's name may be coming off the nameplate, but his legacy will remain secure inside the offices of Norton…
Willie Gandara Jr. gets 6 1/2 years for drug smuggling
Once a rising star in local politics, ex-El Paso County Commissioner Willie Gandara Jr.'s political future came to a crashing…
Dallas Morning News: Texas Supreme Court moves to allow lawyerless, 'do-it-yourself' divorces
The court ordered Wednesday that a proposed standardized divorce form that would be acceptable in Texas courts be published for…
Convicted killer of two put to death
HUNTSVILLE -- Proclaiming his innocence to the end, a 46-year-old Houston man was executed Thursday for the fatal stabbing of…
Attorney general says new DNA tests don't help condemned man
New DNA testing in the case of a Death Row inmate condemned for a 1993 triple slaying in Pampa doesn't…
Texas inmate seeks compensation for years on Death Row
DALLAS -- When Michael Blair was sent to Death Row for the infamous murder of a 7-year-old Plano girl, he…
Bryant enters 'conditional dismissal' agreement with Dallas District Attorney
Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has entered an agreement with Dallas County prosecutors to complete a year-long counseling program for anger…
Stanford investors, receiver file suit against two law firms
A group of investors victimized by R. Allen Stanford's $7 billion Ponzi scheme along with the court-appointed receiver tasked with…
Appeals court upholds life sentence for Gilmer man
By PHILLIP WILLIAMS Special Correspondent GILMER — A state appellate court on Wednesday upheld the 2011 conviction of a Gilmer man…
Ruling will send tax return tampering case to appeals court
By KELLY GOOCH kgooch@tylerpaper.com A Cherokee County case will move forward to the 12th Court of Appeals in Tyler under…
Former trial lawyer touted to replace Texas speaker
AUSTIN -- Some conservative critics of Republican House Speaker Joe Straus say he's too moderate to run the Texas House.…
Another Bush launching his political career in Texas
Get ready for another George Bush running for office in Texas. George Preston Bush, the grandson and nephew of the…
BP agrees to plead guilty and pay a record $4.5 billion over Gulf spill; 3 employees charged
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A day of reckoning arrived for BP on Thursday as the oil giant agreed to plead…
Church on Sunday part of Oklahoma teen's probation
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — An Oklahoma teenager who pleaded guilty in the traffic death of another teen must attend church for…
BBC settles libel suit from wronged politician
GREGORY KATZ LONDON (AP) — The BBC reached a settlement Thursday with the Conservative politician wrongly implicated in a child…
Prosecutors want 2 1/2-year prison term for Dykstra
LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are asking that former All-Star outfielder Lenny Dykstra serve a 2 1/2-year…
Supreme Court overturns judge on shooting range
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling that declared the 2008 Outdoor…
Justin Bieber paparazzi case counts are dismissed
LOS ANGELES -- A judge dealt a blow Wednesday to a California law meant to crack down on reckless driving…
California's budget shows signs of a surplus, analyst says
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The state's fiscal analyst said Wednesday that California's long-tattered budget is on the verge of producing surpluses,…
Judge Specia named head of state agency
Senior district Judge John J. Specia Jr. on Tuesday was appointed commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services.…
Punishment phase of trial to resume after Texas woman convicted of murder for day care fire
HOUSTON (AP) -- A Texas woman convicted of murder in a child's fire death at a home day care has…
Judge sentences would-be terrorist Aldawsari to life in prison
A federal judge sentenced a Saudi Arabian citizen to life in prison Tuesday on a federal charge of attempting to…
Defendant in 'squatter' trial testifies he was following law
FORT WORTH -- A Tarrant County jury Tuesday heard details of how a so-called "squatter" used an obscure law from…
Term limit bill pre-filed in Texas House
By Enrique Rangel A-J AUSTIN BUREAU Term limit bill pre-filed in Texas House Enrique Rangel November 14, 2012 12:23 AM…
Grayson commissioners consider death row indigent defense program
By Jerrie Whiteley Herald Democrat By Jerrie Whiteley Herald Democrat Grayson County commissioners discussed Tuesday the possibility of the county…
Petition for Texas’ succession may go to White House
Associated Press A petition calling for Texas to secede from the union crossed the White House’s 25,000-signature threshold on Monday,…
Florida socialite at center of Petraeus sex scandal
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — If you were to diagram the increasingly tangled sex scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus,…
