Fifth Circuit Removes Texas Judge Critical of Foster Care System

A federal judge who has held the state of Texas in contempt of court three times for failing to fix the state’s foster care system was removed from the case by the Fifth Circuit Friday in a major win for Gov. Greg Abbott (R).

By a 3-0 vote, a panel of judges, all Republican appointees, said Judge Janis Jack of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas has displayed “a highly antagonistic demeanor toward” the state defendants. Jack, who has presided over the case since it began in 2011, also made several remarks implying bias during a ...