Appeals court halts ruling that Border Patrol can legally cut Texas’ border concertina wire

Less than a week after a Del Rio-based federal judge ruled against Texas in the ongoing fight over the state’s razor wire, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused that decision while it reviews the case.
DA drops most charges against Austin police officers accused of excessive force in 2020 protests

The Travis County district attorney still plans to pursue criminal charges in four cases. The officers whose cases are being dismissed will be allowed to return to duty.
After school voucher bill falls apart, supporters and opponents get ready for future fights

The Texas House’s vote to block education savings accounts disappointed voucher advocates and likely spelled doom for additional public school funding. Both bands say they’ll keep pushing for their priorities during next year’s primary elections and the 2025 legislative session.
New Uvalde school shooting documentary and investigation reveal details of law enforcement’s flawed response

The “Inside the Uvalde Response” film and related reporting by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE analyze one of the most criticized mass shooting responses in recent history and show real-time insight into officers’ thoughts and actions.
With GOP priorities unfinished, Texas House plans to wrap fourth special session Tuesday

The decision to end work Tuesday leaves long odds for bills to boost school safety funding and make sure that election challenges don’t delay the implementation of property tax cuts, teacher pension raises and infrastructure spending.
Texas GOP executive committee rejects proposed ban on associating with Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers

Some members of the committee said such a ban, proposed two months after a prominent conservative activist was caught meeting with a famous white supremacist, might be a “slippery slope” or too vague.
Texas will have to cut methane emissions from oil fields under new federal climate rule

The Biden Administration announced a crackdown on methane emissions, a major driver of climate change. Major oil and gas companies also signed on to a voluntary net-zero commitment.
Watch a Jan. 10 conversation about the Texas workforce and what’s working

We’ll talk through hiring trends in Texas, in-demand skills, the resources the Workforce Commission provides, the role community colleges and the private sector play in developing a skilled Texas workforce, and more.
Texas must remove floating barrier from Rio Grande, Fifth Circuit Court orders
The appeals court upheld an earlier ruling by an Austin federal judge to remove the 1,000-foot-long barrier the state deployed near Eagle Pass.
Texas Legislature sends $1.54 billion bill for border barriers to Gov. Abbott

Senate Bill 3 would also appropriate $40 million for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development outside of Houston, and allow the state to send money to local jurisdictions to offset the cost of enforcing another immigration-related bill.