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Judge rules extreme heat in Texas prisons is unconstitutional

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feeds.texastribune.org – By Pooja Salhotra – 2025-03-26 21:50:00

Federal judge rules prison heat conditions are unconstitutional, but doesn’t require air conditioning” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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Housing Texas prison inmates in sweltering facilities that lack air conditioning is “plainly unconstitutional,” U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman said Wednesday in a groundbreaking, 91-page ruling.

The judge declined to order the Texas Department of Justice to immediately install temporary or permanent air conditioning, instead forcing the plaintiffs to move towards a trial.

Pitman wrote that the case will likely move to a bench trial and that the plaintiffs and defense must submit a proposed timeline for legal proceedings by April 10.

Still, Marci Marie Simmons, who was previously incarcerated and is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, called the decision a win and said she hopes the ruling pushes state lawmakers to fund prison air conditioning. At least five bills, including House Bill 2997 and House Bill 1315, have been filed this session that would require state prisons to be equipped with air conditioning, but none of the bills have received a hearing yet.

“This is a federal judge saying Texas is unconstitutionally housing people in these dangerous and deadly temperatures,” Simmons said. “I cried. I cried for my people on the inside.”

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The background: About 85,000 Texas prison inmates reside in facilities that do not have air conditioning in most living areas. During the summer, high temperatures can create dangerous conditions that have been exacerbated in recent years by climate change.

At least 23 individuals died from heat-related causes in TDCJ prisons between 1998 and 2012, according to court documents. According to a 2022 study, 14 prison deaths per year are associated with the heat. And a Texas Tribune analysis found that at least 41 people died in uncooled prisons during a record-breaking heat wave last year.

Autopsy reports for several prisoners who died in uncooled cells mention heat as a possible cause of death, KUT reported. But a criminal justice agency spokesperson told the news organization that underlying medical conditions, not heat, caused those deaths. During an August 2024 court hearing, prison officials admitted that extreme heat contributed to those inmates’ deaths but said heat was not the only culprit.

The state agency has previously been sued over the extreme heat in uncooled cells. In 2018, the agency reached a settlement with inmates in a class action lawsuit and agreed to install air conditioning in one notoriously hot prison called the Wallace Pack Unit, a geriatric prison. Sick or elderly prisoners were also moved into cool housing.

Already, Texas law requires county jails to be kept between 65 and 85 degrees. Other facilities, such as animal shelters, also have heat rules.

State lawmakers did not put any money directly towards air conditioning prisons last year, when they had a $32.7 billion budget surplus. The Texas House had budgeted $545 million for prison air conditioning but the more conservative Senate offered nothing.

The state did allocate $85 million to the TDCJ, and the agency is using that money to pay for air conditioning units. That money will help about 10,000 inmates move into air conditioned facilities. So far, only $13 million of that has been expensed or obligated, TDCJ spokesperson Amanda Hernandez told the Texas Tribune in February.

Why advocate groups sued: In April, four nonprofit organizations joined a lawsuit originally filed last August by Bernie Tiede, an inmate who was housed in a Huntsville cell where temperatures exceeded 110 degrees. The new filing expanded the plaintiffs to include every inmate incarcerated in uncooled Texas prisons.

Lawyers and advocates said they hoped to prove the lack of air conditioning created conditions that amount to unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.

“What we are doing is overheating the body for long periods of time which is detrimental to the body…. we’re literally cooking them,” said Amite Dominick, founder of Texas Prison Community Advocates, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuits. “People don’t live when you cook them.”

Dominick and others also argue that the measures the state has taken to respond to the heat, such as giving inmates access to cold towels and respite areas, are insufficient.

What the state says: The agency estimates that installing permanent air conditioning in every unit would cost more than $1.1 billion and would come with an annual operating cost of close to $20 million, according to court documents.

During a hearing last year TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier said he wants to install air conditioning in every prison but that he simply doesn’t have the funds to do so.

Prison leaders also pointed to their “heat protocols,” such as allowing inmates access to cool respite areas, making electrolytes, water and ice readily available, and training correctional staff on the signs and treatment for heat-related illness.

Heat mitigation policies are inadequate, Pitman said, evidenced by the fact that “dozens” of inmates have died or fallen ill because of extreme heat even with those measures in place.

