20 Lawyers File Complaint Over Courthouse Closure in Texecution Stay Request
Twenty Texas lawyers have filed a formal judicial complaint against Presiding Judge Sharon Keller for closing the courthouse at 5:00 pm the day of a scheduled execution. (Background here.)
The complaint to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct says Keller improperly cut off appeals that led to the execution of Michael Richard on Sept. 25 despite the fact the U.S. Supreme Court earlier in the day had accepted a case on the propriety of lethal injection, which had direct implications for Richard's execution.
"Judge Keller's actions denied Michael Richard two constitutional rights, access to the courts and due process, which led to his execution," the complaint states. "Her actions also brought the integrity of the Texas judiciary and of her court into disrepute and was a source of scandal to the citizens of the state."
Jim Harrington of the Texas Civil Rights Project which is representing the lawyers, says:
Keller's actions were "morally callous, shocking and unconscionable for an appellate judge."
< Wednesday Open Thread | Dems' FISA Bill Passes Judiciary Committee Vote > |