Court Cases

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP have filed a lawsuit, on behalf of people jailed without lawyers in Travis County, to affirm the constitutional right to counsel at first appearance.

A class-action challenge against the federal government over the illegal detention of material witnesses at the La Salle County Regional Detention Center in Encinal, Texas near Laredo.

A class action lawsuit against Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown asking that the Dallas County Jail follow the social distancing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A federal class-action lawsuit against Dallas County and Sheriff Marian Brown seeking the immediate release of anyone over the age of 50 and those who are most vulnerable to contracting the COVID-19 virus.

A lawsuit challenging Governor Abbott’s passage of an executive order, GA-13, which unlawfully attempts to remove discretion from judges about who can receive personal bonds.

A lawsuit on behalf of three Houstonians experiencing homelessness who were adversely affected by the city’s camping and panhandling ordinances.

A case representing Crystal Mason, a woman who was criminally prosecuted and sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly casting a provisional ballot improperly.

A lawsuit on behalf of people locked in Galveston County Jail because they cannot afford to pay bail, challenging the county’s practice of automatically setting money bail to detain people arrested for misdemeanors and felonies.

A lawsuit challenging Dallas County’s blanket use of pre-set money bail amounts, ordered in closed-door proceedings, to detain people arrested for misdemeanors and felonies.