Courts

Last week, right after a Dallas County grand jury indicted him for the murder of Juan Moreno Jr., Farmers Branch Police Department officer Michael Dunn turned himself in, quickly made $150,000 bail and was released from custody. Standard operating procedure as far as North Texas cops are concerned — see…

Barring something truly unforeseen, Texas is officially out of the woods when it comes to a potential citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. census. In an email sent to opposing counsel in the ongoing legal fight over the question, lawyers for the Department of Justice said Tuesday that the “decision…

It took a little digging through federal court documents and a helpful tweet pointing us in the right direction, but the Observer had the distinct pleasure of witnessing the origin story of Texas’ newest civil rights icon Monday. Turns out, he’s been sitting right in front of us the whole time…

There’s a chance, somewhere between a small- and a medium-sized one, that Tuesday ends up being one of the defining days of the Cowboys’ 2019 season. According to reports from the Cowboys beat reporters at ESPN and The Dallas Morning News, star running back Ezekiel Elliott is meeting with NFL…

In the end, it wasn’t a definitive or even particularly clear statement, but it might have been just enough from the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts. Joining with court’s four liberals, Roberts wrote that the Trump administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the…

A new filing by Wade Callender, former corporate counsel for Frisco-based game developer Gearbox Software, provided evidence that CEO Randy Pitchford diverted $12 million dollars from Gearbox to his personal company. The amended petition is the latest entry…

Texas’ Driver Responsibility Program, perhaps the most loathed program administered by the state, is no more. Friday afternoon, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill immediately putting the program to the sword, clearing the path for about 1.5 million Texans to regain their driver’s licenses. The program imposed surcharges on…

Just days after advocacy groups filed more than two dozen new sexual harassment charges against the fast-food chain, a group of McDonald’s workers from across the country protested in North Texas on Thursday, demanding better wages, better working conditions and the right to form a union. Fight for $15, a…

Last week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a piece of anti-abortion legislation that left Texas, one of the pro-life movement’s biggest hotbeds, in the dust. Thanks to Kemp’s signature, Georgia law now bans any abortion occurring more than six weeks into a pregnancy, creating an almost impossible window for women…

The short-term rental industry has become the latest “internet-based service firm” to arouse the ire of citizens and local governments nationwide. Here in North Texas, Arlington has recently joined the growing number of cities to restrict or even ban the practice of renting or operating short-term rentals as offered by…

Two years ago, Texas got in line with many of its conservative sibling states and passed a law addressing one of its most pressing concerns — preventing any companies that participate in the boycott, divest and sanction movement from doing business with the state. This week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott…

Texas House Democrats banded together with some of the chamber’s most conservative members Thursday to pass legislation that would stop Texas juries from sentencing killers with severe mental illnesses to death. Dallas Rep. Toni Rose’s bill would require juries who find that a defendant convicted of capital murder was suffering…

It’s hard to find anyone who likes Texas’ Driver Responsibility Program. Civil rights groups hate it. The Texas Tea Party hates it. The Observer’s readers, judging from the number of emails we’ve received about it, hate it. With a unanimous vote Thursday, the Texas House of Representatives showed that it…

Texas’ law banning government agencies from doing business with people or other businesses that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel is on hold Thursday night after a federal judge issued an injunction against it, ruling that it is likely unconstitutional. The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement calls for…

To hear Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata tell it, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot’s new reforms — Creuzot’s office will no longer prosecute certain misdemeanor theft cases or first-time marijuana offenses — stereotype poor people, rather than helping them out. “I take great offense to saying that poor…

Jason Lee Van Dyke sat at a table next to his defense lawyer in a Denton County courtroom, listening as an attorney for the Texas State Bar spoke about how fearful she was when she received his email message threatening her life. At 38, Van Dyke is stocky like a…

U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn sentenced former Dallas City Council member Dwaine Caraway to a little more than four and a half years in federal prison Friday afternoon. In August, Caraway admitted to taking almost $450,000 in bribes and kickbacks related to Dallas County School’s ill-fated stop-arm camera program. Lynn…

The hits just keep on coming for acting Texas Secretary of State David Whitley. He remains unconfirmed by the Texas Senate and under federal court scrutiny for his attempted purge of almost 100,000 voters from the state’s registration lists. Now, thanks to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee, he’s…