federal judge

A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas can enforce Senate Bill 12, which restricts "sexually oriented performances" in front of kids. The judges said drag shows aren't necessarily sexual, and the plaintiffs, including a drag performer and two entertainment companies, may not be harmed by the law.

Similar lawsuits in Texas and Louisiana have moved to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and will be heard in January.

A Waco judge this week made permanent a block on a state law that required book vendors to rate materials based on their sexual content and references.

A plaintiff in the case called Thursday's decision a "powerful step" toward protecting early education access.

A federal judge quickly and quietly cut off in-state college tuition for Oklahoma students without legal immigration status on Aug. 29.

The bird dwells west of Lubbock, and in the tip of the Panhandle, north of Amarillo.

The decision by a Texas federal court removed the lesser prairie chicken of any endangered or threatened species protections, which were established through a Biden-era ruling. The Trump administration had tried to reverse the designation, on behalf of livestock and oil producers.

United Nation of Islam, a quasi-religious group based in Kansas City, Kansas, was accused of forcing children to endure long, unpaid work days while living in crowded conditions with strict diets. Sentences for the six leaders range from five years of probation to 10 years in prison.

A federal appeals court has upheld an Oklahoma law prohibiting minors from accessing gender-affirming care, reinforcing a growing trend of legal support for such bans across the country.

A federal judge in San Antonio has ruled that the state of Texas for decades unnecessarily institutionalized 4,500 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in nursing home facilities, denying them appropriate services that are required under federal law.