Tag Archives: death penalty

Willingham gets another day in court

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. State District Judge Charlie Baird said Monday that he would hold a hearing in his Travis County courtroom next week to determine whether Texas wrongly executed Cameron Todd Willingham, convicted of murdering his three young children by setting fire … Continue reading →

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Keller’s appeal denied by Supremes

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. The Texas Supreme Court this morning denied Judge Sharon Keller’s request to throw out last month’s public rebuke for her role in a botched 2007 death row appeal. Later today, Keller’s lawyers are expected to file a separate … Continue reading →

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SCJC contests Keller’s appeal

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

When last we met, Sharon Keller had appealed the curious “warning” she received from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to the Supreme Court, arguing that the Commission had acted “lawlessly” by issuing that particular sanction. The Commission has now … Continue reading →

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Keller appeals to Supreme Court

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

She’s still going for full vindication. Because as far as she’s concerned, she did nothing wrong. [I]n a Supreme Court petition filed Thursday, Keller argued that the commission acted in a “lawless” manner because the Texas Constitution forbids it to … Continue reading →

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What is this “warning” of which you speak?

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that someone is asking questions about the warning that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct handed down to Sharon Keller. Seana Willing, the commission’s examiner, contends in an e-mail that the order is based on a … Continue reading →

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“Warning” versus “reprimand”

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey answers a question that has been bugging me about the State Commission on Judicial Conduct ruling that issued a “public warning” to Sharon Keller. A majority of the panel agreed that Keller needed to be sanctioned for ignoring … Continue reading →

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Keller gets “public warning” from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No, I don’t know what a “public warning” is, either. It’s the first time I’ve heard that phrase. But it’s what the Trib says Sharon Keller got as her “punishment” from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. What it sounds … Continue reading →

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The Keller hearings

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The current phase of the Sharon Keller saga may end soon. Sharon Keller, fighting to keep her job as the state’s top criminal court judge, should know her fate soon. After a five-hour hearing Friday, members of the State Commission … Continue reading →

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Keller hearing today

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the day for the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to have its hearing on the Sharon Keller case and to decide what to do with the findings of the Special Master. Today, prosecutors plan to argue that [Special … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission finally gets back to Willingham case

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start, but it’s not much more than that. Meeting for the first time since January, the nine-member Texas Forensic Science Commission voted to obtain and review the complete transcript of the capital murder trial of Cameron Todd Willingham, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS officially endorses hot judge on prosecutor action

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I wish I could say I was surprised by this, but I’m not. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from Charles Dean Hood, a Texas death row inmate who complained that he was denied a fair trial because … Continue reading →

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Next Keller hearing June 18

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct set a June 18 hearing in the continuing case of Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Keller was accused of bringing “public discredit” to the judiciary … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission to finally get back to Willingham case

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s sure taken them long enough. After months of delay and internal upheaval, the revamped Texas Forensic Science Commission is poised to reopen discussion of the Cameron Todd Willingham case when it meets April 23 in Irving. Tarrant County Medical … Continue reading →

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Skinner gets reprieve from SCOTUS

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The U.S. Supreme Court today stayed the execution of capital killer Henry Skinner one hour before he was to be put to death for the 1993 murders of his Pampa girlfriend and her two adult sons. The court halted … Continue reading →

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Hank Skinner

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all familiar with the Todd Willingham case and the possibility that he was an innocent man, but there’s another inmate scheduled for execution this week in which similar questions about innocence have been raised. The seven-member Texas Board of … Continue reading →

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Judge Fine’s ruling about the death penalty

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will get a lot of attention. A Houston judge on Thursday granted a pretrial motion declaring the death penalty unconstitutional, saying he believes innocent people have been executed. “Based on the moratorium (on the death penalty) in … Continue reading →

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CCA reverses itself, overturns death penalty in Hood case

Posted on February 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A bitterly divided Court of Criminal Appeals granted a new sentencing trial for [Charles Dean] Hood based on frequently shifting U.S. Supreme Court rulings on flawed jury instructions used prior to 1991. The 5-4 decision did not affect Hood’s … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court petitioned to hear the Charles Hood case

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Via Grits, one of the more embarrassing rulings from the Court of Criminal Appeals – and you know how much that is saying – has been appealed to the US Supreme Court. A former governor, a former district attorney, a … Continue reading →

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Objections to Special Master’s findings on Sharon Keller filed

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was the deadline for the examiner in the Sharon Keller case to file objections to the Special Master’s report. The examiner did have some objections, and they have now been filed. The prosecutors’ objection said the special master who … Continue reading →

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What next for Sharon Keller?

