I'd mentioned that Williamson County DA John Bradley was up for a job at Texas' Special Prosecution Unit (SPU), and a commenter pointed out this list of juvenile cases prosecuted by that office.
Go through the list for a couple of quarters and think about whether
these are the sorts of cases where you want John Bradley, pre-or-post conversion, to be making these calls. If Bradley ends up at the SPU, he would join discredited death-penalty expert A.P. Merillat, so his hiring would make the agency sort of an odd haven for debased prosecutor favorites. One wonders, is Terry McEachern looking for work?
The hiring decision will be made by the SPU's board, which somewhat oddly (and unbeknownst to me) is composed of the elected district and county attoreys from every Texas county where the state operates adult or juvenile facilities. Bradley's uniquely positioned to gather votes among that group so he's got a real shot at getting the gig. By the same token, a rebuke for this job would truly be a rebuke by his peers. I hadn't quite fully grokked that when the Texas Tribune first reported he was up for the job.
Terry McEachern is in private practice in Plainview. He has been quoted as saying he's quite happy in that and making much more money than as DA. Maybe that's just putting on a happy face. I really don't know.
ReplyDeleteWell that'd probably rule him out, Rev, I think he'd have to move to Huntsville. For that matter, one supposes, so would Bradley, or any other successful candidate, though the other two finalists, I think the Trib said, are lawyers already on staff there at the SPU.
ReplyDeleteI read the Texas Tribune’s article regarding A.P. Merillat (link provided by Grits). This jumped out at me: “For the last 20 years, Merillat has been an investigator with the Special Prosecution Unit, an independent agency financed by the governor’s office to investigate and prosecute crimes that occur in prison.” The SPU is “FINANCED BY THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE”! Maybe Bradley wasn't recruited, but I'd say Bradley's connections with Perry gives him an edge over the other applicants.
ReplyDeleteGrokked? Gads, it's been years since I've heard (or seen in this case) the term. Truly feel like a Stranger in a Strange Land!:~)
ReplyDeleteIs there any realistic way we can voice opposition to Bradley being hired for this?
ReplyDeleteNo, I would not want Bradley prosecuting a case involving anyone, especially a juvenile who is already at the mercy of the State. Juveniles in the justice system would be easy prey for a man like Bradley. He would see to it that those kids are eaten alive.
ReplyDeleteLetters, petitions, how do we stop this?
I noticed the term "grokked" and thought it was maybe a typo. Never heard or saw it before. But then I have lived a sheltered life, much of it in the boonies.
ReplyDelete7:31 asked, "Is there any realistic way we can voice opposition to Bradley being hired for this?"
ReplyDeleteIf you live in a county with a prison unit in it (state or juvie), you could contact your local DA and county attorney and share your views. It also wouldn't hurt to share any concerns with the governor, and maybe your state senator, many of whom opposed Bradley at the Forensic Science Commission chair last year.
As to "grokked," Rev, it's a word coined by Robert Heinlein in "Stranger in a strange land," but it's now used widely and is in the Oxford English Dictionary, according to the Wikipedia entry.