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Latest Hood stay shows Texas CCA not adequately vetting capital cases

Rather than authorize investigation into misconduct by a former colleague, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals instead took one for the team this week, essentially admitting with its execution stay in the Charles Hood murder case that its members flouted recent Supreme Court precedents on jury instructions when they approved Hood's execution last spring.I fail to see how else their actions can be interpreted. They were willing to let Hood die earlier this year based on the same jury instructions they're now questioning. What changed? If they really made such a mistake, it's only by happenstance that it's not an irreparable one.The Hood case at times feels almost like an optical illusion by M.C. Escher, with more things wrong with the picture from each new angle one examines...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on September 11, 2008 (boomark / email).