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On the Lege

Junking Junk Science?

It appears the third time filed is the charm for a bill that allows defendants to challenge their criminal convictions based on the state's use at trial of junk or outdated science – but will it actually cure the problem it seeks to address? Read More | Comment »

10:39AM Fri. May. 17, Jordan Smith

Morton Bill Poised to Become Law

With Michael Morton watching from the gallery, the Texas House on Monday afternoon passed two measures designed to prevent wrongful convictions – like that of Morton, who spent nearly a quarter-century behind bars for a murder he did not commit. Read More | Comment »

11:24AM Tue. May. 14, Jordan Smith

Bill of the Week: Surviving Sexual Assault

After she was raped, it took Arlington resident Nicole Anderson five hours of traveling to three different cities to find the medical help she needed. It took so long to find a hospital ready to collect evidence of the sexual assault that any evidence that she was drugged was lost. "Now I'll never have proof," she told lawmakers last month. Read More | Comment »

10:30AM Sat. May. 11, Jordan Smith

Lawmakers Reject Medical Marijuana Protection for Patients

A conservative measure that would have created an affirmative defense to prosecution for pot possession for seriously ill Texas patients has died in a House committee without being called up for a vote. Read More | Comment »

12:49PM Thu. May. 9, Jordan Smith

UPDATED: Lehmberg Released From Jail

In accordance with jail release policy and with good time credits under her belt, Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was released from jail early this morning, after serving 20 days of a 45-day sentence for drunk driving assessed last month. Updated below to include comments from DA's office. Read More | Comment »

9:17AM Thu. May. 9, Jordan Smith

Legislative Update

Local foodies rejoice! The Texas House of Representatives has voted to pass House Bill 970. Widely known as the cottage foods bill and sponsored by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, the bill expands on last session's cottage foods law, Senate Bill 81. Read More | Comment »

3:00PM Wed. May. 8, Anna Toon

Patients Urge Lawmakers to Pass Medical Marijuana Measure

For Stephen Betzen and his wife, marijuana was a miracle drug. Read More | Comment »

11:48AM Tue. May. 7, Jordan Smith

Lawyer and 39 Others Seek to Intervene in Lehmberg Suit

Kerry O'Brien, the lawyer who filed suit last month seeking to oust Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg in the wake of her drunken driving arrest, is back, this time filing a petition on behalf of himself and 39 other county residents in a second attempt to ensure that Lehmberg is forced from office. Read More | Comment »

4:43PM Mon. May. 6, Jordan Smith

West, Ammonium Nitrate, And the Myopia of Terrorism

The system worked exactly how it was supposed to: That was the takeaway from Wednesday's meeting of the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety into late month's disaster in West, Texas. Nevertheless, the question was raised: With its emphasis on self-reporting and the threat of terrorism, Texas may be looking the wrong way. Read More | Comment »

10:00AM Sun. May. 5, Richard Whittaker

Shaming Girls in Crisis

Two bills pending at the Lege that seek to "reform" aspects of the judicial bypass law that allows a minor to seek an abortion without parental approval could jeopardize a minor's privacy ,and potentially put district judges in harm’s way, witnesses testified during a committee hearing last week. Read More | Comment »

3:48PM Thu. May. 2, Jordan Smith

Filming the Detectives

As cell phone cameras have become nearly ubiquitous, "citizens are facing increased harassment by police officers who don't like being filmed or photographed," state Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, told members of the Senate State Affairs Committee on April 29. Read More | Comment »

9:00AM Wed. May. 1, Jordan Smith

UPDATED: County Attorney Files New Lehmberg Removal Suit

Court sources have confirmed that Travis County Attorney David Escamilla on Monday afternoon dismissed Kerry O'Brien's petition seeking Rosemary Lehmberg's removal from office. The post is updated below to include details about the suit and reaction from O'Brien. Read More | Comment »

12:00PM Tue. Apr. 30, Jordan Smith

Scratch That: Lege Ends Lottery, Then Changes Mind

It was supposed to be a prosaic procedural measure: the reauthorization of the Texas Lottery Commission. Yet, somehow, this morning the Texas House of Representatives voted against its continued existence, taking the agency, the lottery, and $2 billion in school finance with it. Then, less than four hours later, the House changed its mind. Read More | Comment »

4:44PM Tue. Apr. 23, Richard Whittaker

UPDATED: One Step Closer to Preventing Wrongful Convictions

A bill to study the causes of wrongful convictions in Texas passed through the House floor this morning – but not without several testy exchanges between lawmakers. The post has been updated, below, with today's House floor vote tally. Read More | Comment »

1:02PM Tue. Apr. 23, Jordan Smith

Ending Wrongful Convictions

Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, joined with colleagues Monday morning to urge support for and passage of House Bill 166, which would create a statewide innocence commission to study cases of wrongful convictions. Read More | Comment »

11:53AM Mon. Apr. 22, Jordan Smith

Bill of the Week: Prosecuting the Prosecutors

A bill to extend the time a wrongfully convicted inmate has to file a grievance with the State Bar, alleging prosecutorial misconduct, appears poised to pass, but a measure that would increase criminal sanctions for the same violations seems more likely to flounder and wilt. Read More | Comment »

9:35AM Sat. Apr. 20, Jordan Smith

Flipping Out

License plate numbers are recorded in any number of circumstances on a "daily basis," Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, noted during a committee hearing Wednesday. From border crossings to airports, toll booths to bank buildings, vehicle plates are monitored – and the ability to check and to confirm plate numbers is a routine part of law enforcement. Read More | Comment »

10:07AM Thu. Apr. 18, Jordan Smith

Drug Testing State Officials?

Brownsville Democratic Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. is clean. Read More | Comment »

1:04PM Tue. Apr. 16, Jordan Smith

Playing Games with Pain

Carole Metcalf and her husband were excited for their visit to the obstetrician: Carol was 20-weeks pregnant and the couple had scheduled an ultrasound, and they would learn the sex of their child. It was a girl, the couple learned – but they learned also that she was sick, terminally ill. Read More | Comment »

2:55PM Mon. Apr. 15, Jordan Smith

BOTW: In Search of Quality Communication

Pop quiz time. Which of the following jobs does not require a license: a.) doctor; b.) lawyer; c.) barber; d.) legal or medical interpreter for the deaf. Read More | Comment »

10:15AM Sat. Apr. 13, Jordan Smith

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