Category: News

gun texas

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…

TX DL

It’s tough to get your life back on track after a DWI or another serious traffic offense. The unpopular Texas Driver Responsibility Program made it much harder for drivers. Fortunately for defendants who are picking up the pieces after a drunk driving conviction, the program will be scrapped from September 1st. According to the Dallas…

juvenile arrested

In Texas, the age of adult criminal responsibility is 17. However, younger defendants can be tried as adults in certain circumstances. A judge in Dallas County recently processed a 16-year-old through the adult criminal justice system, stating the public required protection. Under Texas law, A person who is at least 10 years of age but…

rental agreement form with signing hand and pen and keys

Many people who rent-to-own furniture and other goods in Texas don’t realize failing to make payments can result in criminal charges or even a term in jail. However, a bill enacted this summer by the Texas legislature has helped close a loophole that allowed people who could not afford to make payments to be prosecuted….

letter blocks spelling out law

Evading arrest or detention in a motor vehicle in Texas can be a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances of the crime. These crimes are often associated with police pursuits but you don’t have to be involved in a long chase to be charged with the crime. Over the weekend, a woman was…

child in juvenile defense center

Children in Texas cannot consent to sex, but they can still be charged with prostitution after state Governor Greg Abbott vetoed a bill that would have prevented them from being arrested and brought before juvenile courts. Abbott vetoed House Bill 1771. The legislation, authored by Houston Democrat Shawn Thierry, aimed to amend the Texas penal…

crime scene

Texas is no stranger to hate crimes that target minorities. In recent months, the Dallas community has been shocked by a series of deadly attacks on transgender women. In May, hundreds of people from the LGBTQ+ community attended the funeral of Muhlaysia Booker, a 22-year-old transgender woman who was shot and killed. Her body was…

police traffic stop with car

Asset forfeiture, the process in which police seize the goods of suspected criminals, is happening on a massive scale in Texas. Even when suspects are cleared, they often still lose their cars, cash, and other goods to police, a new investigation has found. The Texas Tribune looked at 560 asset forfeiture cases in 2016, which…

law

A bipartisan effort to change the law to allow judges in Texas to dismiss low-level crimes when police officers fail to explain why they arrested a suspect has died. The Texas Tribune reported a committee of Texas lawmakers from both chambers killed a measure in late May that would have let judges dismiss low-level crimes…

individual recording police with phone

Few cases in Texas have proved as controversial in recent years as that of Sandra Bland. The African American woman was locked up in a Texas jail cell after an altercation with a trooper. She took her life three days after her arrest. The Bland case led to changes in the law and questions over…