Year: 2017

interior of a school classroom

Texas school superintendent and principals who fail to report teachers who enter inappropriate relationships with students face potential criminal charges under a bill passed in the Senate. Senate Bill 7 was introduced by Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, following a rise in prosecutions against teachers involved in improper relationships with students. In the 2016 financial year,…

justice system statue

The U.S. Supreme Court has sent the strongest signal yet that race should not be a factor in sentencing in a death row appeal from Texas. In February, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed condemned Texas murderer Duane Buck the right to request a new court hearing on his death sentence. In a 6-2 decision, the…

baylor university logo

An expanding investigation and allegations of a cover up of alleged sexual assaults at Baylor University in Texas have led to calls for Governor Greg Abbott to direct the Texas Rangers to investigate. Last week, Rep. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) filed a bill in the Texas House of Representatives urging the governor to get the…

citizenship and immigration services document

The arrest of an alleged domestic abuse victim in Texas by immigration agents has led to a warning victims of crimes may not come forward if they are undocumented. The arrest came as the Trump administration steps up a crackdown on undocumented immigrants with criminal records across the country. The arrest of a woman who…

texas law with state flag and gavel

Groping would become a more serious offense in Texas if a new bill filed in the General Assembly becomes law. The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault is behind new bill that would make groping a Class A misdemeanor, reported CBS. At present, the offense is a Class C misdemeanor. Critics say that makes it the…

traffic stop

The death of an African American woman in a Texas police cell in 2015 has paved the way for a new bill in the state legislature that would change police procedure. Lawmakers have made 14 recommendations that could form the basis of the Sandra Bland Act, reported the Texas Tribune. The recommendations were drawn up…

sex trafficking

Human trafficking is taken very seriously in Texas, a state that experiences a large amount of trafficking due to its long border with Mexico. Recently, a man from Dallas who was accused of pimping out a teenage runaway was jailed in New Braunfels after a traffic stop resulted in his arrest. A report in the…

people on gun

The threat of terrorism has been elevated in Texas due to recent activities of groups like ISIS, a new document by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reveals. The department released the 2017 Texas Public Safety Threat Overview. The document contains a comprehensive assessment of the current public safety threats to the state. The…

Criminal Defense Lawyer in Dallas Mick Mickelsen Discusses Swatting

In Congress, a member of the House has introduced a bill to make swatting a federal offense. In an era dominated by social media, it takes a lot to stand out in crowded feed of viral videos and the latest cute cat photos. Unfortunately, some social media users have tried to gain notoriety by carrying…

HIV positive Status

The student claims the defendant never told him he was HIV-positive. Recently, a Missouri court of appeals overturned the conviction of a man accused of deliberately withholding information about his HIV-positive status from his sexual partners. The case has raised several questions, including issues of race, sexual orientation, and privacy. As reported by the Washington…