MRT (free): Roberson Execution Halted // TX Hits Record 15.5M Jobs // TX Reaches 18.6M Registered Voters // Massive TX Solar Project Opens // Texas Monthly Promotes New Editor

MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak

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FRIDAY || 10/18/24

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“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX)

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• TOP NEWS   

“In stunning move, Texas Supreme Court halts Robert Roberson execution in 'shaken baby' case,” Austin American-Statesman's Bayliss Wagner and John C. Moritz — “The Texas Supreme Court late Thursday spared Robert Roberson on the night he was set to die by lethal injection, a rare and head-spinning eleventh-hour decision in one of the most controversial death penalty cases in years.

The all-Republican court's decision comes in response to a first-of-its-kind legal maneuver in which a state House committee voted to subpoena Roberson for a hearing scheduled days after his execution date. It could buy Roberson — who was set to become the first American executed for a conviction involving "shaken baby" syndrome at 6 p.m. Thursday — weeks or months to live as court proceedings continue to play out.

The order caps a whirlwind two-day effort from a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who feverishly fought to keep a man they believe to be innocent from the execution chamber and riveted the nation's attention on Texas' application of the death penalty.

The House representatives who led the movement expressed relief in a Thursday night joint statement.

"For over 20 years, Robert Roberson has spent 23.5 hours of every single day in solitary confinement in a cell no bigger than the closets of most Texans, longing and striving to be heard," said Reps. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and Joe Moody, D-El Paso. "And while some courthouses may have failed him, the Texas House has not."

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The drama Thursday took off when Leach and Moody successfully asked a Travis County state District Court to temporarily stay the execution to allow Roberson to answer a summons that the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence unanimously approved Wednesday.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals shortly thereafter overturned that lower court's approval of the lawmakers' request in a 5-4 decision, and minutes later Leach and Moody filed an emergency motion with the Texas Supreme Court to intervene, arguing the Criminal Appeals Court lacked jurisdiction over a ruling made in a civil court.

Leach posted on social media before the state Supreme Court's decision that he was "Praying as if everything depends on God, which it does. But working as if everything depends on us."

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The state Supreme Court agreed with the lawmakers, with Justice Evan Young writing in a concurrence that "the underlying criminal-law matter is within the Court of Criminal Appeals’ authority, but the relief sought here is civil in nature, as are the claims that have been presented to the district court."

Roberson's case for a reprieve has drawn widespread support from more than 80 Texas House members as well as from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Dr. Phil and others.

After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition to delay the execution around 4 p.m. Thursday, Sotomayor wrote in a statement that "mounting evidence suggests ... Roberson committed no crime at all."

Sotomayor and others have urged Gov. Greg Abbott to grant Roberson a 30-day reprieve, but the governor has remained silent on the case." AAS ($)

SAEN: “Texas adds record number of jobs, boosting labor force to a high of 15.5M” SAEN ($)

SAEN: “San Antonio police: Man threatens to "Go Uvalde" on hospital” SAEN ($)

SAEN: “Time is not on investigators' side in case of Suzanne Simpson” SAEN ($)

DMN: “Storied magazine Texas Monthly get new chief with Dallas roots” DMN ($)

DMN: “How legislators settled on a subpoena to delay Robert Roberson's execution” DMN ($)

AP: “One of the largest solar projects in the US opens in Texas, backed by Google” AP

DMN: “Major highway to close in Dallas this weekend” DMN ($)

KERA: “State says Tarrant County violated law requiring independent jail death investigations” KERA

DMN: “Fort Worth police officer fired after shooting investigation, arrest” DMN ($)

HOU CHRON: “Texas voter registration surges to 18.6M just ahead of early voting” Houston Chronicle ($)

SA REPORT: “Indicted Rep. Cuellar's foes skip expensive political fight -- hoping prison will finish the job for them” Texas Tribune

TX TRIB: “Vicente Gonzalez and Myra Flores clash in fiery South Texas congressional debate” Texas Tribune

TX TRIB: “Republicans want to flip this last competitive South Texas senate seat” Texas Tribune

• NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE    

 > TX TRIB: "Ken Paxton sues Dallas pediatrician over providing hormone treatments to teens" TX TRIB
 > TX MONTHLY: "Under a Second Trump Administration, America Could Look a Lot Like Texas" TX MONTHLY
 > TX TRIB: "Five races for the Republican-dominated State Board of Education to watch this year" TX TRIB
 > TX TRIB: "Republicans want to flip this last competitive South Texas senate seat" TX TRIB
 > TX MONTHLY: "Texas Lawmakers’ Last-Minute Move to Buy Robert Roberson More Time" TX MONTHLY
 > AP: "Texas sues doctor and accuses her of violating ban on gender-affirming care" AP
 > TX TRIB: "“More than our wombs”: Women in conservative Texas cities mobilizing to end GOP dominance" TX TRIB
 > AP: "Biggest source of new Floridians and Texans last year was other countries" AP
 > FWST: "A blue Texas? Democrats look to Colin Allred as he runs against Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate" FWST
 > DMN: "Texas high court blocks execution of Robert Roberson after novel legal move by lawmakers" DMN
 > DMN: "‘They did the right thing’: Officials, public react to halt to Robert Roberson execution" DMN
 > DMN: "Supreme Court justice unhappy with Texas court’s handling of Roberson’s death row case" DMN
 > DMN: "What to know about the death penalty and death row in Texas" DMN
> TX TRIB: "What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?" TX TRIB
 > TPR: "The Texas Supreme Court has blocked Robert Roberson's execution for now" TPR
 > TPR: "Boil water notice continues for some South Texas residents" TPR
 > HOU CHRON: "Houston religious leaders join growing opposition to HISD's $4.4B school bond" HOU CHRON
 > TPR: "AG Ken Paxton sues Texas doctor accused of providing gender-affirming care" TPR
 > AAS: "Paxton files first lawsuit on gender-affirming care ban for minors" AAS
> SAEN: "Hill Country officials find explosives, ammo, stolen coins in rented truck" SAEN
 > TPR: "The deadline to apply to vote by mail for Election 2024 approaches" TPR
> THE TEXAN: "Weekly Roundup: Cruz-Allred Debate, Texas Voter Integrity Law, Autonomous Vehicles Expand in State" THE TEXAN
 > VALLEY CENTRAL: "Fact Check: The Texas Congressional District 34 Debate" VALLEY CENTRAL
 > SA REPORT: "Indicted Rep. Cuellar’s foes skip expensive political fight — hoping prison will finish the job for them" SA REPORT
 > CCCT: "Here's what Gov. Greg Abbott said about border security" CCCT

• EXTRA POINTS   

Last night's Texas sports scores:
  > 6pm: NHL: Dallas at Washington (ESPN+)

This weekend's Texas sports schedule:
 Fri
  > 9pm: NWSL: Houston at Seattle
 Sat
  > 2:30pm: NCAAF: Houston at Kansas (ESPN+)
  > 2:30pm: NCAAF: Rice at Tulane (ESPN+)
  > 2:30pm: NCAAF: Texas State at Old Dominion (ESPN+)
  > 2:30pm: NCAAF: Houston at Kansas (ESPN+)
  > 2:30pm: NCAAF: Florida Atlantic at UTSA (ESPN+)
  > 3pm: NCAAF: Baylor at Texas Tech (ESPN2)
  > 3pm: NHL: Edmonton at Dallas (ESPN+)
  > 3:15pm: NCAAF: #14 Texas A&M at Mississippi State (SEC Network)
  > 6:30pm: NCAAF: #5 Georgia at #1 Texas (ABC)
  > 6:30pm: NCAAF: North Texas at Memphis (ESPNU)
  > 7pm: NCAAF: #21 SMU at Stanford (ACC Network)
  > 8pm: MLS: Colorado at Austin
  > 8pm: MLS: Kansas City at FC Dallas
  > 8pm: MLS: LA Galaxy at Houston
  > 9:30pm: NCAAF: TCU at Utah (ESPN)
 Sun
  > 12pm: NFL: Houston at Green Bay

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TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: "Mike Elko instilling a 'chase perfection' mindset for a Texas A&M team on CFP hunt" AAS ($)

DALLAS WINGS: "Dallas Wings part ways with head coach after two seasons" DMN ($)