New, expanded treason law takes effect in Russia
A new law expanding Russia's definition of treason took effect Wednesday despite President Vladimir Putin's promise to review it and…
Conviction tossed, 20-year inmate nears freedom
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 56-year-old, partially blind schizophrenic man who has been imprisoned for two decades could be…
After verdict, fallout from police beating trial
CHICAGO — Will the city act? --> CHICAGO — Will the city act? That's the question many Chicagoans will be…
Judge tosses woman's "too fat to fly" lawsuit
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Attorneys argued Tuesday over how long motorists may be detained on the roadside while police check…
Jury see video of Tata shopping, begin deliberations
Family members of four toddlers killed last year shook their heads and wiped tears from their eyes as they watched…
Vilalobos’ former law partner seeks to bar Limas testimony
BROWNSVILLE —Attorney Eduardo “Eddie” Lucio, the former law partner of Cameron County District Attorney Armando R. Villalobos, is trying to…
Special prosecutor appointed to investigation of Abilene CPS employees
District Judge Lee Hamilton issued an order Thursday appointing a special prosecutor in the investigation of four Abilene-based Child Protective…
County redistricting case goes to court Tuesday
Harris County is scheduled to go to trial Tuesday over a redistricting map it adopted last year for commissioner precincts…
Killer's lawyer says police lied about teen's dying accusation
Late on Sept. 26, 1988, La Shandra Charles, bleeding profusely from neck wounds in a west Houston field, told police…
DA wants jury to hear case despite guilty plea
KERRVILLE — Saying the evidence needs to be aired, District Attorney Amos Barton isn't willing to let a local man…
Texas picks Tarrant County as model in bid to improve arson inquiries
The state plans to launch a comprehensive training and educational campaign for arson and fire investigators in January modeled after…
North Texas couple charged with property theft face up to life in prison in 'squatter' case
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A North Texas couple accused of "squatting" face up to life in prison if convicted…
Group sues state over dog breeding regulations
A group that calls itself the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas has sued the state over a law…
Texas judge suspended for 1-year over video beating of daughter to return to bench Wednesday
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- A Texas judge shown in a video beating his teenage daughter in 2004 will return…
Christine Morton Murder Suspect Mark Norwood Indicted In Austin Murder
Friday, November 9 2012, 12:19 PM CST Christine Morton Murder Suspect Mark Norwood Indicted In Austin Murder The man accused…
Woman turns down plea, receives longer sentence from Cuero judge
A DeWitt County woman who was offered a 12-year jail sentence in a plea agreement turned down the offer and…
Courthouse built in 1955 after battle with Texas high court
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com When Smith County Sheriff J.B. Smith lived on the sixth floor of the current Smith…
34 members of Aryan Brotherhood of Texas are indicted
HOUSTON -- Four "generals" in the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood of Texas were among 34 gang members named in a…
Bill pre-filed to stop texting while driving
Legislation to ban outright texting while driving in Texas will be considered again next year, two years after Gov. Rick…
Straus faces tea party-backed challenge for Texas House speakership
AUSTIN - House Speaker Joe Straus' bid for a third term as leader of the 150-member state House may not…
In 2012 Texas election results, it is clear redistricting was destiny for lawmakers
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Political consultants like to say that redistricting is destiny, and that was certainly true in Texas'…
Texas secession petition grows on White House website
WASHINGTON - When the White House promised that any online petition getting more than 25,000 signatures would get a thorough…
Some Texas Republicans already cheering for 'super' prospect George P. Bush
George P. Bush, the product of American political royalty, has filed paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to run for…
Senators propose comprehensive changes to immigration policy with pathway to citizenship
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two senators on opposite sides of the aisle are proposing comprehensive changes to the immigration laws that…
High court to take fresh look at voting rights law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will consider eliminating the government's most potent weapon against racial discrimination at polling places since…
