Ethics complaint against Judge Sharon Keller
Ethics complaint filed against Texas appeals judge
Nineteen Texas lawyers filed an ethics complaint Wednesday claiming that Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the state’s highest criminal court, has discredited the judiciary and subjected Texas to worldwide ridicule.
Keller, the lawyers argue, should be removed from office or otherwise disciplined for refusing to accept an after-hours appeal from death row inmate Michael Richard on Sept. 25. They say Keller’s actions violated her legal obligations and deprived Richard of his constitutional right to court access. Richard was executed that night.
“The whole scenario is shocking and unconscionable,” said Jim Harrington, director of the Texas Civil Rights Project and one of the lawyers filing the complaint.
I tend to think our judiciary has lost its way if they can’t stick around 20 to 30 minutes when a life is on the line.
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Filed under: death penalty, texas
