Austin, TX
New Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for judicial raises, changes to bail laws
:focal(0x0:3000x2000)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/08f29d592627d2ee5b25950b3cce994b/0226%20State%20of%20the%20Judiciary%20BD%20TT%2001.jpg?ssl=1 "New Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for judicial raises, changes to bail laws")
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In his first address to the Texas Legislature, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock struck a more ideological tone than his predecessor, proudly embracing constitutional originalism, a judicial philosophy often associated with conservatives.
“Our Constitution means the same thing yesterday, today and tomorrow, until the people of Texas decide to change it,” he said. “This is called constitutional originalism, and under this Supreme Court, it is the law in Texas.”
He contrasted this with the idea, more typically associated with the left, that the Constitution is a living document that should evolve with changing times.
“In Texas, under this Supreme Court, the living Constitution is dead,” Blacklock said, to cheers and applause from the joint session of state representatives and senators who gathered for the biannual State of the Judiciary speech.
Before he was appointed to the bench in 2017, Blacklock worked under Gov. Greg Abbott, first at the attorney general’s office and then as his general counsel, helping lead some of Texas’ biggest legal fights on abortion, voting access, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act.
Abbott appointed him chief justice in January to replace Nathan Hecht, who stepped down due to the mandatory judicial retirement age. Hecht was the longest serving Supreme Court justice in Texas history, spending 36 years on the high court, 10 of them as chief justice, and 43 years as a judge.
“He first became a judge just a few days after my first birthday in 1981,” Blacklock noted in his speech. “All of his fellow Texans, young and old, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, owe Nathan Hecht a great debt of gratitude for his tireless and principled work to promote the rule of law and to make justice a greater reality for every Texan.”
The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court addresses the Legislature biannually on behalf of the judicial branch. Blacklock reported that Texas’ judiciary was in good shape, but he nonetheless was “going to make a few suggestions, perhaps a few complaints” to legislators about how things could be improved.
He echoed years of calls, from Hecht and others, to increase judicial salaries, saying the base pay for district judges had not been raised since 2013, putting Texas 48th out of 50 states for judicial salaries. The Judicial Compensation Commission has recommended a 30% pay increase across the board for judges, which Blacklock said was necessary to attract and retain talented lawyers to the profession.
“If these were just any government employees, those of you who know me know that I would be more likely to recommend a Department of Government Efficiency than a pay raise,” he said, referring to the controversial federal cost-cutting effort run by tech billionaire Elon Musk. “But we’re not talking about any bureaucrats. We’re talking about the constitutional officers of a co-equal branch of government.”
Blacklock said these raises were necessary while also calling out a “few judges who may not be working as hard as the job demands.” He said he had “no patience” for these alleged slackers, and would use his authority as chief justice to identify “problem judges,” using clearance rates and other metrics to figure out where there were weak spots and pushing to have those judges removed from the bench if necessary.
The framers of the Constitution, he said, “gave us tools to fix these problems in the very rare cases where they arise, and if we forget about these tools, or we don’t use them because we think it would be too difficult, or it might make us look bad, then we’re not allowing our Constitution to operate the way it was designed.”
Blacklock threw his support behind the legislative effort to tighten restrictions on when a defendant can be let out on bail, which Abbott has designated an emergency item. He said this was necessary to support law enforcement, as there were people out there who would find ways to do evil, no matter how many laws the Legislature passed to stop them.
“They aren’t stopped by laws written on paper or by judges and voters,” he said. “The only thing that can stop a bad man with a gun who means to do evil is a good man with a gun who means to do justice.”
For many years, Hecht used this speech to call on more funding for legal aid programs that helped low-income Texans access the civil legal system. Blacklock said that remained a focus for the “court as a whole”, but his energy would go toward systemic reforms that make legal services more affordable for everyone. He said he would be open to proposals, which Hecht and others have backed, to allow non-lawyers to provide some basic legal services.
Blacklock concluded his speech by calling for changes to the child welfare system to allow families to stay together more easily, saying using the “coercive power of the state … to destroy a family should never be our first instinct.”
“It’s tempting when we see these children in these desperate circumstances to want them removed quickly from their failed parents for their protection,” he said. “But we have to remember this, just as surely as God made those precious children, God made that family.”
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TEXAS — According to Redfin, a national real estate brokerage firm, the top three most affordable cities for renters in the country are in Texas. The firm released its study in 2025, which also lists the median incomes needed to afford the average rent.
Renters living in the Sawyer Heights neighborhood near downtown Houston say apartments in that area come with a hefty price tag.
“It’s not cheap to live in this city, especially with income the way it is,” said Evan Camp, a renter.
Jacinto Cepeda shares his sentiment, adding you get what you pay for.
“It’s just increasing in price if you want to live somewhere nicer or a little bit safer, I would say, it’s definitely on the pricier side,” Cepeda said.
