News & Politics
November 15, 2019
Rodney Reed Will Not Be Executed on November 20
The case, which has attracted huge amounts of attention, will go back to the trial court.
Criminal Justice
News & Politics
November 13, 2019
Inside the Death Row Case That Has Everyone From Ted Cruz to Kim Kardashian Speaking Out
Rodney Reed has been on Texas’ death row for 21 years, but new evidence and witnesses have drawn national attention ahead of his upcoming execution date.
News & Politics
October 1, 2019
The Unusual Circumstances of Botham Jean’s Murder Made Amber Guyger’s Conviction Possible, But Not Inevitable
The straightforward circumstances of Jean's slaying proved too difficult for the jury to ignore.
Politics & Policy
October 1, 2019
If the ‘Castle Doctrine’ Can Justify Botham Jean’s Shooting, the Law Itself Is the Problem
What good is a law that promotes lawlessness?
Politics & Policy
September 9, 2019
The Texas Death Penalty Machine Has Become Increasingly Grotesque
There’s something dishonest in the state’s bureaucratic approach to killing its own citizens.
News & Politics
September 6, 2019
Convicted of Murder at Age 12, Edwin Debrow Finally Walks Free
He renounced his violent San Antonio childhood during 28 years behind bars. A new life and new love awaited him outside the prison gates.
Politics & Policy
September 4, 2019
The Governor Wants “Expedited Executions” For Mass Shooters. But Who Would That Deter?
Of the four major mass shooting suspects in Texas in recent years, the only one it would impact is the man who wants to die as soon as possible.
News & Politics
August 19, 2019
How the Unchecked Power of Judges Is Hurting Poor Texans
Can’t afford a lawyer? Don’t expect justice.
News & Politics
August 7, 2019
Texas Man Convicted For Fatal Car Crash Is Released
James Fulton reunites with his family, as victim Haile Beasley’s parents decry justice undone.
Politics & Policy
July 30, 2019
Here’s What Texas DAs Think of the New Hemp Law that Effectively Decriminalized Pot
We reached out to prosecutors for all 254 Texas counties to ask whether they will still prosecute marijuana cases.
True Crime
July 23, 2019
Crowdsourcing Justice
How does a man wrongly convicted of murder get released twenty years later? It helps to have a wife who loves you, a podcaster who believes in you, and an army of amateur sleuths who won’t stop digging for the truth.
News & Politics
June 24, 2019
Texas Man Who Got Ten Years in Prison For a Deadly Car Crash Gets a Second Chance
Justices grant James Fulton a new sentencing hearing: “Tragic consequences do not elevate ordinary negligence to criminal negligence.”
Politics & Policy
June 7, 2019
North Texas Cops Caught Being Racist Online
A non-profit compiled racist, sexist, and xenophobic social media posts from police in Dallas and Denison.
Politics & Policy
May 29, 2019
How Texas’s Powerful Police Union Went to War Against Criminal Justice Reform
In one of the worst legislative sessions for criminal justice reform in years, bipartisan legislation got caught between an ugly fight between the police lobby and prominent Democrats.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2019
Inside the Story of How Democrats Killed a Law That Could Have Saved Sandra Bland
In a fit of idiocy and confusion, Democrats in the Legislature not once, but twice derailed bipartisan legislation prohibiting police from making arrests for minor infractions.
Politics & Policy
April 23, 2019
Attacks on the Dallas DA Signal Trouble for the Criminal Justice Reform Movement
Big-city prosecutors are now driving the conversation around mass incarceration, and some lawmakers and law enforcement officials just can’t abide that.
News & Politics
April 19, 2019
‘Truth & Justice’ Podcast Offers $20,000 Reward for Info in Controversial Houston Murder Case
Bob Ruff is working on his fifth Texas case in fewer than four years, this time hoping to prove the innocence of Sandra Melgar in the killing of her husband, Jaime Melgar.
News & Politics
April 5, 2019
What Drove Houston’s Armored Car Robber to Cold-Blooded Crime?
New insights about Redrick “Red” Batiste emerge after his accomplices are found guilty.
News & Politics
March 20, 2019
A Third Accuser in Mineola Child Sex Abuse Case Recants
Carly Mayo, eighteen, is now back in Tyler and living with her mom as she reckons with her past.
News & Politics
March 13, 2019
UT Has No Records Matching $500,000 “Donated” by Nonprofit Implicated in Bribery Scheme
Where’s the money?
News & Politics
March 12, 2019
The College Admissions Bribery Scandal Has Some Texas Connections
UT-Austin’s tennis coach and an exam administrator in Houston are facing federal charges.
Politics & Policy
March 1, 2019
Could Marijuana Reform Finally Make Strides in Texas?
The Legislature remains far from allowing recreational use, but baby steps toward decriminalization could come this session.
News & Politics
February 25, 2019
Criminal Charges Against Schlitterbahn Officials Have Been Dropped
Because the charges were dismissed pretrial, prosecutors have the right to refile a criminal complaint.
News & Politics
February 20, 2019
Houston Police Chief Says He’ll End No-Knock Warrants After Botched Raid
The announcement comes amid growing questions about the legitimacy of the investigation that led to the deadly raid.
True Crime
February 20, 2019
When Does an Accident Become a Crime?
Driving through a dangerous curve in Tyler, James Fulton crossed into oncoming traffic and killed a young woman. He wasn’t drunk, and the cops said the crash was an accident. But the Smith County DA saw it differently.
News & Politics
February 1, 2019
A No-Knock Raid in Houston Led to Deaths and Police Injuries. Should Police Rethink the Practice?
The police tactic is controversial but common—particularly in Texas.
