Monday, September 30, 2013

Prosecutorial accountability is needed


Hopefully the decision to bring charges over the unlawful conduct of the prosecutor in the Michael Morton case will set a precedent for others and stimulate the actions needed to hold prosecutors accountable for purposeful misconduct.

The court will charge  former County Distr. Att. Ken Anderson with unlawful conduct involved with the conviction which cost Mr. Morton 25 years of his life. 


New article from the Innocence Project:


Prosecutor in Michael Morton Case Resigns

Kirk Odom prepares to speakFormer Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson, who faces criminal contempt and tampering charges for failing to turn over evidence pointing to the innocence of Michael Morton, has resigned from his post as Williamson County District Judge. Michael Morton spent 25 years in prison after being convicted of the murder of his wife before DNA testing of crime scene evidence proved his innocence and identified a convicted offender in the national DNA databank as the perpetrator.
At the behest of the Innocence Project, the state convened a Court of Inquiry to investigate whether Anderson committed criminal acts by failing to turn over evidence pointing to Morton’s Innocence. In April, a Texas judge ruled there was probable cause to believe Anderson violated three criminal laws, and he was charged with the offenses. The Texas Bar Association also brought ethical charges against Anderson. A trial on those charges was scheduled to begin today but was adjourned for a month.
Read more here:

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