Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Homicides in Dallas are on course to hit a 10-year high by the year’s end, sparking a demand by Mayor Eric Johnson for a plan to cut violent offenses. The Dallas Morning News reported Mayor Eric Johnson wrote a letter to City Manager T.C Broadnax highlighting the stark rise in violent crime in the Dallas…
Texas has made moves to reduce its massive prison population in recent years. Some experts say the state’s reforms don’t go far enough as prisons struggle with rising health care costs associated with older inmates. Texas Department of Criminal Justice revealed the cost of prison health care rose more than 50% over the last seven…
The case of Rodney Reed, a Texas man facing execution, has made headlines across the nation in recent weeks as millions of people signed online petitions calling for the courts to take another look at the case. Texas’ highest criminal court halted Reed’s execution on Nov. 15, sending the case back to the trial court…
A standoff between Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and the City of Austin over the state capital’s liberal homelessness laws has led to a debate over the criminalization of people without a roof over their heads. Although it’s not necessarily a crime to be homeless in Texas many cities and counties make it an offense to…
In cases that come down to the word of a police officer against that of a defendant, juries often believe the police officer. However, thousands of defendants in the United States ended up behind bars on the uncorroborated evidence of discredited officers, according to a new survey. A USA TODAY Network investigation highlighted the “widespread…
Electronic monitoring systems are widely used in Texas as an alternative to incarceration and for defendants on bond who are awaiting a trial. However, a recent case in which a private company removed an ankle bracelet from a capital murder suspect due to non-payment, points to a possible flaw in the system. Clint Walker was…
Murder rates are falling in most Texas cities. However, Dallas is a glaring exception to the rule as the homicide rate heads for a 10-year high. Last month, the city’s year-to-date homicide rate exceeded 135 deaths. The city is on course for the highest number of killings in a decriminalcade – over 220 – but…
Texas’ controversial cash bail system has been undermined by a series of recent court rulings. This month, Galveston was ordered to change its rules when a federal judge said defense lawyers should be at bail hearings for poor defendants. A federal district judge issued a temporary injunction in the latest phase of a 2018 lawsuit….
Randy Halprin has been on Texas’ Death Row for a decade for a high-profile prison escape that resulted in the killing of a police officer a decade ago. However, just weeks away from his scheduled execution attorneys say the trial judge’s alleged antisemitism may have tainted the case against Halprin who is Jewish. Lawyers representing…
Another mass shooting in Texas has reopened questions about some of the most liberal gun laws in the country. Seth Ator went on a killing spree that left seven dead and wounded 25 in and around Odessa in West Texas. The shooter was barred from buying guns but purchased his assault rifle in a private…