Not that hard for authorities to get to your email
Your emails are not nearly as private as you think. The downfall of CIA Director David Petraeus demonstrates how easy…
New trial, different verdict
But they're holding out hope that someone with the appropriate power specifically the president of the United States may be…
‘Reign of terror' case could boost justice in Mexico
OJINAGA, Mexico — This rough little border town in the middle of nowhere has seen its share of lawless men,…
Study: US judges' criminal caseloads vary widely
WASHINGTON (AP) Federal judges across the nation are shouldering criminal caseloads that vary widely in size, sometimes even among judges…
DNA collection by police to be reviewed
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Friday that it will decide whether it's legal for police to collect DNA samples…
Texas judge extends injunction requiring state to continue funding Planned Parenthood
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas District Judge Steve Yelenosky has issued an injunction that will keep Planned Parenthood in the…
Texas official over CPS quits after Abilene investigation of workers
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services commissioner Howard Baldwin resigned Thursday just weeks after Abilene detectives seized files from…
Lubbock DA named to Marsh 3 investigaton
LUBBOCK — Lubbock County District Attorney Matt Powell said he was appointed special prosecutor to the case last month and…
Expert: Small classes key to school, life success
AUSTIN, Texas — Students in smaller public-school classes tend to do better on standardized tests and even eventually become better…
Man executed in Texas for 2002 slaying of woman during break-in at her home
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A man described by a prosecutor as "a serial killer in training" was executed Thursday in…
Testimony wraps up in Texas day care fire murder trial, closing arguments set for Monday
HOUSTON (AP) -- The fate of a Texas woman facing a murder charge after a fire at her home day…
Texas judge to rule on disruptive JetBlue pilo
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge is expected to rule on whether a JetBlue Airways pilot who disrupted a…
Fort Worth City Council may consider allowing jury option for red-light violators
FORT WORTH, TEXAS— The Fort Worth City Council may consider allowing red-light camera violators the option of asking for a…
El Paso woman convicted of killing husband
Jurors on Thursday convicted a 32-year-old woman of fatally running down her husband just before Valentine's Day earlier this year.…
Texas lawyer pleads not guilty to laundering more than $600 million for cartel
EL PASO -- A Texas lawyer and former Carnegie Mellon University trustee pleaded not guilty Thursday to laundering more than…
Man gets prison for taking safe with child's ashes
BACLIFF — A man convicted of burglarizing a safe containing a toddler’s ashes was sentenced to 11 years in prison,…
Another Maverick County employee charged in a widening bribery, contracts investigation
DEL RIO, Texas (AP) -- Another South Texas border county employee has been charged with accepting bribes. Federal prosecutors in…
George P Bush, nephew of former President George W Bush, makes campaign filing in Texas
DALLAS (AP) -- George P. Bush, a nephew of former President George W. Bush and son of one-time Florida Gov.…
Services set for DWI prosecutor Chip Rich
Funeral arrangements have been set for Charles “Chip” Rich III, a Bexar County prosecutor who committed suicide at his far…
Palestine man gets 13 years for driving while intoxicated
Staff Reports Paul Armstrong, 45, of Palestine, received a 13-year prison sentence for felony driving while intoxicated from District Judge…
Texas inmate pleads guilty to hate crime over beating of fellow prisoner he thought was gay
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal prison inmate in Texas has pleaded guilty to a hate crime charge after admitting that…
Feds: 2 plead guilty in military recruiting scheme
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors say two former U.S. military members from Texas have been sentenced for their roles in an…
Federal judge urged to approve BP's proposed settlement of Gulf oil spill claims
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- BP and attorneys for businesses and people who lost money in the Gulf oil spill urged…
Judge refuses to dismiss criminal count in spill case
A federal judge Thursday denied a former BP engineer's motion to dismiss one of two obstruction of justice charges he…
High court weighs legality of dam project funding
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Thursday began to consider whether a proposed $25 million state bond issue…
Tea party bashes Romney, vows comeback
