By Jacob Fischler, Stateline September 15, 2026 The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday kept in place a lower court’s order blocking President Donald Trump’s embattled plan to place new restrictions on mail ballots for this year’s midterm elections. The unsigned, one-paragraph order upheld a Massachusetts federal court’s injunction on a U.S. Postal Service rule until after…

By Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline September 16, 2026 A growing number of states are making an equal split between parents the default child custody option in divorce cases. Louisiana and Mississippi this year joined at least five other states that have adopted the so-called 50-50 standard — four of them since 2021, as more legislators rework divorce-related…

By Julie Appleby Sep 16, 2026 A long-running lawsuit challenging what it means to be an employee and therefore have access to work-based health plans is being closely watched by health policy analysts. Its outcome could spur the availability of lower-cost but potentially skimpier health coverage that skirts some consumer protections. Court papers indicate a…

By Sarah Jane Tribble Sep 16, 2026 When Josh Fleig, Louisiana’s chief innovation officer, learned his state had set aside $20 million a year, for five years, to invest in startup rural health companies, his reaction was not surprising: “Wow!” In rural America, where people are often reported to be sicker with poor access to…

TribCast: Weighing the impact of Paxton’s political baggage by Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune September 15, 2026 As the GOP Senate nominee, Ken Paxton’s history of alleged personal and professional improprieties have been dredged up and splashed across the internet by his opponent. Paxton has emerged relatively unscathed from more than a decade under indictment…

By Will Hammann, The Texas Tribune September 15, 2026 First-term U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, is seeking to become the top Republican on an influential oversight committee, a key position another Texan also has in mind. The youngest Republican in the House, GIll has risen fast, drawing praise from senior colleagues and building a…

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. By Natalia Contreras, Votebeat Sep 15, 2026 at 7:35pm EDT Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Texas’ free newsletter here. State and federal…

By Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune September 16, 2026 LeJames Norman, one of two men sentenced to death for killing three people in a robbery, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday barring a final reprieve from the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2005, Norman and Ker’sean Olajuwa Ramey broke into a neighbor’s home in Edna intending…