After the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Tuesday rescinded its order to allow enforcement of Senate Bill 4 — a Texas immigration law that would authorize state and local law enforcement officials to detain, arrest and even deport people suspected of entering Texas from Mexico without legal authorization — it took no action on the constitutional challenges to the law during a hearing Wednesday, leaving the controversial measure on hold. view article

WASHINGTON — The chief judge on an appeals panel weighing whether to block a Texas’ new migrant deportation law appeared skeptical that it does not run afoul of longstanding precedent leaving immigration enforcement solely to the federal government. Questioning the state’s solicitor general, Priscilla Richman, the chief judge on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, read from a landmark Supreme Court decision from 2012 that held only the federal government has the power to enforce immigration laws. In that case, the high court struck down portions of an Arizona law that authorized police to arrest anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. view article

Former Castle Hills Council Member Sylvia Gonzalez sued the city after police arrested her for tampering with government records, which she said was in retaliation for her criticism of the city manager.  The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a Texas case in which a former council member sued the city of Castle Hills, arguing that she was arrested in retaliation for criticizing the city manager.  The question at the center of the case is whether people who criticize the government can sue local officials over retaliatory arrests. When the case came before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the court said that the plaintiff, to prove retaliation, needed to point to an identical situation to hers that didn’t result in an arrest. Several Supreme Court justices on Wednesday asked whether the appeals court had too narrowly interpreted previous case law concerning the question. view article

Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed Senate Bill 4 to go into effect, a federal appeals court let an earlier injunction stand. SB 4 lets Texas police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border. view article

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday indefinitely delayed a Texas law that would empower state authorities to arrest and deport migrants, an effort by Republican legislators to give the state immigration enforcement powers long left solely to the federal government. For the second time, Justice Samuel Alito extended a stay halting the law, known as Senate Bill 4. The order was released minutes after a 4 p.m. CDT deadline, prompting initial confusion over whether the court decided to let the law stand. view article

When a representative from a Dutch broadcasting company proposed a collaboration with Keller schools in January, former school board member Sandi Walker initially asked for a few days to consider the offer. But it ultimately didn’t take her that much time to decide. She replied less than an hour later. “Yes I would love to meet this weekend and chat. I too want to glorify God as well,” she wrote, according to an email exchange the Star-Telegram received through a public information request.  view article

Austin's effort to build a high-frequency urban rail network is facing a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal arguments seek to dismantle the funding mechanism behind the voter-endorsed transit expansion.  In a court filing, Paxton slammed the city's payment plan for the 10-mile light-rail starter system. The financial strategy was designed to navigate the increasingly tight strictures the state Legislature has placed on how Texas cities raise money.  If a court sides with Paxton, it could kill the light-rail expansion known as Project Connect. view article

Edward Cloutman’s name may not be instantly recognized by many in Dallas, but his life’s work has had an impact on most people who have lived here over the last 50 years. Throughout his decades-long career, his fingerprints are on some of the most important local cases you can find, including some that changed the way Dallas was governed and how its school district taught. Cloutman died on Friday at the age of 78. A cause of death has not been announced. view article

The escalating cost of child care services poses a significant challenge for many working parents statewide. Certain communities, particularly those facing economic distress, grapple with the emergence of child care deserts — limited options and availability — attributed to rising prices. On average, Texas families with infants spend nearly $9,500 annually on child care, constituting almost 14% of the median Texas household income. Meanwhile, low salaries make it difficult to attract people to the field. The average child care worker in Texas earns less than $25,000 annually. view article

A Texarkana man has pleaded guilty to a child exploitation violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Brandon Neil Sams, 48, pleaded guilty on March 19, 2024, to coercion and enticement of a minor before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Boone Baxter. According to court documents, while serving as a band instructor at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas, Sams engaged in repeated attempts to coerce and entice several of his students to engage in sexual activity. He admitted to engaging in sexual conduct with several minor victims, all of whom were his students at Texas High. He would communicate with the students on social media and messaging applications to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce them to participate in sexual activity. view article

A Texas law that allows local and state police officers to arrest people suspected of being in the country illegally has been kept on hold by the United States Supreme Court “pending further order from the court.” The latest development came a few minutes after a previous pause in the law’s implementation expired Monday afternoon. Senate Bill 4 was passed in late 2023 as part of a priority package of immigration and border security bills championed by Gov. Greg Abbott and other far-right leaders. The legislation also permits local judges to order a migrant to return to Mexico regardless of their nationality. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have argued the law is necessary due to what they say are President Joe Biden's border policies that have led to a record number of asylum seekers entering the United States. view article