The tea party was in finger-pointing mode Wednesday, and the digits weren’t aimed at President Barack Obama. Tea partiers placed…
Election was milestone in support for gay marriage
WASHINGTON -- Supporters of same-sex marriage reached a major milestone in Tuesday's elections, when Maryland and Maine became the first…
Legislature sees tough issues ahead after election
DALLAS (AP) — Texas Republicans will go into the 2013 legislative session with much of the same agenda as last…
Davis' win confirms that her star is rising
FORT WORTH -- Wendy Davis is ready to get back to work.One day after winning a hard-fought re-election battle in…
Democrats score with victories in judicial races
With 11 of 12 state district court races called for Democrats this week, voters again showed that party loyalty is…
Judicial ballot in dire need of reform
Once again, the Bexar County judiciary was buffeted by a wave election on Tuesday. Several well-qualified Republican judges lost their…
Man to be executed today for 2002 murder of Longview woman
Mario Swain stalked and attacked at least three Longview women before he killed 44-year-old Lola Nixon two days after Christmas…
Lead lawyer in El Paso recall fined $6,000 by judge
The lead lawyer for a group wanting to recall the mayor and two city representatives repeatedly made false claims that…
After jury verdict, fate of three Kirby Drive bars is in the hands of the judge
Homeowners in the David Crockett subdivision will ask a state district judge to force two Kirby Drive bars to stop…
Lawyer: Authorities search Stanley Marsh 3 offices in Chase Tower
Amarillo police investigators searched the 12th-floor Chase Tower office complex of Stanley Marsh 3 for about four hours Wednesday as…
Rockwall official ordered to buy new flagpole, donate to veterans
ROCKWALL - The new Rockwall County Courthouse has a solemn side, where symbols mark sacrifice. But veterans see the county's…
Witnesses give new testimony in Bower case
By Jerrie Whiteley Herald Democrat When District Judge Jim Fallon held a hearing last week on the Lester Bower case,…
Testimony continues in day three of Smith murder trial
MPD officers Joe Chastain and Courtney Wells were uncertain to what they would find on Sept. 20, 2009, when they…
Former advanced placement student guilty of murder
A Bexar County jury Wednesday convicted former Stevens High advanced placement student Jasjeet Singh of murdering a classmate. The verdict…
Mistrial declared for ex-S.A. employee
A deadlocked jury resulted in a mistrial Wednesday night in the trial of Jeanetta Tinsley, a former San Antonio department…
Tyler man guilty in child sex assault case
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com A Smith County jury in the 114th District Court took more than five hours on…
McKool Smith Secures $368 Million Verdict for VirnetX
McKool Smith has secured a $368 million patent infringement verdict on behalf of Scotts Valley, Calif.-based VirnetX Holding Corporation (NYSE…
Penn State ex-President Spanier arraigned
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Former Penn State President Graham Spanier was arraigned and released on bail at a brief court appearance…
Man behind anti-Muslim film sentenced to prison
LOS ANGELES — The California man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle…
Judge rejects injunction against Dish DVR
LOS ANGELES — A California judge has rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against Dish Network's ad-skipping digital video…
Insurance broker charged with defrauding Tom Hanks
Jerry B. Goldman, who was arrested at his Thousand Oaks home, was released from federal custody on a $25,000 bond…
Gabrielle Giffords to come face to face with shooter during sentencing
TUCSON, Ariz.—The man who pleaded guilty in the Arizona shooting rampage will be sentenced Thursday for the attack that left…
Obama coasts to victory on demographic tidal wave
A demographic tsunami became a Democratic tidal wave as President Obama won a tight but decisive re-election victory Tuesday with…
Obama promises better days ahead
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama rolled to re-election Tuesday night, vanquishing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney despite a weak economy…
Tea party darling Cruz wins Texas' US Senate race
DALLAS — Texas overwhelmingly elected tea party-backed Republican Ted Cruz to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, completing the former state…
Texas sending 4 new representatives to Congress
DALLAS (AP) — Republicans will continue to dominate the Texas delegation in Washington, winning 20 seats to the Democrats' 13…
Texas Democrats hold onto key Senate seat
DALLAS — Texas Democrats held onto a key seat in the state Senate on Tuesday even as Republicans were certain…
Texas Democrats End GOP House Supermajority
DALLAS (AP) - Texas Republicans kept their firm grip on the state Legislature, but lost their supermajority in the House…
