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Judge Orders Texas Prisons Air Conditioning by 2029

By Drooid · Sep 23, 2026, 2:58 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Pitman Orders Texas AC

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered Texas to install air conditioning in all prisons by Dec. 31, 2029.
Pitman said the lack of cooling violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice estimates systemwide air-conditioning will cost about $1.5 billion.
TDCJ will appeal, calling the judge’s finding of deliberate indifference unreasonable.
TDCJ must submit an installation plan and six-month progress reports starting March 22, 2027.

Summary

Abbott Targets Incentives

The moratorium could cost $8 billion in data-center revenue by Q1 2027.
A survey found 63% oppose AI data centers while 27% support them.
The Data Center Coalition warns Texas could lose billions in investment and thousands of jobs.
BloombergNEF estimates nearly 50 GW of proposed capacity—about 20% of the U.S. pipeline—is at risk.
Governor Abbott will work with legislators to eliminate financial incentives for data centers.

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Pitman Orders Texas AC

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ordered Texas to install air conditioning in all prisons by Dec. 31, 2029.
Pitman said the lack of cooling violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice estimates systemwide air-conditioning will cost about $1.5 billion.
TDCJ will appeal, calling the judge’s finding of deliberate indifference unreasonable.
TDCJ must submit an installation plan and six-month progress reports starting March 22, 2027.

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