A felony criminal district court judge in Travis County, Texas, was shot outside her home last night. Judge Julie Kocurek is also a former prosecutor. It is unknown whether the shooting is related to her duties as a criminal judge or prosecutor.
“It’s hell and high water, that you’re going through,” goes the chorus of Alex Harvey and T. Graham Brown’s 1986 country hit, and that certainly was the experience for hundreds of Central Texas families during the devastating floods last month. Hundreds
With the Supreme Court expected to decide on the freedom to marry by the end of June, Dana DeBeauvoir, Travis County Clerk, announced contingent preparations for issuing same-sex marriage licenses to Texans on Tuesday. DeBeauvoir stated, “We’re hoping for crowds.”
A bill passed by the Texas Senate on Thursday would take redistricting and school finance lawsuits out of the sole hands of judges in Travis County. The bill, S.B. 455, provides that the Texas Attorney General may petition for the formation of a three-judge panel to hear school finance and redistricting cases.
The Texas State Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would move pubic integrity cases out of Travis County. The bill passed 20-11 on partisan lines.
On Thursday, February 19, the Texas Supreme Court granted an emergency motion requested by Attorney General Ken Paxton to stay two Travis County court ruling declaring the state’s law banning gay marriage unconstitutional. This action followed a Travis County clerk issuing the first “legal” gay marriage license, although Texas voters banned same-sex marriage a decade ago.
The first gay marriage in Texas history happened in Austin on Thursday afternoon. Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant, both of Austin, went to the Travis County Clerk immediately after obtaining a court order in their favor, obtained a license, and were married. Texas