Judge who refused last-minute appeal re-elected
DALLAS — A judge nicknamed "Killer Keller" by death penalty opponents after she refused to allow an after-hours appeal for…
Nora Longoria wins 13th Court of Appeals Place 2 seat
CORPUS CHRISTI — Democrat attorney Nora Longoria will serve as the next 13th Court of Appeals Judge for Place 2.…
Gina Benavides keeps 13th Court of Appeals Place 5 seat
CORPUS CHRISTI — Democratic incumbent Gina Benavides will serve another term in 13th Court of Appeals Place 5 seat beating…
Justice Nelda Rodriguez keeps 13th Court of Appeals Place 4 seat
CORPUS CHRISTI — Justice Nelda Rodriguez, a Democrat, beat Republican attorney Brad Condit for 13th Court of Appeals Place 4…
GOP tide rolling in for judicial races
A Democratic tide that swept away a slew of incumbent Republican judges in Harris County's state district courts in 2008…
Dallas Democrats sweep all eight county offices again
DALLAS — Democrats swept every race in which they competed in Dallas County for the fourth year in a row…
Judge Missy Medary keeps 347th State District bench
CORPUS CHRISTI — Republican Judge Missy Medary beat Democrat René Flores as 347th State District Judge. Medary has held the…
Judge José Longoria keeps 214th District Court bench
CORPUS CHRISTI — In the 214th District Court, Democratic incumbent Judge José Longoria received more votes than Republican Assistant District…
State District Judge Nanette Hasette keeps 28th District Court bench
CORPUS CHRISTI — State District Judge Nanette Hasette, a Democrat, beat challenger Republican Doug Mann in the 28th District Court…
Shuffield overcomes Williams in 136th District Court race
Final results Tuesday night put the incumbent 136th District Court judge back on the bench. Incumbent Judge Milton "Mickey" Shuffield,…
Dickerson upsets longtime 123rd Dist. Judge Griffin
Panola and Shelby County voters went to the polls Tuesday and elected a new district court judge in a close…
Price wins re-election, beats Crampton in 89th
89th district court judge Mark Price71.94% H. Crampton28.06% Republican Mark Price, 89th District Court Judge, handily won re-election Tuesday over…
Jana Duty wins heated race for Williamson County district attorney
WILLIAMSON COUNTY -- Jana Duty was once a long-shot challenger against longtime Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley. But Tuesday…
Cagle, Huberty, Martin among local election winners
With the presidential election looming large Nov. 6, several local races were in contention until the votes were counted. For…
Execution of man convicted of Gregg County slaying scheduled for Thursday
Mario Swain, convicted of the 2002 beating death of a Gregg County woman, was scheduled for execution on Thursday. Swain,…
Suspension is lifted on judge seen in video of beating
The Supreme Court of Texas lifted its suspension Tuesday of the family court judge seen beating his then-teenage daughter in…
Fort Worth woman settles lawsuit against animal control to save dogs
FORT WORTH -- A dog cannot get a fair trial in Fort Worth, according to two women who have had…
States decide on same-sex marriage, marijuana
Voters a continent apart made history Tuesday on two divisive social issues, with Maine becoming the first state to approve…
Here's your guide to Election Night
The pundits are predicting a late night before we know who's won the presidential election. But you may not have…
Texas elections promise few surprises at the top, but down-ballot races could hold intrigue
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas' top races on Election Day 2012 likely won't have many surprises. Voters will have to…
Texas a battleground state in God, government court disputes
CEDAR PARK — Texas might not be a battleground state in Tuesday's presidential election, but it is home to a…
Republicans may lose Texas House supermajority
AUSTIN, Texas — Republicans are certain to maintain their majority in the Texas Legislature after Tuesday's general election. The only…
Kilgarlin, devised "Robin Hood" plan, dies at 79
Former Texas Supreme Court Justice William Kilgarlin, who devised the state's "Robin Hood" school finance plan two decades ago which…
DWI prosecutor Rich found dead
A prosecutor for the Bexar County District Attorney's office known for his work on DWI cases committed suicide at his…
Texas Open Meetings Act lawsuit heads to U.S. Supreme Court
AUSTIN — Supporters of a legal battle to lessen the punishment for elected officials who violate the Texas Open Meetings…
Last-minute lawsuit won't stop alcohol vote
BY FAITH HARPER fharper@tylerpaper.com A visiting judge in the 7th District Court ruled the local beer and wine elections…
Doctors, lawyers team up to help sick kids
As primary caregiver for her 14-year-old grandson, Pamela Brown has made all the decisions about his medical care since he…
