Texas

Court must consider defendant’s ability to pay when setting bail, Dallas federal judge says

Setting bail without considering a defendant’s ability to pay bond violates equal protection rights, a Dallas federal judge ruled last Thursday. Most Texas state courts use a bail money system, in which bond is determined by a fixed schedule, the Texas Tribune reports. Nationwide, several lawsuits have targeted money bail…

Sep 24, 2018 1:54 PM CDT

Chief of 3D gun blueprint manufacturer accused in sexual assault of teen

A minor told forensic investigators in Texas that she was paid to have sex with Cody Wilson, the former law student who in June reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to publish blueprints used to make 3D-printed guns. Wilson traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, after a friend of…

Sep 20, 2018 12:35 PM CDT

Some immigrants picked up by ICE given ‘fake dates’ to appear in court

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has failed to coordinate or clear appearance dates with federal courts in six cities, the Dallas Morning News reports. Some people received documents with orders to appear in immigration court at midnight on Sept. 31—in a month that has 30 days. More than a dozen…

Sep 17, 2018 11:16 AM CDT

Proskauer Rose agrees to pay $63M to resolve investor claims in Stanford’s Ponzi scheme

Proskauer Rose has agreed to pay $63 million to resolve the claims of investors who lost money as a result of a Ponzi scheme by R. Allen Stanford, whose companies were represented by a former partner at the firm. Proskauer would not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, which still…

Sep 10, 2018 11:36 AM CDT

Citing 14th Amendment, federal court judge voids Texas’ fetal burial law

A 2017 Texas law that called for health care providers to bury or cremate fetuses—regardless of a patient’s wishes or religious beliefs—was struck down this week in federal court. The law was scheduled to go into effect in February, the New York Times reports. Besides abortions, the law applied to…

Sep 7, 2018 9:50 AM CDT

Lawsuit challenges bail hearings held behind closed doors

In most places around the country, bail hearings are open to the public. The idea is that if the government is going to try to imprison you, the news media and your family and friends should be able to see what goes on and make sure it’s done fairly. Not…

Sep 7, 2018 6:10 AM CDT

ABA president travels to South Texas, working to fulfill ABA’s promise to reunite families

Two months ago, then-ABA president Hilarie Bass went to South Texas to see the effects of the Trump administration’s family separation policy. There, she promised that the ABA would not stop working until every family was reunited and every detainee was given the due process they’re legally entitled to.

Aug 30, 2018 11:14 AM CDT

Texas federal judge adds quotes, visual aids and warning of Alamo kiss to opinion

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio is once again ramping up his warnings to feuding lawyers, this time in an opinion that quotes Elvis Presley, Joe Friday of the Dragnet television series and Abraham Lincoln. In an Aug. 14 order, Biery tells the lawyers that “there will be…

Aug 21, 2018 6:10 AM CDT

5th Circuit stays judge’s ruling requiring automatic release of indigent misdemeanor suspects

A federal appeals court on Tuesday stayed a portion of a federal judge’s ruling that required the automatic release of misdemeanor defendants in Harris County, Texas, if they were unable to pay bail.

Aug 17, 2018 10:20 AM CDT

Judge tosses Georgetown law grad’s suit over school job fair ban

A federal judge in Texas has tossed a $5 million lawsuit against Georgetown University’s law school by a graduate who claimed he was barred as an employer from a school hiring fair because of discrimination and retaliation.

Aug 17, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones loses a soapbox after FCC seeks fine against pirate radio station

The pirate radio station used by Alex Jones to promote his conspiracy theories is no longer broadcasting over the airwaves after the Federal Communications Commission moved to enforce a fine for operating without a license. The operators of Liberty Radio are refusing to pay the $15,000 fine or to recognize…

Aug 16, 2018 10:29 AM CDT

State commission calls blood-spatter testimony in murder case ‘not ... scientifically supported’

An influential state commission said the blood-spatter analysis used to convict a former Texas high school principal of murdering his wife in 1985 was “not accurate or scientifically supported” and the expert who testified was “entirely wrong.”

Jul 24, 2018 4:00 PM CDT

Dog on a lease? Woman surprised to learn pet she paid for was a rental

New York could become the third state to ban animal rentals after the state attorney general filed a fraud suit against a chain called The Pet Zone that includes allegations about a misleading leasing option. One of the people who complained about The Pet Zone is Chelsea Walrath. She told…

Jul 19, 2018 11:10 AM CDT

Trial on fetal burial law begins with judge’s defense of his motives

A trial on the constitutionality of a Texas fetal remains burial law began Monday with a federal judge proclaiming that he has “no predisposition” in the case.

Jul 17, 2018 1:20 PM CDT

5th Circuit criticizes federal judge for alleged sexist remark about simpler times

A federal appeals court has reinstated an indictment and directed the case be assigned to a new federal judge following the initial judge's alleged remarks about the female prosecutor in the case.

Jul 9, 2018 12:23 PM CDT