There is an article By ROSS RAMSEY from the Texas Tribune Published: April 25, 2013
that I found very interesting and would like to share it with the rest of my Texas people.
According to Ross Ramsey’s report, one
county prosecutor is in jail. A former district attorney is facing charges
related to sending an innocent man to jail. One county spent nearly $400,000
settling a sexual harassment charge against its D.A. Another prosecutor is
fighting contempt of court charges after refusing to testify in a prosecutorial
misconduct inquiry.
An example puts it into focus: in
Williamson County, a place known for show-no-mercy law and order, Republican
voters ousted a longtime district attorney last year. They had their reasons,
but the remarkable thing is that it was even possible.
This is our most recent news in
Travis County, Rosemary Lehmberg, the district attorney, is serving a 45-day
sentence for drunken driving. She was pulled over by police officer’s one
morning this month after a witness reported a car weaving dangerously down the
road. Lehmberg was booked, pleaded guilty and was sentenced without a court
trial.
Travis County is the seat of the
state government, and its district attorney has the duty of prosecuting state
officials accused of violating ethics and campaign finance laws. It is also
strongly Democratic; should Ms. Lehmberg, a Democrat, quit or be forced out.
Tarrant County has paid out a
whopping $375,000 to settle sexual harassment claims raised by a former
employee of Joe Shannon Jr., the district attorney. In Dallas County, a judge brought a contempt
of court charge against the district attorney, Craig Watkins, who declined to
testify at a hearing on prosecutorial misconduct.
We have John Bradley, who was challenged
in the Republican primary after a couple of high-profile controversies. He
headed the inquiry into a notorious arson case in which Cameron Todd Willingham
was executed after being convicted of killing his children and Mr. Bradley was
the district attorney accused of sitting on evidence that might have freed
Michael Morton, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he did not
commit.
Ken Anderson, Mr. Bradley’s
predecessor and now a state district judge, is fighting charges that he
withheld evidence in Mr. Morton’s prosecution. His lawyers are telling the
judge’s judge that even if Mr. Anderson broke the law — they’re not conceding
that point — the statute of limitations had expired more than 20 years ago.
Travis County is the seat of the
state government, and its district attorney has the duty of prosecuting state
officials accused of violating ethics and campaign finance laws. It is also
strongly Democratic; should Ms. Lehmberg, a Democrat, quit or be forced out,
Republican Gov. Rick Perry would get to appoint a successor who would stand for
election in 2014.
Who can we trust if we can’t trust
our justice system? How can these people
live with themselves knowing that they are putting innocent people in jail or and
some being sentenced to death for a crime that they did not commit.
We definitely need to get these
people out of our legal system and get people that do care and that will stand
for our rights as human beings.
