Accountability.
A federal trial examining extreme heat and the lack of air conditioning across much of the Texas prison system concluded in Austin on April 9, 2026. The court had not issued its final ruling when the trial ended.
Plaintiffs asked U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman to require TDCJ to complete systemwide cooling on a faster, enforceable schedule. TDCJ presented its plan to expand air conditioning over several years and testified that fully cooling the system could cost approximately $1.5 billion.
The trial followed a March 2025 ruling in which Pitman described extreme prison heat as unconstitutional but declined to order immediate systemwide air conditioning before a full trial. Until a final judgment is issued, reports should describe the case as awaiting a ruling rather than suggesting that a statewide cooling order has already been entered.