Tag: Texas

No One Dared To Run Against 70% of Texas District Judges —And That’s the Way It’s Always Been

Statistics show that incumbent judges across Texas enjoy an advantage when they run for reelection. Nearly 70% of the incumbent judges running for reelection this year sailed to another term with absolutely no contest in their primaries or the general election. This year in Texas, 145 of 341 total judicial candidates, or 43%, had no opponent …

Bribery, Coercion, Abuse: Look Inside the Allegations Against Ken Paxton

The whistleblowers who have accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of crimes in office have raised serious allegations, but any prosecution based on their complaint is likely to face an uphill battle, according to criminal law experts. Pages and pages of details of the criminal allegations became public last week when four of the seven …

Brace Yourselves, PACER-Like Systems Are Coming This Winter

By the end of the year, the Lone Star State will have a PACER-like court records system. The Texas Supreme Court took the next step in expanding re:SearchTX, which grants access to state court records electronically filed anywhere in Texas, so that lawyers can download documents in any case—and so can the general public—at a …

Texas Immigration Law Professors Take Action to Help Reunite Families Seeking Asylum

Law students were on summer break when outrage erupted nationwide over the Trump administration’s practice of separating immigrant parents and children who crossed the country’s southern border. But summer didn’t stop Texas immigration law professors from taking action, and in the coming school year, they’re planning opportunities for law students in their schools’ immigration clinics …

Houston Law Grads Discuss Juggling Classes While Raising Families

Houston law graduates Ieshia Champs and Shartory Brown have inspired many people with their stories surviving childhood homelessness and teenage pregnancy and then succeeding in law school while raising multiple kids. Texas Lawyer spoke with Brown and emailed Champs for advice for other law students about juggling a strict schedule, coping with overwhelming demands, and …

The Stories Behind Two Houston-Area Law Graduates Whose Social Posts Went Viral and Inspired a Country

Two Houston law graduates who defied tough odds to succeed in law school have inspired people across the country. Other law students can learn about resilience and the power of priorities through the stories of May graduates Ieshia Champs of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and Shartory Brown of South Texas College …

Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben Quietly Outpaces Texas Law School Dean Tenure

In 1991 when Brad Toben became dean of Baylor University School of Law, the Lone Star State was headed by Texas Gov. Ann Richards, the U.S. president was George H.W. Bush and the Soviet Union dissolved, ending the Cold War. Now on the job for more than 26 years, Toben is the second longest-serving law …

TX Bar President Challenges Attorneys to Take Up Cause for Separated Families

State Bar of President Joe Longley issued a call to arms for Texas attorneys to put their minds together and find a way to reunite immigrant children with their parents and protect their rights to due process. Just after taking the oath of office to become this year’s bar president—a historic event, as Longley is …

Here’s How Much Johnny Sutton is Billing in UT Law Alleged Pay Fraud Case

Former U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, now working in private practice in Austin, was hired to investigate alleged fraudulent activities by a former employee of the University of Texas School of Law. Texas Lawyer used the Texas Public Information Act request to get a copy of the legal contract for the lawyer that the University of …

The Secret Recipe to Bar Prep: Meal Prep?

Everyone knows that eating fast food, candy and sugary drinks can cause weight gain, but aside from the battle against the bulge, there’s another great reason for law graduates to strive toward more healthful eating while studying for the Texas bar exam. Science has shown that a good diet can boost brain health and mental …