Search Results for: Willingham

Why better eyewitness ID procedures matter

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Because bad eyewitness ID procedures can lead to the wrong people being executed. State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, stopped short of claiming Texas wrongfully executed suspect Carlos DeLuna for the February 1983 murder of store … Continue reading →

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It’s a long way to Damascus

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good story about Williamson County DA John Bradley, whom you may recall as Rick Perry’s chief hatchet man on the Forensic Science Commission, and his apparent conversion to open-mindedness in the wake of the DNA exoneration … Continue reading →

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The science of fire

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Great story about how scientists have been figuring out what really happens when a building burns, and why so much arson “evidence” is bunk: At laboratories throughout the United States—some large enough to contain a three-story house—researchers have been lighting … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission accepts its neutering

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another victory for the forces of obstructionism. Whether they like it or not, members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission [Thursday] agreed that they will use an attorney general’s opinion that severely limits the panel’s jurisdiction as a guideline for … Continue reading →

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Bradley’s mission nears its completion

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

John Bradley won’t get confirmed by the Senate as the Chair of the Forensic Science Commission, but that’s all right. The purpose for which he was put on the Commission by Rick Perry is about to be fulfilled. Perry, who … Continue reading →

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Two Republican Senators oppose Bradley’s nomination to the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. The confirmation of Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley as chairman of the state Forensic Science Commission appears to be in deep trouble, as two Senate Republicans confirmed today that they will vote no. That would leave Bradley four … Continue reading →

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Bradley gets committee approval

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. The Senate Nominations Committee voted 4-2 today to recommend approving state forensic board chairman John Bradley’s appointment. Sens. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin, voted against Bradley’s nomination. Four Republicans voted in favor; other, … Continue reading →

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Time for the Senate to go after John Bradley

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits: Governor Rick Perry’s appointees to the Texas Forensic Science Commission are up in the Senate Nominations Committee [today]. Senators should use the forum to force Commission Chairman John Bradley to answer all the questions he’s dodged in the past … Continue reading →

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Can we please get back to the basics?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The ongoing saga of the Texas Forensic Science Commission: Adding an unexpected twist to its investigation of the science used to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham for arson murder, the Texas Forensic Science Commission voted Friday to seek an … Continue reading →

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Pity poor John Bradley

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a truly beautiful thing to see the guy who was brought in to the Texas Forensic Science Commission for the express purpose of protecting Governor Perry’s political interests wail and moan about the Commission becoming a “political football” now … Continue reading →

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The scientists have rebelled

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. When seven [members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission] met at a hotel near Dallas’ Love Field, the ostensible goal was to finalize their report on the Willingham case. But from the start, the forensic scientists on the panel … Continue reading →

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True culture warriors never sleep

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There’s no possible way that this can end well. The [State Board of Education] will consider a resolution next week that would warn publishers not to push a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian viewpoint in world history textbooks. Members of the board’s social … Continue reading →

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So what did the Forensic Science Commission do?

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I wasn’t expecting this. A majority of the Texas Forensic Science Commission has tentatively concluded that there was no professional negligence or misconduct by arson investigators whose flawed work in a fatal Corsicana fire contributed to the conviction … Continue reading →

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John Bradley is a political hack: Film at 11

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

John Bradley, the District Attorney for Williamson County and the hand-picked-by-Rick-Perry Chair of the Forensic Science Commission, continues to be the single biggest impediment to the Commission doing the job it was specifically created to do. In an op-ed on … Continue reading →

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Defense attorneys criticize Forensic Science Commission

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Texas defense lawyers took aim at the state’s Forensic Science Commission Monday, charging that the group — now probing the possibly botched arson investigations that sent an East Texas man to his execution — is in danger … Continue reading →

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Hank Skinner

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all familiar with the Todd Willingham case and the possibility that he was an innocent man, but there’s another inmate scheduled for execution this week in which similar questions about innocence have been raised. The seven-member Texas Board of … Continue reading →

