Previous attempts to overturn UT-Austin's admissions policies have proven unsuccessful, including a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case that sided with the university.
The repeal follows outspoken criticism from universities, legal experts and higher education advocates, who deemed the rules unfairly punitive for foreign students.
The state’s public defender asked the state Supreme Court in April to speed up reviews of people held pretrial, but advocates say it’s unclear if district courts have complied.