Texas Court Left Wanting on Reasons Behind Felon Social Work Ban

The reason the Texas legislature banned people convicted of violent crimes from getting a license for masters social work wasn’t clear to a majority of a state appeals panel who will determine if a challenge to the law can continue.

The government’s interest in passing the 2019 ban hovered over oral arguments Thursday, with two justices appearing unconvinced that the problem the law sought to address existed in the first place.

“There’s just a lot we don’t know here,” Justice April Farris of the Court of Appeals, Fifteenth District, said.

Specifically, Farris added, it’d be helpful to know how many ...