Law
152 stories
State Fairness »
Senior Texas Monthly editor Michael Hall tells the story behind his article, "Death Isn't Fair."
December 2002 Interview by Nora Varty
“The Trick Is Not to Act Like a Lawyer.” »
So says Rusty Hardin, Houston’s defense attorney of the moment—the latest in a long line of courtroom heroes guilty of premeditated flamboyance and charisma in the first degree.
September 2002 by Pamela Colloff
I, the Juror »
As a "recovering" attorney with a mixed record at picking juries, I always wondered what made them tick. After receiving a summons this year, I'm still deliberating.
April 2002 by John Spong
Spare The Message »
The real Enron scandal.
March 2002 by Paul Burka
So What's the Truth About Dan Morales and Tobacco? »
It's the question on everyone's mind now that the former attorney general is suddenly running for governor. The answer could determine whether his political prospects go up in smoke.
March 2002 by Lou Dubose
Which Side of the Fence Are You On? »
All over Texas, ranchers are putting up eight-foot fences to keep their deer from roaming so they can charge more for hunting leases. Purists say shooting such deer doesn't amount to "fair chase." Biologists say penning them in causes disease. I say it's the best thing that could happen to the land.
February 2002 by Joe Nick Patoski
"Cheap! Cheap!" »
To change the way recording contracts are created, the Dixie Chicks are taking their act to the courtroom.
January 2002 by John Spong
Dreade Locke »
Russell Erxleben and Brian Russell Stearns were first-rate frauds who cheated scores of unsuspecting investors. So how did the prominent law firm of Locke, Liddell, and Sapp get stuck footing a $30 million bill?
November 2001 by John Spong
The Judge, Judged »
Corpus Christi's Manuel Bañales believes that some sex offenders should post warning signs in their yards. He says it's about good law; his critics say it's about good publicity.
August 2001 by John Spong
The Case of the Persecuted Prosecutor »
More than anyone, former assistant to the U.S. attorney Bill Johnston was responsible for exposing the FBI’s lies about the final assault on the Branch Davidian compound. Why, then, did his own government go after him?
August 2001 by Gary Cartwright
The Supremes »
Judging the three Texan candidates for the nation's highest court.
June 2001 by John Spong
The Battle for the Border »
In Maverick County illegal immigrants are crossing in record numbers, creating a war zone. Mexicans have been shot and killed, houses robbed, cattle stolen. Some ranchers are fleeing. But others, like Dob Cunningham, have decided to stay and fight.
April 2001 by Pamela Colloff
The Hate Debate »
The question about the James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Act isn't whether it will pass. The question is, Is it good law?
April 2001 by John Spong
John O’Quinn Objects »
“When a corporation does something that results in the death of people, what prison do you put them in?” asks the plantiffs lawyer Texas business loves to hate, and he’s just getting warmed up.
June 2000 by Evan Smith
Law • James Byrd, Jr. »
Crime and punishment.
September 1999 by Paul Burka
Up in Smoke »
Has Dan Morales gone up in smoke? by Skip Hollandsworth.
August 1999 by Skip Hollandsworth
Case Open »
Nearly three years after attorney Steve Davis’ body was found, his family still doesn’t know how he died. Thanks to an out-of-court settlement with Comanche County, they probably never will.
June 1999 Joe Holley
Unbearable »
Baylor University gets sued by one of its own.
May 1999 by Jordan Mackay
Ardor in the Court »
Working out of his two-man firm in Dallas, plaintiff’s attorney Kip Petroff is doing something his peers around the country can’t: He’s bringing a major drug company to its knees.
May 1999 Alicia Mundy
“No One Knows What Could Be Happening to Those Kids” »
When you’re underpaid, inexperienced, and overloaded with files detailing allegations of child abuse, there is a limit to how well you can do your job. Eight months in the life of an investigative team in the Travis County office of Child Protective Services.
April 1999 by Skip Hollandsworth
The Getaway »
There’s something romantic about a jailbreak, even when the escapee is a cold-blooded killer on death row. That’s why our feelings about Martin Gurule were more than a little complicated.
February 1999 by Pamela Colloff
Leon Jaworski »
At what age was Leon Jaworski the youngest lawyer in the history of Texas?
February 1999 by Anne Dingus
Crime Pays »
Crime victims follow the money.
January 1999 by Janet Heimlich
Moody Blues »
“Aunt Jimmy” sues Galveston’s first family.
November 1998 Edited by Evan Smith
My Library
