The Latest Breaking News from Travis County

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 · Jan 10, 2023

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 · Jan 9, 2023

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 · Dec 7, 2022

InfoWars’ Alex Jones ordered to pay more than $4 million to Sandy Hook parents

HOUSTON — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must pay $4.11 million in defamation damages for falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax, a Texas jury said on Thursday after deliberating for a full day in Travis County.

Tribune News Service · Aug 4, 2022

Child welfare workers protest bigotry

Agency "losing so many tenured staff and wisdom because this job is just not manageable anymore," a supervisor said

Salon · Apr 12, 2022

Texas officials are investigating parents of transgender youths for possible child abuse

DALLAS — The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has begun investigating parents of transgender adolescents seeking gender-affirming medical care for potential child abuse, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Travis County court.

Tribune News Service · Mar 2, 2022

VIDEO: Police Dashcam Catches Meteor Entering Earth’s Atmosphere In Greenish Flash Of Bright Light

The officer was patrolling the streets when the vehicle's dashboard camera captured the rare sight.

Zenger · Mar 1, 2022

TX officers indicted for BLM protests

At least nine Austin police officers accused of excessive force during 2020 protests are indicted

Salon · Feb 17, 2022

Ex accused of killing woman after tracking her car with GPS bug for months

‘This is a horrible outcome’, said Travis County sheriff

The Independent UK · Feb 14, 2022

League of Women Voters threatens to sue Texas over shortage of voter registration cards

AUSTIN, Texas — Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir said earlier this week that her office is rejecting an unusually high share of applications for mail-in ballots because they do not meet standards set under the state's new elections law.

Tribune News Service · Jan 22, 2022