Smith County

There Will Be Tar Sand

Tarry Canadian bitumen is barreling its way to Texas via the Keystone XL pipeline. Will it bring energy independence or environmental calamity?

Judge Recuses Himself From Keystone XL Protesters' Cases Over Conflict of Interest

A $65,000 bond for three young people arrested on misdemeanor charges sounded unusually high to us when we wrote about the Keystone XL protesters locked up in Smith County a week ago. Bail was halved Wednesday, but that was only after the presiding judge recused himself from the case over a conflic ... More >>

Bond Was Set Extra High for Keystone Pipeline Protesters, to Send Those Hippies a Message

For more than two weeks, three young people arrested on misdemeanor charges have remained in a Smith County jail, unable to bond about because a judge set bail at $65,000. They stand accused of misdemeanor criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and illegal dumping. But the unusually high bond amou ... More >>

When Innocent Prisoners Finally Go Free, Their Prosecutors Do, Too

On the trail for justice with Texas' exonerees.

Kerry Max Cook, Still Not "Innocent," Learns That the Murder Weapon Was Taken Home as a "Souvenir"

In a new twist for a case full of them, lawyers of Kerry Max Cook, the Dallas man sentenced to death for a gruesome rape and murder before being exonerated two decades later, are accusing a prosecutor in his case of taking home the murder weapon as a dark, twisted souvenir. This accusation, part o ... More >>

Texas Wants to Make DIY Divorces Easier, But Judge Asks: Aren't They Easy Enough Already?

The state Supreme Court is considering developing a uniform, simplified do-it-yourself form for uncontested divorce filings, an effort to increase access to the justice system for people who can't afford a lawyer. Not surprisingly, some Texas lawyers feel the legal system is too complicated to be ... More >>

Kerry Max Cook, Free but Still Hoping for Innocence, Speaks Out Against His Prosecutors

Kerry Max Cook, a former Texas death row inmate who was released in 1999, resumed his quest to be declared innocent when he filed motions in Smith County District Court at the end of February. Tuesday, the criminal justice blog Grits for Breakfast published a letter by Cook in which he vented his in ... More >>

The End of Family Planning in Texas

They say they defunded Planned Parenthood. But lawmakers' attack on family planning will cost Texas money, reduce access to healthcare and result in even more abortions.

Get With the Times|Bang, Bang|Pay to Play

Keys to the Jail

There's only one thing tougher than running for Dallas County sheriff—getting people to care

Death Takes a Holiday

Put a signature on The Christmas Day Murders

Death Takes a Holiday

Put a signature on The Christmas Day Murders

By the Book

A DART police officer helps crack a murder case, only to lose his job

Buzz

In his own defense; Whitebread Nirvana; Potholes? What potholes?

Buzz

Try, try again; Throwing darts

Innocence Lost

Railroaded onto death row, Kerry Max Cook endures rapes, beatings, and suicide attempts while waiting for justice

Innocence lost

Prosecutors lied and cheated to put Kerry Max Cook on death row for 16 years. He's out of prison now, but still not quite free.

How Low Can You Go?

When a Tyler masseuse accused televangelist Garner Ted Armstrong of sexual assault, no one came out smelling like a rose