Is Texas Moving Towards Marijuana Legalization?

Across the country, the attitude towards marijuana is changing—both among citizens and lawmakers. While almost 20 states have medical marijuana laws in place, two have legalized recreational marijuana and several others have pending legislation addressing both these areas. But, where does Texas stand in the world of marijuana legalization? read more

Travis County DA Jailed for DUI

Things rarely move quickly in the criminal justice system. But when you are the county’s top law enforcement official, like District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg is to Travis County, you may get a little expeditious treatment.

Lehmberg was just arrested for drunk driving last weekend, and less than a week later she has leaded guilty and been sentenced, a process that usually takes weeks or even months. read more

Female Trooper Indicted in On-Duty Sexual Assault

Two troopers are facing criminal charges for a traffic stop that occurred last summer. The troopers’ dash cam caught the act on video—clearly showing a female trooper searching two women inside of their clothing. The trooper denies wrongdoing and the civilians have filed a lawsuit. read more

Police Would Have You Think Drones Are No Threat

Numerous police agencies across the country are salivating at the opportunity to have a new militaristic toy to add to their arsenals. The hot item right now is the drone and several departments within Texas have them. A recent report in the Star Telegram, however, seems to attempt to paint the eyes-in-the-sky as harmless remote-controlled helpers rather than anything that could be potentially used to violate privacy rights. read more

Texas Justice Calls for Criminal Justice Reforms

“If the remedy is unaffordable, justice is denied.”

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson “held court” in front of a joint session of the state Legislature last week and indicated major changes are needed in the Texas justice system. Namely, he said, justice is currently only afforded to those who can afford it. He also questioned the criminalization of school children and how the state plans to deal with wrongful convictions. read more

Drug Task Force Cops Facing Drug Charges

Seven former members of a South Texas police department are now facing serious charges of funneling drugs for profit. The cops, all former Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputies, are facing federal drug and conspiracy charges. read more

Texas Lawmakers Consider Lessening Some Criminal Penalties

The use of alternative courts have reduced Texas’ dependence on prisons, so much so that the state could stand to shut down three prisons this legislative session—unheard of for one of the most incarcerated states in the most incarcerated nation in the world. But experts are now calling on lawmakers to slow the flow of inmates into the system in another way, by reducing the penalties for some nonviolent and relatively common offenses. read more

Dallas Cops Now Required to Get Written Consent for Searches

When a cop doesn’t have a warrant or exigent circumstances (circumstances that would provide for the destruction of evidence or commission of a crime), he cannot search your property without your consent. While this seems simple, many people don’t understand that if a cop asks, “Mind if I search your car?”, they can say no. Now, the city of Dallas is going to make the process of consent searches more sound by requiring cops to get written or recorded consent every time. read more

DA Pushes Texas Racial Justice Act

In the spirit of similar laws out of North Carolina and Kentucky, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins plans on advocating for a Racial Justice Act in the state of Texas. The law would give convicted criminals a route to appeal their case on the grounds that they were convicted, in part, due to racism. read more

Crime Lab Scientist Could Be Cause of Thousands of Bad Drug Convictions

Jonathon Salvador was fired from his job as a drug analyst for Texas Department of Public Safety last year after it was discovered his work was unreliable—that he had falsified results and simply screwed up on numerous cases. But during his tenure he worked on nearly 5,000 cases—all of which could potentially be overturned in the wake of an investigation into his work. read more