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The Latest Breaking News from Court of Criminal Appeals

Renewed focus on Roberson case is latest in deluge of political pressure aimed at Texas judiciary

The latest calls to stave off the politically charged execution come after a summer where GOP leaders asked the state courts to kick Democrats out of office and throw Beto O’Rourke in jail.

The Texas Tribune

Bill giving attorney general authority to prosecute election crimes heads to Abbott’s desk

The measure comes four years after the state’s highest criminal court ruled the agency could not bring election cases without an invitation from local prosecutors.

The Texas Tribune

Paxton’s picks cement Republicans’ hold on Texas’ highest criminal court

Three new faces will join the bench, but the political balance of power will remain the same on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

The Texas Tribune

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Ken Paxton calls on Rep. Jeff Leach to resign over texts to judge in Robert Roberson case

The AG also said he’d make a criminal referral against the lawmaker, who apologized for texting a Court of Criminal Appeals judge about a new trial for the death row inmate.

The Texas Tribune

After Roberson ruling, upcoming Court of Criminal Appeals election in the spotlight

Three of the five judges who allowed Robert Roberson’s execution to proceed will be leaving the court after Paxton-backed primary challenges.

The Texas Tribune

More seats were open in nation’s largest cities and school districts than in the previous three cycles

Welcome to the Thursday, February 8, 2024, Brew.

Ballotpedia

Do Criminal Trials with Mask-Wearing Witnesses Violate the Defendant's Right to Confront Witnesses?

No, said the Alabama intermediate appellate court last year (though apparently without a published majority opinion), and last Friday the Alabama Supreme Court declined to hear the case, also without a published opinion, in Ex Parte Rodriguez. But Chief Justice Parker, joined by Justices Bolin, Sellers, and Stewart, dissented—here's an…

Reason

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Supreme Court Sides with Defense on Death Row Case

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will now reconsider Areli Escobar’s case, which relied on flawed forensics.

Texas Observer

U.S. Supreme Court tells Texas to reconsider executing man convicted with faulty DNA evidence

Areli Escobar was sentenced to death in 2011 for an Austin murder, but even prosecutors now agree his conviction relied heavily on faulty DNA testing by the discredited Travis County crime lab.

The Texas Tribune

Travis County judges can’t hear appeals from migrants arrested under Texas border security push, court rules

The Court of Criminal Appeals scuttled nearly 450 cases, saying migrants arrested for trespassing in Kinney County can’t ask Austin judges to hear their appeals.

The Texas Tribune

Republican dominance continues for the two highest courts in Texas

Three seats were up for election in the Texas Supreme Court, which handles civil cases, and three in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Democrats haven’t been elected to either court since the late 1990s.

The Texas Tribune

Texas executes Tracy Beatty for strangling mother to death

Beatty’s lawyers argued unsuccessfully that the 2003 Smith County murder didn’t qualify for the death penalty. Neither the Supreme Court nor Texas Gov. Greg Abbott intervened on Wednesday.

The Texas Tribune

Texas’ elected Supreme Court: What to know before voting for justices

The nine-member Texas Supreme Court has the power to make sweeping decisions that interpret the meaning of the state’s constitution, impacting the lives of Texans across the state. Three seats are on the ballot this year.

The Texas Tribune

What to know before voting for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges

Texans will vote on three seats for the state’s highest criminal court in November. Here’s what the court does, who is running for office and what issues candidates are running on.

The Texas Tribune

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Tribune News Service

Trump grand jury: Dallas lawyer wins subpoena battle with Fulton County DA’s office

ATLANTA — Fulton County prosecutors have lost a legal skirmish to get an out-of-state witness to testify before the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump and his allies.

Tribune News Service

Illegal voting case of Texas woman Crystal Mason is sent back to lower court

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is sending Crystal Mason’s illegal voting case back to a lower court to review whether she knew it was a crime for her to vote while on supervised release.

Reason

Texas Court Stays Execution of Mom Sentenced for Child's Death

The state claimed she beat a 2-year-old to death. But evidence may show it was the result of a fall down stairs.

The Independent UK

Emotional moment Melissa Lucio learns she has been granted a stay of execution

Melissa Lucio was told the news that Wednesday’s execution had been halted in a prison phone call with Republican state Rep Jeff Leach

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Texas Observer

Melissa Lucio Is Spared Execution, for Now

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of a possibly innocent woman’s execution on Monday. A lower court will review the evidence.

Tribune News Service

Gov. Greg Abbott urges court to allow unilateral pursuit of vote fraud by Texas AG Ken Paxton

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other top Texas Republicans have joined Attorney General Ken Paxton and urged the all-GOP Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reverse its recent ruling that Paxton can’t prosecute voter fraud unilaterally.

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