Following a hearing today in federal court in Amarillo, a lawyer for death row inmate Hank Skinner said it will likely be up to the state courts to decide a fight over DNA testing in his case. Skinner is scheduled to be executed Nov. 9.
Texas Department Of Criminal Justice
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Updated: Morton Lawyers: Former DAs’ Claims “Wholly Deficient”
Michael Morton’s legal team responded today to claims from the exonerated man’s original prosecutors that they cannot be forced to testify as part of an inquiry into how Morton was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife.
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Criminal Justice
From Botched Morton Case, Hope Emerges in Cold Murder Inquiry
Jesse and Caitlin Baker recently learned of the most dramatic development in the mystery of their mother’s murder in nearly two decades of probing for clues. The DNA discovery has prompted new hopes for long-awaited answers.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bradley Announces Special Prosecutor in Morton Case
Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley this morning announced the appointment of the Texas Attorney General as special prosecutor in the Michael Morton case. A special grand jury is also being formed, he said.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Updated: Bradley Withdraws Motion to Expedite Morton Case
The Williamson County district attorney this afternoon withdrew a motion he had filed seeking to quickly dismiss the Michael Morton case. Morton’s attorneys worried that he was attempting to quash investigation of allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.
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Criminal Justice
Experts Say Morton Case Shows Justice System Still Needs Reform
In the wake of Michael Morton’s release from prison last week based on DNA testing that shows someone else killed his wife 25 years ago, defense lawyers are calling for reforms to ensure prosecutors must turn over exculpatory evidence.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Murphy, Ramshaw and Root on Rick Perry and race, Philpott on Perry’s vague economic plans, Tan and Wiseman on Barack Obama’s foray into Texas to defend his jobs plan, Aguilar on Perry’s proposal to send U.S. troops to Mexico, Ramshaw on efforts to leash rising health care costs, M. Smith on upcoming legal challenges to the state’s school finance system, Aaronson interactively explores Medicare spending proposals, Galbraith on efforts to pass — and to oppose — a $6 billion water program, Grissom on the release of a man wrongly convicted of murder and Hamilton on efforts to let the public write some legislation: The best of our best content from October 3 to 7, 2011.
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Criminal Justice
Updated: An Emotional Morton Thankful His Was Not a Capital Case
After an emotional day in court, Michael Morton left prison today, almost 25 years after he was convicted of murdering his wife. His release came after prosecutors agreed his conviction should be overturned based on the results of recent DNA testing.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on the shrinking of state government, Aguilar on the controversy over in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants, Galbraith on Rick Perry vs. the EPA, Grissom on a startling development in a 25-year-old murder case, Hamilton on Ken Starr’s first year as president of Baylor, Ramsey on what inmates have to do with redistricting, Ramshaw on the state’s crisis in insurance coverage, Root on Perry’s presidential grind dance and Smith on obstacles to addressing childhood obesity: The best of our best content from Sept. 26-30, 2011.
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State Government
Prisoners Don’t Vote, but They Sometimes Count
Texas prison inmates can’t vote, so most counties ignore them. But they can change the value of your votes for Congress and the state Legislature.
