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Tweaking the machinery of death

There's a bill up on today's Texas House calendar which I've not tracked closely - SB 1091 creating a capital writs committee for indigent defendants (by Senators Ellis and Duncan) - that deserves Grits readers attention. See the House Research Organization report for background on the bill.The inadequacy of indigent counsel on capital cases is one of those shortcomings that IMO contributed mightily to bringing the wrath of the US Supreme Court down on Texas' capital punishment system, so to the extent this new office would contribute to boosting the credibility of representation for capital defendants, even proponents of the death penalty have an incentive to support this bill if they want Texas' executions to continue to pass constitutional muster...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on May 19, 2009 (boomark / email).