The decision means university President Walter Wendler could cancel an on-campus drag show next week. He canceled a previous show last year.  The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday denied some West Texas A&M University students’ attempt to prevent President Walter Wendler from canceling another on-campus drag show scheduled next week.  Last year, Wendler banned student-led drag shows on the university’s campus, saying the performances degrade women. Students sued the president in response, arguing Wendler violated their First Amendment rights. A Texas federal district court denied the students’ request for relief from Wendler’s ban, arguing not all drag shows are “expressive conduct.”  Earlier this month, West Texas A&M students filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court, seeking an injunction against Wendler to ensure he does not cancel a March 22 drag show students planned. The lawsuit is before the 5th Circuit  view article

Police were called last year to the home of Abraham George — a frontrunner to lead the Republican Party of Texas — as he was leaving with a loaded gun to confront a man he believed was having an affair with his wife. George, 44, was not arrested or charged, and officers reported that they found no injuries or property damage at the scene. He did not respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon, but hours after The Texas Tribune and the right-wing website Current Revolt reported on the incident, George and his wife released a statement in which they said "activist media outlets and political opponents have decided to smear our family." view article

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday extended an order that blocks Texas from enforcing the law.  Texas lawmakers in 2023 approved Senate Bill 4, which seeks to allow Texas police to arrest people for illegally crossing the Mexico border. It was expected to go into effect in early March, but faces legal challenges from the U.S. Justice Department and immigration advocacy organizations.  The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the law from going into effect and federal court challenges remain. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton alleged Thursday that Frisco Independent School District violated a temporary restraining order preventing it from engaging in illegal electioneering. Frisco ISD was first sued by Paxton’s office on February 28 for civil violations over three posts made by a district-affiliated Facebook page that encouraged individuals to “vote for candidates who support public schools and … are against vouchers.” In addition to permanent injunctions, Paxton sought temporary restraining orders and temporary injunctions against Frisco ISD for the questionable practices in light of the Republican Party of Texas primary on March 5. view article

The Biden administration is temporarily barred from redirecting $1.4 billion that Congress allocated for a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas issued the temporary injunction last week. Congress allocated the money in 2020 and 2021 during former President Donald Trump’s term. Tipton, who was appointed by Trump, wrote that the Biden administration’s “spending decisions run afoul” of administrative law, rejecting the federal government’s argument that it has discretion in how to spend the money. Tipton said Texas needed to prove the funds aren’t being spent on additional border walls and that such barriers “would result in fewer illegal aliens entering the country.” view article

School districts around the country are facing issues with how they handle their social media accounts, and the debate has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Denver Public Schools recently reviewed its social media policy that doesn’t allow employees to restrict comments on social media or limit who can see them. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Frisco schools of violating a court order that directed officials to cease what his office deemed as illegal electioneering through social media posts. Frisco is among several school districts that Paxton alleged in a series of legal filings broke state election laws. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton sued housing development company Colony Ridge today for “deceptive trade practices, fraud in real estate transactions, and other violations of Texas and federal law.” Colony Ridge—which was also sued by the Department of Justice late last year for using “bait and switch” predatory loans—is located northeast of Houston in Liberty County. In an October 2023 letter addressed to members of the U.S. Congress, Paxton wrote that “The development appears to be attracting and enabling illegal alien settlement in the state of Texas and distressing neighboring cities and school districts.” view article

Residents of the Houston-area development, who were maligned by Republicans last year, have complained about the developer for years.   Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Houston-area developers of Colony Ridge on Thursday, accusing them of deceptive sales, marketing and lending practices that allowed their sprawling housing development to flourish. view article

Legal experts say a 5th Circuit decision to uphold part of a Texas law regulating adult entertainment websites conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court precedent regarding minors’ access to obscene material online  In the latest installment of the dispute between adult content websites and Texas lawmakers, Pornhub suspended service to Texans on Thursday arguing a state law infringes on adults’ rights to access protected speech.  Pornhub, one of the most visited websites in the world, sued Attorney General Ken Paxton last year to block enforcement of a 2023 state law that requires websites that host pornography to institute age-verification measures and display health warnings on its pages. view article

A Michigan jury found James Crumbley, the father of school shooter Ethan Crumbley, guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter Thursday for the deaths of four students at Oxford High School in 2021. Crumbley, along with his wife Jennifer Crumbley, are the first parents in the United States to be charged with having criminal responsibility for a mass school shooting. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on February 5 against Denton ISD because of emails two principals sent to school staff he is calling “illegal electioneering,” according to his press release. Paxton said in the release that emails sent from their school accounts by these principals qualify as electioneering because they used “taxpayer-funded resources to stump for specific candidates during an election.” The principals’ names are Lindsay Lujan, who works at Alexander Elementary School, and Jesús Lujan, who works at Borman Elementary School. The Denton Record-Chronicle reported that they are married. view article

