Here is the text of the remarks: Chief Justice Jefferson Calls for Continued Legal Help for Poor, Decriminalizing School Misbehavior, Study of Guardianship Needs for Elderly.
And some feedback about the remarks:
- Texas Tribune.
- The Atlantic.
- Texas' chief justice wants investigation of all wrongful convictions
- Jefferson pushes for judicial reforms
His speech drew notice for his focus on inequality in the state's justice system, an area we don't spend enough time on in class - this should help correct that deficiency. The Trib states that he:
. . . "reiterated his calls for more funding for civil legal aid, indigent defense and juvenile justice reform, and pushed for the establishment of an 'innocence commission' to investigate wrongful convictions."
Presenting his State of the Judiciary speech to Texas lawmakers, Jefferson said that "wrongful convictions leave our citizens vulnerable, as actual perpetrators remain free" and recommended the Legislature create a commission "to investigate each instance of exoneration, to assess the likelihood of wrongful convictions in future cases, and to establish statewide reforms." He cited the recent exoneration of Michael Morton, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for murder.
The creation of such a commission nearly passed in 2011, but failed at the last minute. Part of the opposition has come from Jeff Blackburn, chief legal counsel of the Innocence Project of Texas, a nonprofit organization that attempts to overturn wrongful convictions and investigate why they happen in the first place. He said recently that such a commission would have to be “extremely well-funded,” and would more likely become “a paper commission that would give a lot of people an excuse to turn away from a lot of the real issues we face in the criminal justice system."
But the bill creating such a commission, House Bill 166, by state Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, got a favorable review from the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Tuesday.
Jefferson also pushed for indigent defense and more money for civil legal aid. "We must do more," he said, "to keep the courthouse doors open for all of our neighbors." He called on lawmakers to increase the amount of funding dedicated to organizations that provide indigent civil legal aid and criminal defense.