Inmates are also screened for medical conditions that would make them more sensitive to the heat. Those with heat sensitivity get priority placement for air-conditioned housing, a TDCJ spokesperson said. As of Aug. 7, more than 12,000 inmates had a heat sensitivity score, thespokesperson said.

Pitman said such measures are arbitrary, citing examples of individuals who would not qualify for a heat score despite their medical condition, including “a 90-year-old with hypertension” and someone who has a seizure disorder. Only about 10% of Texas prison inmates have a heat score, even though all of the roughly 134,500 people incarcerated in them face “a substantial risk of serious harm from the extreme heat in unair-conditioned facilities,” Pitman wrote.

Broader impact: Lawsuits about heat in state prisons have also been filed in other southern states including Louisiana and Georgia. If Texas is ultimately required to air condition its prisons, the state agency will face a large cost that lawmakers have previously not approved.


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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/26/texas-prison-air-conditioning-lawsuit/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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Former HISD executive and contract vendor found guilty of federal corruption charges

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Former HISD executive and contract vendor found guilty of federal corruption charges

www.youtube.com – KHOU 11 – 2025-04-19 09:08:25

SUMMARY: Former HISD executive Brian Busby and contractor Anthony Hutcherson were found guilty of federal corruption charges related to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. The scheme, which began in 2018, involved inflated maintenance and landscaping contracts that funneled $7 million from the district into their pockets. Busby, the former chief operating officer, secured contracts for Hutcherson in exchange for cash, luxury renovations, and kickbacks. Both men were convicted of 33 charges, including conspiracy, bribery, and witness tampering. They face up to 35 years in federal prison, with sentencing set for July 28th.

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Brian Busby was COO of the district. Anthony Hutchinson was a contract vendor. They’re both now facing prison time.

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Court restores status of 3 international students in Texas

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feeds.texastribune.org – By Jessica Priest – 2025-04-18 17:04:00

Court orders immigration officials to restore legal status of three people who came to Texas on student visas” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.


Federal judges have ordered immigration officials to temporarily restore the legal status of three people from India who came to Texas on student visas.

Manoj Mashatti, Chandraprakash Hinge and Akshar Patel are among more than a thousand students nationwide whose permission to be in the U.S. was revoked. International students have been discovering in recent weeks that their immigration status was marked as terminated in a database used to keep track of international students known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS.

Mashatti obtained an F-1 student visa to pursue a master’s degree in business analytics at the University of Texas at Dallas. He graduated in May 2024 and then applied for and received authorization to work as a full-time data engineer, according to his lawsuit. UT-Dallas informed him his status was terminated on April 2 based on a prior arrest for driving while intoxicated. He had completed probation for that charge.

Court documents provide fewer details about Hinge and Patel. Their attorney said they were both students at the University of Texas at Arlington and have graduated.

Hinge came to the U.S. in 2020 to get a graduate degree. Patel was an undergraduate student who says his immigration status was terminated from SEVIS solely because of a November 2018 arrest for reckless driving. That case was dismissed.

Both their LinkedIn profiles indicate they still live and work in North Texas, Hinge as a thermal engineer and Patel in the computer science field.

Steven Brown, the immigration attorney representing the students, filed separate lawsuits for each one against Todd M. Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in federal courts in Washington, D.C.

The judge in Hinge’s case said ICE had offered conflicting positions in both its court filings and oral arguments about what effect its actions had on Hinge’s visa. The judge wrote in his order that the student’s legal status should remain unchanged.

Brown said none of his three clients have left the country.

He added that he may be bringing more lawsuits against ICE on behalf of other international students in Texas and across the country whose legal immigration status has been revoked.

Brown said the way ICE is targeting students appears to be “arbitrary” and “capricious.” That’s also how four UT Rio Grande Valley students who have sued the Department of Homeland Security have described federal immigration officials’ actions. Those students’ attorney, Marlene Dougherty, declined to comment to The Texas Tribune on Friday.

The federal government has said it is targeting people who have committed crimes or participated in protests it views as antisemitic.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement to the Tribune that it regularly reviews whether visa holders are complying with requirements to remain in good standing. SEVIS terminations may occur for various reasons, the statement said, including if they stopped going to school or working. When it finds violations, the agency added, it notifies the Department of State, which may consider revoking the students’ visa after considering their criminal history and other national security concerns.

