For the second time in two years, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is considering whether to overturn Neal Robbins’ capital murder conviction and remand him for a new trial. This is the first case to reach the state’s highest criminal court in response to a new law.

President Barack Obama has a chance to appoint three Texans to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and it appears he’s playing it safe politically by considering promoting three sitting U.S. district court judges, one of whom is a Republican, according to seven sources close to the appointment process.

Starting in January, prosecutors must disclose more information to criminal-defense lawyers. What are the state’s elected prosecutors doing to prepare to comply with the Michael Morton Act, named after a man who spent more than 24 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife?

When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June, the historic ruling started a quiet race to federal courthouses in Texas by same-sex couples seeking to overturn the state law forbidding them from marrying.

Post-verdict questionnaires and interviews are two of the most valuable, yet underutilized, resources for trial attorneys. Here are eight recommendations, gleaned from years of listening to feedback straight from jurors’ lips.