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We have the Special Master’s report on the Sharon Keller case, so what happens next? Grits reminds us: The Judge was only empowered to make recommendations to the [State Commission on Judicial Conduct], which may still decide whether to dismiss … Continue reading →

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Bradley and the Texas Open Meetings Act

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey finds another way in which John Bradley, the Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, is a failure. Friday started badly for John Bradley, the Williamson County district attorney selected last fall by Gov. Rick Perry to ride … Continue reading →

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No mention of Willingham

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Forensic Science Commission had its first meeting since Williamson County DA John Bradley was named Chair by Governor Perry. Bradley did the job Perry picked him for by preventing any official discussion of the Cameron Todd Willingham case … Continue reading →

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Editorialists call for sanctions on Keller

Posted on January 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Special Master David Berchelmann may think that Sharon Keller has suffered enough, but that doesn’t appear to be a popular position. Here’s the Express News weighing in: Richard’s guilt is not at issue, nor is the fact that he ultimately … Continue reading →

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Where’s Willingham?

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Forensic Science Commission will meet on January 29. You will be shocked to hear that Cameron Todd Willingham is not on their agenda. Instead, the meeting will focus on formalizing procedures explaining how the group will conduct business, … Continue reading →

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More on Keller

Posted on January 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about Sharon Keller getting off lightly in the report produced by Special Master David Berchelmann for the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Of interest is the reminder that Keller isn’t out of the woods just yet. … Continue reading →

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Keller gets off

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Fresh from the Trib: Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of the state’s highest criminal court, will not be removed from the bench following a trial and review by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. […] The special master finds that … Continue reading →

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The effect of life without parole

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Death sentences are way down since the law was changed to allow a life without parole sentence. Since a new life-without-parole law took effect in 2005, Harris County — with a national reputation for pursuing capital punishment and home to … Continue reading →

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The Willingham jury

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You know, I don’t blame any of the jurors in the Cameron Todd Willingham trial for the verdict they rendered. Based on the evidence that was presented to them, a guilty verdict was to be expected. They had no way … Continue reading →

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CCA versus David Dow

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

According to Grits, UH law professor David Dow and the nonprofit Texas Defender Service will be called to account before the Court of Criminal Appeals for filing tardy paperwork. Two years ago, David Dow and the Texas Defender Service were … Continue reading →

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More LWOP, fewer death sentences

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The number of death sentences handed out by Texas juries has declined sharply in recent years, with the new life without parole (LWOP) sentence being one reason why. While the debate over capital punishment rages anew in Texas, new inmates … Continue reading →

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Trying to reinstate a lawsuit against Sharon Keller

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, a wrongful death lawsuit against Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller that was filed by the daughter of death row inmate Michael Richard, the man who was executed in the “we close at 5” case, was … Continue reading →

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Meet John Bradley

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So today is the day that Sen. John Whitmire gets to grill Williamson County DA John Bradley, the new Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, about his plans for the Commission and the status of the Willingham case. I … Continue reading →

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Two views of Willingham and Perry

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of good op-eds in the papers in the past few days concerning the Cameron Todd Willingham case. First, here’s State Sen. Rodney Ellis and Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project focusing on the forensics: In 2006, the Innocence Project … Continue reading →

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Chron sues Perry over clemency files

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers LLC are suing Gov. Rick Perry in an effort to force the release of a clemency report Perry received before denying a stay of execution to Cameron Todd Willingham. The report … Continue reading →

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