a public defender

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I was going to write about the silly comments made by the attorney for the Judge that presided over Hood’s original trial, but that has been pre-empted by this late breaking news that Hood’s execution, set for tomorrow, has been stayed.

Tuesday’s reprieve was granted over a technical issue regarding instructions given to the original jury, and a hearing will be scheduled on that issue.

Btw, I love how instructional error is called a “technical issue”.

Now here are the asinine comments:

Earlier in the day, [attorney for Judge Holland] Mr. Boyd said Judge Holland is “saddened” and “disappointed” by the allegations of an affair at the time of the trial.

He also criticized Mr. Hood’s attorneys for filing a civil action in the case in an attempt to elicit a stay of execution from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, or to force consideration of new appeals in a criminal court.

“This is not about getting money damages for Hood or his estate,” Mr. Boyd said of the civil action. While lauding their “creativity,” Mr. Boyd noted that the case happened 20 years ago and in all those years, “nobody has filed a grievance between either of these two people.”

Right, it’s not about money, but “just the small matter of his life”.

Sorry Judge Holland, but I am “saddened” and “disappointed” by your attempts to obfuscate and to possibly deny this man a fair trial before his life is taken by the State.

Judges are supposed to recuse themselves from cases if there is even the slightest appearance of impropriety. Sleeping with the prosecutor in a capital case goes far beyond that. Everyone knows that there are some judges who are in bed with the State, but when it actually happens - literally - it should be enough to stop the trial or reverse the conviction.

The Judge that ordered the depositions of the judge and prosecutor was quite right in saying:

he was interested in preserving the integrity of the judicial system

Good to know that not all judges in Texas are like Judge Holland.