Allegations related to terrorism, homicide never made it to Yassine brothers’ trial
When federal prosecutors first outlined their cases against the principal owners of the Yassine Enterprises bar empire and their associates,…
Prosecutors rest case in murder trial of Texas woman who ran day care where fire killed 4 kids
HOUSTON (AP) -- Prosecutors on Monday rested their case against a Houston woman facing a murder charge after a fire…
Special prosecutor coming in assault case
A former San Antonio judge appointed to hear a felony assault charge against a former state Republican leader has removed…
Case of 2 pit bulls turns into legal tangle about rights, jurisdiction
FORT WORTH -- The owner of two pit bulls who is suing the Fort Worth animal control department on constitutional…
Woman faces up to 99 years for trying to have husband killed
Nancy Mancuso Gelber showed little reaction Monday when the verdict finding her guilty of solicitation to commit capital murder was…
Houston man gets prison over $45M health fraud
HOUSTON (AP) — A seventh person convicted in a $45 million health care fraud scheme based in Houston has been…
Man gets life sentence in Idalou double murder
A man accused of killing a mother and son near Idalou last year pleaded guilty to one count of capital…
Woman gets 15 years in 2009 death of Chambers deputy
Pamela Leggett-Ortez sobbed uncontrollably in a Houston federal courtroom Monday, asking for leniency for her role in the deadly shooting…
El Paso lawyer arrested on Friday allegedly worked with drug cartel
Video by Rudy Gutierrez / El Paso Times Agents with Homeland Security Investgations lead Marco Antonio Delgado, center, out of…
Gilmer man gets probation in manslaughter case
By PHILLIP WILLIAMS Special Correspondent GILMER —A 20-year-old Gilmer man has been placed on probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter in…
Apple suit vs. Google dismissed
NEW YORK — A federal judge in Madison, Wis., on Monday threw out a suit by Apple Inc. claiming that…
Court: Officers may have to pay fees in lawsuit
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court says a South Carolina sheriff's office can be held liable for attorneys' fees for…
Daniel Day-Lewis, Steven Spielberg unite for 'Lincoln'
LOS ANGELES -- The task of encapsulating the essence of Abraham Lincoln in a single film took Steven Spielberg roughly…
Zetas drug cartel horse auction raises $8.8M
More than 300 racehorses seized in Ruidoso and other cities in connection to a suspected Zetas drug cartel money-laundering operation…
Hearing begins for Army general accused of sex crimes
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- U.S. Army prosecutors offered the first details of a rare criminal case against a general, alleging…
Hearing begins for U.S. soldier accused in massacre
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. -- The caped figure on the surveillance video came running out of the darkness to the…
Appeals court reviews strict Arizona abortion ban
SAN FRANCISCO -- A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal cast a skeptical eye Monday on…
Federal appeals court upholds sale of property held by polygamous church in Utah, Arizona
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a polygamist sect on the Utah-Arizona border waited…
EU court nixes Hungary's retirement age for judges
LUXEMBOURG (AP) — The EU's highest court ruled Tuesday that Hungary's reduced retirement age for judges constituted unjustified discrimination on…
Obama leads; Romney with chance in electoral race
COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Barack Obama enters the final hours of the 2012 campaign with an edge in the hunt…
Rivals stress differences and bipartisanship hopes
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Two days from judgment by the voters, President Barack Obama raced through four far-flung battleground states on…
Third-party candidates may play the role of spoiler in tight states
HENRICO, Va. -- The lone Virgil Goode campaign sign on a stretch of Virginia road was far outnumbered by placards…
Campaigns brace to sue for votes in crucial states
CLEVELAND — Thousands of lawyers from both presidential campaigns will enter polling places Tuesday with one central goal: tracking their…
Texas a battleground for church and state issues
Texas might not be a battleground state in the upcoming presidential election, but it is home to a number of…
You're not dead? Texas officials' error-plagued effort purges live voters, too
By LISE OLSEN State election officials repeatedly and mistakenly matched active longtime Texas voters to deceased strangers across the country…
Texas' ten top Republican and Democratic political money people
The nation is awash in a gusher of Texas political cash. Texans have donated nearly $300 million this year to…
Survey finds millions from anti-lawsuit groups, lawyers fueling races for Texas Legislature