News & Politics
January 3, 2019
Texans Are Rallying Around the Family of Jazmine Barnes
It won’t bring back the seven-year-old girl killed in a drive-by shooting on Sunday morning, but it might make it easier for her family to get through their mourning.
News & Politics
December 19, 2018
“It’s the Best Day of My Life”: Texas Man Convicted on “Junk Science” Declared Innocent
Found guilty in 1987, the freed man will be paid $2.5 million by the state of Texas, which he'll use to support his prison ministry.
News & Politics
December 13, 2018
Former Baylor Frat Leader Banned by UT Dallas After Generous Plea Deal for Sexual Assault Case
Jacob Walter Anderson has been kicked off of campus and will not be allowed to attend his graduation ceremony.
News & Politics
December 11, 2018
Plea Deal Allows Former Baylor Frat Leader Accused of Rape to Avoid Jail Time
Jacob Walter Anderson, charged with raping and choking a fellow student, will pay a $400 fine as part of the deal.
News & Politics
December 5, 2018
What We Know About the Indictment of Amber Guyger
The Dallas police officer who shot and killed Botham Shen Jean in his own apartment, indicted for murder, now awaits trial. Here's a quick primer on where things stand.
The Culture
November 13, 2018
The Power Issue: S. Lee Merritt Is Taking Black Lives Matter to the Courtroom
A controversial Dallas civil rights lawyer is holding police accountable—and being held accountable, too.
Politics & Policy
November 13, 2018
The Power Issue: Michelle Tremillo and Brianna Brown Are Waking the “Sleeping Giant” of Texas Politics
How the Texas Organizing Project is transforming the electoral landscape.
Texas History
October 30, 2018
Sugar Land May Relocate Skeletal Remains of African American Inmates Against Advice of Task Force
After discovering the convict cemetery in March, the city appointed a panel of stakeholders. Now it’s ignoring their recommendation.
Politics & Policy
October 11, 2018
The Love Story That Upended the Texas Prison System
In 1967, a 56-year-old lawyer met a young inmate with a brilliant mind and horrifying stories about life inside. Their complicated alliance—and even more complicated romance—would shed light on a nationwide scandal, disrupt a system of abuse and virtual slavery across the state, and change incarceration in Texas forever.
Border & Immigration
September 19, 2018
A Brownsville Cop Was Charged With Smuggling Her Undocumented Boyfriend. She’s Been Acquitted. He’ll Likely Be Deported.
Brownsville police officer Valerie Rivas was charged with smuggling her undocumented boyfriend. She’s been acquitted. He’s likely to be deported.
News & Politics
September 10, 2018
Why Did Authorities Wait Almost 48 Hours to Release Amber Guyger’s Name?
Dallas police waited to release the suspect’s name even as it appeared across the internet, eroding the local community’s already fragile trust.
News & Politics
September 10, 2018
‘He Never Got an Apology’: Death Row Exoneree Clarence Brandley Dies at 66
Brandley died last week, 31 years after the state of Texas tried and failed to kill him.
The Culture
September 4, 2018
Matthew McConaughey and Ken Paxton Team Up Against Human Trafficking
The surprising pair has joined forces for a noble cause.
True Crime
September 4, 2018
Ed Ates Wants His Name Back
How a motley crew of young Texas lawyers, a burly Michigan podcaster, and his army of amateur sleuths—including actor Jon Cryer—helped free a man convicted of a murder he swears he didn’t commit.
News & Politics
August 30, 2018
‘Texas Juries Don’t Convict Cops’: Did Jordan Edwards Get Justice?
Notes from the Dallas courtroom where, against the odds, police officer Roy Oliver was convicted of murder after shooting the 15-year-old black boy.
August 3, 2018
Witness to More Than 400 Executions, Michael Graczyk Reflects on His Career
The Associated Press reporter discusses his 17,000 days on the job in our Reporter podcast.
Politics & Policy
July 31, 2018
Alex Jones’s Attorneys Argue That No Reasonable Person Would Believe What He Says
The Infowars honcho’s legal troubles mount.
May 29, 2018
Can a Transgender Woman Get Justice in Texas?
After Aliah Hernandez was brutally beaten in a New Braunfels motel room, her attacker walked away free.
True Crime
May 19, 2018
Jeff Pike, Texas’s Own Tony Soprano
Earlier this spring, Jeff Pike, the head of the infamous Texas-based Bandidos motorcycle club, went on trial in federal court for racketeering. Prosecutors called him a ruthless killer, the man behind one of the deadliest biker shoot-outs in American history, at the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco. Pike, however, said
News & Politics
May 11, 2018
Clara Harris, Who Killed Cheating Husband With Her Mercedes, Released From Prison
Originally sentenced to twenty years, the Houston dentist who ran over her cheating husband has been paroled.
News & Politics
April 30, 2018
A Month After Nabbing Serial Bomber, Brian Manley on Track to Become Austin’s Chief of Police
Manley was named the lone finalist to lead the city’s police department.
The Culture
April 18, 2018
Christopher Scott’s ‘True Conviction’
More than two decades ago, Christopher Scott was wrongfully imprisoned for murder. Now he’s devoting his time to help free others.
The Culture
March 26, 2018
Understanding the Criminal Manslaughter Indictment Against Schlitterbahn
The company’s ”Verrückt” waterslide, on which a ten-year-old boy was decapitated, was built by people who didn’t know how to engineer it.
True Crime
February 21, 2018
The Girl Who Told the Truth
A decade ago, Gabby Sones accused her parents and five others of running the most depraved child sex ring in Texas history. Now she’s ready to clear their names.