Full video of my 10/16 TribLive conversation with Sam Houston, the Democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General in 2014.

With little money and swimming against the tide in conservative Texas, Democrat Sam Houston has little choice but to campaign for attorney general "the old fashioned way" — on the cheap, and largely from the front seat of his Toyota Prius. 

A judge ruled Monday that Gov. Rick Perry will have to appear at an Oct. 31 hearing related to his indictment. On that date, visiting Judge Bert Richardson said, he would take up two matters raised by the governor's legal team.

A federal ruling that Texas' strict voter ID law discriminates against minority voters has kicked off a rapid-fire legal race over whether photo identification will be required on Election Day this November.

Defense lawyers for Gov. Rick Perry have asked that a transcript of the grand jury witness testimony that led to his indictment be made in the event there was information provided that could prove his innocence. 

The Texas Division of Workers' Compensation is not maintaining race data on all valid worker injury claims, despite a law requiring it. Advocates say without the data it's impossible to tell if injured minorities face discrimination at work.