“This process is nothing new and is part of a longstanding protocol and program,” a senior DHS official said. “Individuals who remain in the U.S. without lawful immigration status may be subject to arrest and removal. If a SEVIS record is terminated or a visa revoked, the individual will be notified and typically given 10 days to depart the country voluntarily. The safest and most efficient option is self-deportation using the CBP Home app.”

A Department of State spokesperson said the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation and its actions in specific cases for privacy reasons.

The Consulate General for India could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

International students across the country are asking federal judges to temporarily block the government from changing their legal immigration status. In this week alone, judges in at least five states have granted their requests, according to CNN and Reuters.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: University of Texas – Arlington and University of Texas – Dallas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.


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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/18/texas-international-student-cases/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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Texas breaks jobs records again, but oil-gas sector outlier indicates volatility | Texas

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Texas breaks jobs records again, but oil-gas sector outlier indicates volatility | Texas

www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 15:31:00

(The Center Square) – Texas broke its own employment records again in March,  leading the U.S. in job creation. The outlier was in the oil and natural gas sector, which reported a loss, breaking its own pattern of job records, reflecting market volatility.

As in previous months, Texas broke its own employment records for having the greatest number of jobs, the greatest number of Texans working and the largest labor force in state history in March, according to the latest Texas Workforce Commission data.

Texas employers reported the largest labor force in state history again with a new record of 15,778,500, marking 57 of 59 months of growth. Over the year, Texas’ civilian labor force added 301,400 workers, more than any other state.

Texas also reached a new high for the greatest number of Texans working last month, including the self-employed, totaling 15,137,500.

Texas also added 26,500 positions over the month to reach a total of 14,282,600 nonfarm jobs in March. Texas employers added 192,100 nonfarm jobs over the year, more than any other state, bringing the annual nonfarm growth rate to 1.4%, again outpacing the national growth rate by 0.2%.

“Texas leads the nation in job creation thanks to our booming economy and highly skilled workforce,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. “Every month, Texas welcomes businesses from across the country and around the world to innovate and invest in our great state. By funding our schools more than ever before and expanding career and technical training programs, we will prepare more Texans for better job and bigger paycheck opportunities to build a more prosperous Texas.”

“The robust Texas economy continues to create opportunities for our workforce, as evidenced by over 544,000 job postings in March, despite record employment,” noted TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Alberto Treviño III. “TWC is committed to ensuring Texans can capitalize on this economic momentum by providing services like career counseling, job search assistance, and skills training, helping them develop a clear path to career success.”

Texas is also “outpacing the nation in various industries, reinforcing the state’s reputation across the world as the best for doing business,” TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Joe Esparza said.

Last month, the Private Education and Health Services industry reported the largest over-the-month increase after adding 9,500 jobs, according to the data. Construction added 8,500 jobs over the month; Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 6,100. As Texas expands construction and infrastructure projects statewide, the construction industry reported the largest growth in the country of 3.4% over the year, outperforming the industry’s growth rate nationally by 1.6%.

Unlike previous months, the Texas upstream sector reported a loss of 700 jobs over the month in oil and natural gas extraction. Total jobs in the sector hovered just over 204,400.

The upstream sector includes oil and natural gas extraction and some types of mining. It excludes other sectors like refining, petrochemicals, fuels wholesaling, oilfield equipment manufacturing, pipelines, and gas utilities, which support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs statewide.

That’s down from the sector adding 1,900 jobs over the month in February, bringing the total upstream employment to 205,400 two months ago before the Trump tariff war began, The Center Square reported.

“As a result of recent commodity price movement and significant market volatility, there are high uncertainties in outlooks for future energy supply, demand and prices,” the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association notes in an analysis of the employment data.

TIPRO and others have expressed concerns about the Trump administration tariff policy and pushing for foreign crude production, which is negatively impacting the industry and caused oil prices to tank, The Center Square reported. A silver lining, industry executives argue, is the administration rolling back Biden-era regulations that targeted it, The Center Square reported.

The post Texas breaks jobs records again, but oil-gas sector outlier indicates volatility | Texas appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

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