Texas

Special Prosecutor to Oversee FLDS Ranch Raid Criminal Cases

The state attorney general will serve as special prosecutor in all criminal cases arising from a raid early last month on a Texas ranch run by a religious sect that reportedly promotes polygamy and underage “spiritual” marriages of teenagers to much older men. It isn’t clear exactly what criminal cases…

May 6, 2008 5:44 PM CDT

Texas Ranch Raid Sparks Senate Leader’s Call for Federal Task Force

Sparks flew in Arizona, Nevada and Utah last week after the Senate majority leader criticized prosecutors in those states for not being as aggressive as Texas authorities in pursuing claimed child abuse among a religious sect that reportedly advocates polygamy and “spiritual” marriages of underage teenage girls to much older…

May 5, 2008 11:04 PM CDT

‘Totally Driven’ Lawyer’s Suicide a Wake-Up Call for Others

To those who knew him, including his best friend, Hermes Villarreal was a successful trial lawyer with a happy family life. But beneath the surface, the 41-year-old South Texas plaintiffs attorney struggled with anxiety and depression. However, he didn’t know at the time that his headaches and other symptoms apparently…

May 5, 2008 8:45 PM CDT

Prosecutors Who Withhold Evidence Should Be Jailed, Texas DA Says

Wrongful convictions of 45 Texas defendants since 2001 reportedly have cost the state $8.6 million. And in 22 of those cases, prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense, reports the Dallas Morning News. If they do so intentionally, prosecutors should potentially be disbarred and even jailed, says the Dallas County district…

May 5, 2008 6:53 PM CDT

Texas Changed Marriage Age to Restrict Rights of Polygamy Ranch Residents

Much has been written, in recent weeks, about the number of teen girls entering into “spiritual” underage marriages at a Texas ranch from which some 462 children were removed last month. However, it was not until the fringe religious group that operates the ranch, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ…

May 2, 2008 3:48 PM CDT

Wife of Texas Justice Indicted Once Again on Arson Charges

The wife of Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina has been indicted again on arson charges in a fire that destroyed the couple’s home. Francisca Medina was charged with felony arson, but Justice David Medina was not charged in connection with the incident, report the Houston Chronicle and Texas Lawyer.…

May 1, 2008 1:06 PM CDT

Texas Official Sees ‘Cause for Concern’ in Broken Bones of 41 Sect Boys

A Texas official told a legislative committee yesterday that at least 41 boys removed from a polygamous sect had broken bones. Carey Cockerell, commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, said very young children were among the boys who had bone fractures, the New York Times reports.…

May 1, 2008 12:42 PM CDT

18th Innocent Man Freed in 1 Texas County; Officials Vow Change

For the 18th time in approximately seven years, an innocent man cleared by DNA testing reportedly has been released from prison by one Texas county. This time it was 55-year-old James Woodard who walked out of a Dallas courtroom yesterday, a free man. He had served 27 years in prison…

Apr 30, 2008 11:15 PM CDT

Houston Has a Problem With Death-Penalty Disparities, Study Says

A study of capital punishment in Harris County, Texas, has found two kinds of racial disparities in capital punishment. One disparity, which has been well-documented in studies elsewhere, found that killers of whites are more likely to be sentenced to death than killers of blacks, the New York Times reports…

Apr 29, 2008 3:55 PM CDT

Vinson & Elkins Transfers Partners, Prepares to Expand

Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins, buoyed by profits from oil clients, is reorganizing and beefing up its offices in New York and abroad. Seven partners will move to New York to focus on capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, the American Lawyer reports. Other partners will move to Tokyo,…

Apr 29, 2008 11:34 AM CDT

Texas Appeals Court Refuses Emergency Relief in Ranch Raid Case

After a state appellate court’s denial of emergency relief concerning 462 children in a religious sect that were removed from a Texas ranch in a several-day raid early this month, all involved are settling in for what appears likely to be a lengthy course of litigation. Except for babies, the…

Apr 28, 2008 8:13 PM CDT

Irate Judge Rules in Dog Custody Case: Give Puddles Back!

The judge has ruled in a dog custody case in Texas that attracted international attention. Despite Grace Saenz’ claim that Puddles, a Shih Tzu, was in a bad state when a neighbor asked her to care for the pet 10 months ago, the dog must be returned to her original…

Apr 25, 2008 7:41 PM CDT

Possible Life Term for Texas Mom in Child-Surgery Abuse Case

A Texas mother was convicted yesterday by a jury in an unusual child abuse case of putting her now 13-year-old son through at least two unnecessary surgeries, and now faces a possible sentence of life in prison during the penalty phase of the trial. At trial, prosecutors said Laurie Williamson,…

Apr 25, 2008 7:16 PM CDT

Transgender Woman Settles Job Bias Suit

A transgender woman has settled her lawsuit against a Houston radiology chain that withdrew a job offer after learning she had changed her sexual identity. Details of the settlement were not released, the Houston Chronicle reports. The plaintiff, Izza Lopez, was represented by the gay and lesbian advocacy group Lambda…

Apr 25, 2008 6:33 PM CDT

Lawyers Who Support Religious Liberties Question Polygamy Case

Some lawyers who support religious freedoms are questioning the removal of more than 400 children from a polygamous sect. These lawyers argue that evidence of some underage girls being forced into marriage doesn’t merit the wholesale removal of all children from a Texas ranch. An emergency appellate hearing in the…

Apr 25, 2008 2:47 PM CDT