Under the leadership of Williamson County DA John Bradley, the Texas Forensic Science Commission has waged a masterful war of attrition in the Cameron Todd Willingham case: Stall long enough, and public interest in the internationally controversial capital punishment case — along with political liability for any missteps — will fade away. But the commission’s latest delay, while pushing the resolution of the Willingham investigation securely after the general election, comes against Bradley’s wishes and could represent a sea change on the board that until now has resisted making any broader inquiries into the state’s arson convictions.
Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality.
In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas.
A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Still No Conclusion on Willingham
The Texas Forensic Science Commission has delayed its decision on the Cameron Todd Willingham case one more time — and now, it’s scheduled for after the Nov. 2 election.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
2010: King of Tort Reform
In a rare campaign trail policy announcement on Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry threw his support behind an effort to pass more extensive tort reform legislation.
Posted in
Congress
TribBlog: McCaul Addresses Reporting Error
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, says his failure to report millions in stock transactions on financial disclosure reports from 2008 and 2009 resulted from a clerical error made by his accountant.
Posted inState Government
Ads Infinitum: NRCC’s “Chet Edwards, He’s Not Independent”
A new ad in the CD-17 race from the National Republican Congressional Committee attacks the incumbent Democrat’s ties to the Washington establishment.
Posted in
Politics
The Bellwether
As U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, goes, so go the Democrats? In a hyper-partisan year, with control of the U.S. House up for grabs, all eyes are on Congressional District 17, the most Republican district in America held by a Democrat. Pundits think Edwards may finally get beat: Were he to survive, a D.C. analyst says, it would be “one of the greatest Houdini acts ever seen in Texas politics.” But the 10-term incumbent has seen awful political environments before. “The Washington Generals have a better record against Harlem Globetrotters than the [National Republican Congressional Committee] does in predicting my defeat,” he says.
Posted in
Congress
2010: Express-News vs. Canseco, Round 2
Bob Richter, public editor of the San Antonio paper, responds to the GOP House candidate’s charges of biased coverage.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Dallas Court Says No Gay Divorce
The state court of appeals says two men can’t turn their Massachusetts marriage into a Texas divorce.
Posted in
Congress
2010: Canseco Snubs Express-News [Updated]
Echoing Gov. Rick Perry’s refusal to interview with editorial boards across the state, Republican congressional candidate Francisco “Quico” Canseco says he won’t meet with his hometown paper.
Posted inState Government
Ads Infinitum: White’s “Rick Perry’s Lobbyist Ball”
The latest ad from the Bill White campaign attacks the governor’s well-placed friends.