However, Redfin’s report ranking the top 10 most affordable metros for renters across the country shows renters in the Houston metro area may be better off compared to other Texans. Austin, Houston and Dallas took the top three spots, respectively.
The study analyzes Census Bureau data on median incomes and average rent costs, based on the affordability criteria of renters spending no more than 30% of their income on rent.
“In the most recent American Community Survey, we found that, for the first time, the majority of renters in Harris County in Houston are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent,” said Dr. Stephen Sherman, an associate director of research at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.
Sherman says while some may consider Houston rent as more reasonable than New York City and Los Angeles, Harris County incomes have not kept up with inflation.
“When you start to look at how that compares to people’s incomes, how high eviction rates are, the quality of multifamily building here, you start to see that that cheery story has some cracks and fissures,” he said.
The Redfin study shows the typical U.S. renter earns nearly $9,000 less than the income needed to afford the median apartment. It shows a median rent in the Houston metro of $1,239, meaning the affordability required for annual income needed is closer to $50,000. As of December 2024, Houston’s median renter income was roughly $58,000, which was nearly $9,000 more than needed to cover the rent. Sherman says that means nearly half of renters don’t make enough.
“Apartment rents and home prices, as well, have stabilized, but when you look at incomes, especially after adjusting for inflation, they’ve actually gone down,” said Sherman, adding this is while expenses like groceries and gas have gone up. “Everything is a trade-off. You can find affordable places to live in Houston, but it might be in an older building in dire need of repairs.”
Cepeda said walkability is one thing he appreciates about the Heights area.
“It’s just a matter of where you’re willing to live where you’re willing to live, and how you’re willing to live is the most important thing,” he said.
An outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that can cause explosive diarrhea, has been confirmed in Texas, prompting health officials to urge extra precautions when handling fresh produce.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 48 cases of cyclosporiasis across 10 Texas counties. State health officials say there have been no deaths linked to the outbreak so far.
There are no reported cases in Southeast Texas at this time, and Port Arthur officials say they have not received any reported cases from area hospitals or health care providers. Still, health officials say now is the time to take extra precautions.
Judith Smith, Port Arthur’s director of health services, said cyclosporiasis is caused by “a microscopic parasite that is usually found in contaminated food and contaminated water.”
Smith said contamination typically stems from floodwater or sewage water when produce is harvested, allowing parasites to transfer to produce long before it reaches consumers.
“I have not heard of an outbreak like this. It’s been a while. It might have been 2023, 2024, and so, you know, and of course, Texas is not immune,” Smith said.
Smith said foods that are eaten raw can pose a higher risk. “Those foods that are not cooked are the ones that really make you more at risk,” she said.
Health officials recommend washing raw produce, including lettuce, cilantro, raspberries and basil. They also recommend cleaning cutting boards, refrigerating fresh goods and throwing away any remaining produce after experiencing symptoms.
Symptoms can include watery diarrhea, fatigue, lack of appetite and a low-grade fever. “Those individuals that may have that watery diarrhea or really just more than two to three days should seek medical attention,” Smith said.
Testing can confirm the parasite, and early treatment can help prevent more serious complications, especially for children and elderly relatives. Health care experts recommend contacting a health care provider as soon as possible if persistent stomach cramps and other symptoms develop after eating fresh produce.
The Texas Longhorns are less than two months away from starting their regular season slate of the 2026 schedule.
Just like last season, the Longhorns have been given unrealistic expectations by some, but will look to avoid the slow start that had everyone counting them out in September. On paper, the Longhorns should be a lot better than they were last season.
A national championship run should be on the table for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team. One of the reasons that is a possibility is due to the Longhorns have something in common with previous national championship winners.
Legacy Year
Last season, the college football world was enamored by the Indiana Hoosiers. A program that no one saw ever winning the national championship, was hoisting the trophy at the end of the season.
Now, the Hoosiers had a talented roster from top to bottom. But the play of starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the leading factor in this team reaching the mountaintop.
Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has the chance to make that same impression this season. After his first full season as the starting quarterback in Austin last year, there is a growing confidence that Manning is going to be on another level in 2026.
Last season, Manning threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdown passes. If you were to compare those numbers to Mendoza’s last season, the Hoosiers quarterback threw for 3,535 yards and an impressive 41 touchdown passes.
Those numbers make it clear that Manning will have to elevate his performance this season. With a revamped offensive line, the Longhorns quarterback may have the time to rival the numbers of Mendoza from this past season.
But another key piece to the Longhorns’ 2026 roster is a massive wide receiver addition.
It’s going to take the whole village, and Coach Sarkisian went out and got one of the most talented wide receivers in the transfer portal with Cam Coleman.
Coleman had two solid years with the Auburn Tigers and now will look to be the deep field threat for Manning and the Longhorns. The junior receiver’s addition to the roster could take this offensive unit to being one of the top units in the country.
All championship teams have a quarterback who could lead them to victory. Manning could very well be the next elite quarterback to hold a national championship trophy.
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