Kerry Max Cook is battling with prosecutors to clear his name of a 1978 murder conviction, and says his mission is doomed if he must fight in Smith County. That’s where a court ruled misconduct had “tainted this entire matter from the outset.”
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Nearly a Quarter of Overturned Convictions Involve Prosecutor Error
At least 86 Texans’ convictions were overturned between 1989 and 2011. A Tribune analysis finds that in nearly 25 percent of those cases, courts ruled that prosecutors made mistakes.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TJJD Board Approves Reforms Aimed at Reducing Violence
UPDATED: The Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s board voted on Friday to implement new reforms aimed at reducing violence in the state’s troubled youth lockups. It also named Jay Kimbrough interim executive director.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Death Sentence Thrown Out in 2005 Murder Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned a death sentence for Manuel Velez, citing inaccurate testimony during Velez’s sentencing.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Both Sides in Skinner Case Ask Court for DNA Testing
Attorneys for the state of Texas and death row inmate Hank Skinner have filed a joint motion with the Court of Criminal Appeals to send his case back to district court so he can obtain DNA testing.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Our primary night scoreboard and liveblog, Aguilar on runoff strategy, Root and Batheja on Round two of Dewhurst vs. Cruz, M. Smith on how public education candidates fared, Ramshaw on what surprised pundits and pollsters, Galbraith on concerns over our electric grid, Aaronson on which government entities have access to your personal info, Grissom with the latest on the Hank Skinner case, Ramsey on Hispanic Republicans and part three of Tan’s family planning series: The best of our best content from May 28 to June 1, 2012.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House Departures Take a Bite Out of Criminal Justice
For years they’ve been the Butch and Sundance of Texas criminal justice policy. Republican state Rep. Jerry Madden and Democrat state Sen. John Whitmire have helped lead a sea change in the adult and juvenile prison systems. But the team is breaking up.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Director of Troubled Youth Agency to Retire
After nearly fours years leading the state’s juvenile justice agency, Cherie Townsend announced on Tuesday that she will retire next month, following reports of increasing violence at Texas’ youth lockups.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
UT/TT Poll: Texans Stand Behind Death Penalty
Texans favor the death penalty, even with the alternative of life without parole. They are also nominally in favor of abortion rights and are more likely than not to favor medically assisted suicide for terminal patients.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Demographics, Immigration, Public Education
Interactive: Political Action Committees’ Candidate Endorsements
Endorsements stack up, so we’ve prepared a big spreadsheet to show you who is getting the political support of some prominent interest groups, trade groups and political action committees.
