1. The Mexican American Experience in Texas: Citizenship, Segregation, and the Struggle for Equality
By Martha Menchaca
Chronicles the long presence of Mexican Americans in Texas and their efforts to obtain social and economic equality, from the Spanish and Mexican periods to present day. Addresses property rights, citizenship, segregation, civil rights, and more, along with the Texas Legislature's role in these matters. Highlights the achievements of Mexican Americans, including their crucial part in challenging and disassembling exclusion laws in Texas.
University of Texas Press, 2022, 432 pages
976.4 M455M 2022

 

2. Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments
By Erin L. Thompson
Describes recent developments in the national debate on public monuments in the United States, including Confederate monuments. Discusses the aesthetic, legal, political, and social issues involved, and the complex motivations of participants in current controversies over public monuments.
W. W. Norton & Company, 2022, 264 pages
725.940973 T468S 2022

 

3. Texas Ethics Laws: An Annotated Guide to Lobby and Campaign Finance Laws in Texas
By Andrew Cates
Provides a guide to frequently cited laws and regulations relating to campaign financing, conflicts of interest, lobbying, and governmental ethics. Includes historical background through practice notes, case law, Attorney General and Ethics Commission opinions, as well as cross-references to the Texas Administrative Code.
Independently published, 2022, 502 pages
328.33 C283T 2022

 

4. How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
By Clint Smith
Reflects on how the history of slavery is memorialized in the United States by visiting and collecting the stories about monuments and landmarks connected to those events. Explores the narratives and legacy of slavery through research, interviews, and the author's personal experience as a Black man. Includes a chapter on celebrations of Juneteenth in Galveston, the passage of HB 1016, 66th Legislature, R.S., making Juneteenth an official Texas state holiday, and a profile of former Representative Al Edwards Sr.
Little, Brown and Company, 2021, 336 pages
973.0496073 SM642H 2021

 

5. Identified with Texas: The Lives of Governor Elisha Marshall Pease and Lucadia Niles Pease
By Elizabeth Whitlow
Presents a dual biography of former Texas Governor Elisha Marshall Pease and his wife Lucadia Niles Pease. Explores their professional and personal lives from 1812-1905, including Pease's years in Texas’ first three Legislative sessions, his two terms as Governor, life in Austin during the Civil War, and his gubernatorial appointment during Reconstruction. Highlights Lucadia's independent travels and marriage to Pease, noting she considered herself a "women's rights woman" and supported her daughter's desire to attend college.
University of North Texas Press, 2022, 432 pages
976.4 W613ID 2021

 

6. Judging Inequality: State Supreme Courts and the Inequality Crisis
By James L. Gibson and Michael J. Nelson
Analyzes the levels of political, economic, and social inequality in the United States by documenting – in the State High Court Inequality Database – nearly 6,000 decisions made by 50 state supreme courts from 1990 to 2015. Focuses on the influential role of the state supreme courts in shaping inequalities on issues including educational equity and adequacy, LGBT rights, and workers' rights. Argues that state courts are playing an increasing role in U.S. politics and policy creation.
Russell Sage Foundation, 2021, 356 pages
342.73085 G448J 2021