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April 2009
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Recently in Criminal Justice CategoryJust received word that the public hearing in the Judge Sharon Keller ethics case, in which she is facing charges of misconduct, is set for August 17, 2009. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has asked that the Texas Supreme Court appoint a special master to preside over the trial. An appointment hasn't yet been made. Recent coverage: This session, state Rep. Rafael Anchia's behind the bill providing free condoms in TDCJ facilities. The bill also calls for annual HIV testing inside prisons, a much less controversial component. Condoms would not be paid for by the state; rather, it calls on non-profit health agencies to provide the protection. Last session, a similar effort by state Rep. Garnet Coleman's effort died in committee. House Corrections is hearing the bill today, but it's not going to be laid out by its author. (Anchia is spending today ... State Sen. John Carona says he's still trying to secure the votes to approve his SB 298, approving sobriety checkpoints in Texas. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini carried the measure last session and never brought it up on the floor because she couldn't get the votes. "It's such a different bill," Carona said of his committee substitute. "We changed it a lot to deal with the concerns about invasiveness." The changes include a lot ... Austin-based Texas Civil Rights Project was one of the groups that filed a complaint against Judge Sharon Keller for judicial misconduct. After learning that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct is taking action re: the complaint, the group released this statement: "We hope that it will lead to her removal from office. What Judge Keller did was legally and morally reprehensible and brought the administration of criminal justice in Texas into ill repute across the nation, as evidenced by the New York Times editorial today, calling for her impeachment," said Texas Civil Rights Project Director Jim Harrin...
Repeat DWI offenders won't have a choice but to take a breathylzer or give a blood sample, under a bill filed by state Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown. State Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, filed the companion bill in the Senate. HB 747/SB 261 lets officers obt... Weird. This is kind of confusing, but the Willacy County grand jury that indicted state Sen. Eddie Lucio also hit VP Dick Cheney and former US AG Alberto Gonzales with some charges related to prisoner abuse in federal detention centers. Here's CNN: Vice President Dick Cheney, right, and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted. Monday morning Judge Chuck Miller ruled that there was probable cause to arrest but insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction by a jury. Case dismissed. ...State Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, won't be returning to the Texas House next session, but he's a lawmaker until his successor, Diana Maldonado gets sworn in. What's he doing with his remaning days as a state lawmaker? Taking care of some personal legal business. In April, he was charged with driving while intoxicated. A DPS trooper arrested the House Transportation Committee Chair in the Anderson Mill area, and he spent a night in jail. Monday, the case goes to trial in Williamson County. Krusee ... Last week, Kingsland resident Tom Oakes shot someone he thought was going to break into his neighbor's house. Today, Oakes was arrested on a felony assault charge. While his case still has to go to a grand jury, he already faces one more charge than Pasadena's Joe Horn ever did. (See video story here) Last year, Joe Horn shot and killed two burglars who broke into his neighbors house. A grand jury decided not to charge him with anything. Here's the Houston Chron: <... |
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Elise Hu is KVUE's Political Reporter and your dedicated blogger. There's too much politics in Texas to fit into a newscast, so the fun continues here. Email your ideas and feedback to ehu@kvue.com.
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