The justices appeared skeptical of a challenge to the law brought by an adult-content industry group, producers of pornographic material and a porn actress.

A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Wednesday that Texas may be permitted to require some form of age verification for pornographic sites, but left open the possibility that deeper First Amendment questions may not be resolved immediately.

The new speaker’s power over the budget and committee assignments is expected to bolster established Republican leaders and some Democrats who supported the winner.

Lubbock Republican state Rep. Dustin Burrows clenched the speakership of the Texas House on Tuesday in the culmination of an unusually long and unusually public mudfight for the role. As expected, Burrows relied on a coalition of Democratic and Republican members to win,

The trial lawyer from Lubbock has served in the House since 2015, slowly building his stature and overcoming a scandal in 2019.