Sunday, May 22, 2005

One bully DA ...

Inustice Anywhere finds Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal disingenuous. (She's not the first.) IA pokes holes in the arguments against Texas legislation to allow juries the chance to sentence capital murderers to life-without-parole, which is having trouble getting a hearing on the House floor. (The final House floor calendar will be set at the end of the day today.)

I've sort of ignored this bill because the politics behind it are too egregiously complex and capital cases aren't a primary focus of mine. But personally, I've never made peace with the version of the bill that came out of the Senate. That legislation would offer only two options to juries in capital cases: death, and life without parole. I don't understand why the Lege wouldn't trust juries with the same third option they've had ever since the death penalty was reinstated.


If you're interested in the topics this blog covers, keep checking back at
IA, a public defender reporting from the front lines of Texas' legal system.

UPDATE: IA spoke too soon: Life without parole will be debated on the House floor on Monday.

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