DALLAS (AP) -- Millions of dollars have been pumped into typically low-spending Texas Legislature races in recent weeks by groups…
Judge removed from Cadriel sexual assault cases
State District Judge Elia Cornejo Lopez has been removed from presiding over cases against Aroldo H. Cadriel after his attorney…
Wife faces trial in husband's death
The trial of a 32-year-old woman accused of running down and killing her husband days before Valentine's Day is scheduled…
Lawsuit claims police used excessive force
An Amarillo man has filed a lawsuit against four city officers, alleging they used excessive force in an October 2010…
Settlement for wrongful imprisonment settles little
After six years of fighting, George Rodriguez finally got a promise Friday that he'll get paid by the city that…
Accuser whose rape testimony sent former San Antonio police officer to prison says she lied
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A 20-year-old college student whose testimony sent a retired San Antonio police officer to prison in…
Jury acquits woman in child-hitting case
Carroll was accused of battering the child on July 11 but Carroll and her defense attorney believed she was defending…
Former Maverick County employee indicted for bribery
DEL RIO, Texas - A former Maverick County employee surrendered to federal authorities Friday after a federal grand jury indicted…
Galveston judge was prosecutor in Stanford case
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted the country's second-largest Ponzi scheme became the youngest-sitting judge upon…
El Paso lawyer Michael J. Gopin awaits extradition to New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A Texas lawyer who failed to post a $500,000 bond or appear at a May hearing…
Court to consider Arizona's 20-week abortion ban
PHOENIX (AP) -- Federal appeals judges in San Francisco will hear arguments today on Arizona's ban on abortions at 20…
Judge likely won't have last say on spill deal
There's little doubt a federal judge will give final approval following a hearing this week to a multibillion-dollar settlement between…
Judge orders 1 Florida county to extend early voting
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A judge extended early voting hours in one Florida county Sunday after Democrats sued to allow…
Newspaper discloses new Cameron text messages
A British lawmaker called Sunday for the country's media ethics inquiry to publish all the text messages it has between…
Judge orders release of some Watergate documents
WASHINGTON -- Some documents sealed in the 1970s as part of the court case against seven men involved in the…
Expert details wide gap in Texas' per-student funding
AUSTIN -- The poorest school districts in Texas tax at a rate that is nearly 8 percent higher than the…
Velez granted continuance, evidentiary hearing set
Judge Elia C. Lopez of the 404th state District Court granted convicted killer Manuel Velez a continuance Thursday in his…
Questions raised about DNA testing in Cook case
BY DAYNA WORCHEL dworchel@tylerpaper.com Attorneys for a man accused in a decades-old murder case argued on Thursday in the…
Texas county returning alleged shakedown cash
DALLAS (AP) -- Authorities in a Texas county where a drug enforcement program was allegedly used to shake down black…
Man Found "Not Guilty" In Infant's Death
ODESSA--It was a day of relief for once accused baby killer John Bailey as he was found not guilty in…
Guilty verdict returned in Garcia killing
SEGUIN — Nearly six years after Vincent Garcia’s murder for being a federal informant, closure came to his family Thursday…
Woman who stole from charity headed to prison
GALVESTON — A charity’s former treasurer pleaded guilty to stealing more than $75,000 from the nonprofit organization that supports families…
Ex-S.A. official goes on trial over $16,000 farewell party
When Jeanetta Tinsley's predecessor retired from San Antonio's Office of Grants Monitoring and Administration in 2009, one of the first…
Settlement reached for man falsely imprisoned
A Houston man who successfully sued the city of Houston in 2009 after he spent 17 years in prison wrongfully…
Judge bans gang members from Houston neighborhood
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan has obtained an injunction that prevents key gang members from a entering…
Immigration courts' performance deeply criticized
WASHINGTON — Immigration courts are failing to keep up with caseloads while delays have prolonged deportation proceedings, leaving some immigrants…
Alabama, Texas voting rights cases keep political storms churning
It might seem a stretch for Texas' top elected officials to be intensely interested in such minutiae as the planning…
Ex-Penn State President Spanier charged in Sandusky case
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The “conspiracy of silence” that prote