A Groveton ISD employee was fired in January after allegations of altered student records. According to a press release from the district, administration was made aware of certain educational records being altered without authorization on Jan. 23. The release said the allegations were confirmed, and the employee suspected of the tampering was terminated on Jan. 29. According to Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace, Breanna Faye Abshier, 35, was arrested around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday in connection with the allegations. According to Wallace, Abshier was an office aide at Groveton ISD. view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton has now targeted seven school districts over alleged electioneering in what he calls an effort to stop elections from being “illegally swayed by public officials improperly using state resources.” Those school districts are responding.   Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuits accusing at least seven school districts of electioneering ahead of last week's primaries have school administrators and attorneys worried about how it will shape the conversation around school vouchers this election year. view article

A three-judge panel in New Orleans ruled that a Texas law requiring minors to obtain parental consent to obtain birth control does not conflict with the goals of the federally-funded Title X program, which has given teens birth control confidentially. view article

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s age-verification requirements for commercial pornography sites are constitutional.  A federal court has upheld a Texas law passed last year to protect children from adult content that requires pornography websites to verify users’ age. Yet the largest online platform for sharing pornographic videos is still violating the law, despite a $1.6 million civil lawsuit filed by the state. The law, known as House Bill 1181, requires commercial porn websites to use “reasonable” methods to verify that users are at least 18 years of age before they access X-rated content online. Violators face fines of $10,000 a day. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion on March 7 upholding the law’s age-verification requirements as constitutional. view article

A state judge in El Paso ruled that a non-governmental organization accused of harboring illegal aliens does not have to immediately turn over internal documents to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In his order, District Judge Francisco Dominguez ordered that Annunciation House—a Catholic nonprofit operating several illegal alien shelters within El Paso—will not have to turn over internal documents that Paxton’s office asked for last month. Dominguez, a Democrat first elected to the bench in 2014, also calls into question Paxton’s motivations behind demanding the information. view article

A federal judge in Texas rejected a lawsuit on Friday filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton against a Biden administration immigration program that allows each year up to 360,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to legally migrate to the U.S. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump administration appointee in Victoria, wrote in his ruling that Paxton’s office “have not proven that Texas has suffered an injury and therefore do not have standing to maintain this suit.” Tipton, who has previously ruled against the Biden administration in other immigration-related lawsuits, wrote in his opinion that he “does not address the lawfulness of the program” rather that Texas has not “established that it has standing” to sue. view article

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear two lawsuits in which a prominent conservative activist and his political advocacy group challenged the state ethics commission’s regulatory powers. The suits were filed by Michael Quinn Sullivan and Empower Texans — a powerful group that was led by Sullivan and pushed Texas lawmakers to adopt right-wing policies until it was disbanded in 2020. They asked the high court to review 2022 rulings in which two appeals courts refused to toss fines imposed on Sullivan by the ethics commission for failing to register as a lobbyist. Sullivan’s attorney and the ethics commission did not respond to requests for comment Friday afternoon. The Friday ruling all-but ends a 10-year legal dispute in which Sullivan and Empower Texans sought to undermine the ethics commission’s ability to assess fines or other punishments for campaign finance law violations. view article

The Sherman ISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to suspend Superintendent Dr. Tyson Bennett at a special meeting Friday. Effective immediately, Dr. Bennett will step away from the role with pay. The board also voted to have Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Thomas O’Neal, serve as the district’s acting superintendent in the meantime. This was the third special meeting held to discuss the ongoing investigation into decisions made for the high school theater program. view article

A school district in northeastern Harris County is one of five school districts being sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for illegally using state resources to influence political races. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Hutto Independent School District for allegedly using state resources to conduct illegal electioneering. According to a release from his office, Paxton claimed Hutto ISD used official government resources to advocate for certain policies and measures on its social media accounts, which violates the Texas Election Code. view article

Houston ISD is again embroiled in internal strife and public controversy. On Friday, the district released performance ratings to principals. After the Houston Chronicle published details about the ratings, the administration suggested the possibility of legal action against the news outlet and launched an investigation to find the source of the leak. view article

Monday night’s Lewisville ISD Board meeting was a bit more colorful and eventful than usual as dozens of protesters supporting Hebron High School teacher Rachmad Tjachyadi rallied outside of the district's Administration Center and sat in on the meeting to advocate for the teacher’s reinstatement. view article