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Bradley and the Texas Open Meetings Act

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey finds another way in which John Bradley, the Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, is a failure. Friday started badly for John Bradley, the Williamson County district attorney selected last fall by Gov. Rick Perry to ride … Continue reading →

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Bradley’s penchant for secrecy

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what John Bradley’s goals are as the Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. But if one of them is to dispel the notion that he’s Rick Perry’s stooge, who was installed for the purpose of covering … Continue reading →

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The Whitmire/Bradley hearing

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As noted, today was the day for the Senate hearing chaired by State Sen. John Whitmire to inquire with John Bradley about the status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The main data point to note is that Bradley says … Continue reading →

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Meet John Bradley

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So today is the day that Sen. John Whitmire gets to grill Williamson County DA John Bradley, the new Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, about his plans for the Commission and the status of the Willingham case. I … Continue reading →

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Bradley speaks

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

John Bradley, the hang-em-high Williamson County District Attorney who was appointed to chair the Texas Forensic Science Commission by Governor Perry in August, tries to reassure us that there will be no Perry-saving monkey business on the Commission. He has … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over dog scent evidence

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Three men have filed a federal lawsuit against Fort Bend Deputy Keith Pikett and his use of “evidence” gathered by scent dogs, which they say led to them being falsely accused of and imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. The … Continue reading →

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Chron sues Perry over clemency files

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. The Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers LLC are suing Gov. Rick Perry in an effort to force the release of a clemency report Perry received before denying a stay of execution to Cameron Todd Willingham. The report … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 19

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, late again. We’ll be back on track next week. Click on for the highlights.

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Perry goes on the attack as evidence of a coverup mounts

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The evidence keeps coming in. Lawyers representing Gov. Rick Perry on two occasions grilled Austin lawyer Sam Bassett on the activities of his Texas Forensic Science Commission, telling him its probe into a controversial Corsicana arson case was inappropriate and … Continue reading →

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Tim Cole advisory panel begins its work

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Tim Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions, which was created to much fanfare by the Lege this spring, begins its mission this week in the shadow of the Cameron Todd Willingham uproar. Cole was wrongfully convicted in 1986 and … Continue reading →

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More heat on Perry over the Forensic Science Commission

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chicago Tribune provides further evidence that gutting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission was all about politics. Just months before the controversial removal of three members of a state commission investigating the forensics that led to a Texas man’s … Continue reading →

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Perry fills out rest of Forensic Science commission

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sam Bassett, the now-former Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission whom Rick Perry abruptly replaced with Williamson County DA John Bradley, wasn’t the only member of the Commission that got the ax, but his was the only slot that … Continue reading →

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Whitmire pushes Bradley

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. John Whitmire, who has previously indicated that he will hold a hearing to inquire about the current status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, has reiterated that intent for the near future. “I’m concerned about the process,” said … Continue reading →

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Some criminal justice quick hits

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some short commentary on a few articles that have appeared lately and were worth mentioning. Murray Newman disputes the need for a public defender’s office in Harris County. I’m perfectly willing to accept the idea that there’s a better way … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of October 5

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Political Alliance hopes that everyone reading this today has ensured they are registered to vote in the November election, as the deadline for doing so was yesterday. Whether you have or you haven’t, you can still click on … Continue reading →

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Bradley dithers on Forensic Commission

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is an incredibly frustrating article about John Bradley, the handpicked new chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Bradley told The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that he doesn’t know when the board will take up its investigations again. … Continue reading →

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It’s not too early to reschedule that meeting

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey talks to State Sen. John Whitmire about Rick Perry’s choice of Williamson County DA John Bradley as the replacement chair of the Texas Forensic Sciences Commission, and how we can tell if the intent was as sinister as … Continue reading →

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Reschedule the meeting

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve read a bunch of coverage of Governor Perry’s conveniently-timed decision to replace members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission just before they were scheduled to review the Beyler report on the Cameron Todd Willingham arson investigation, and one thing … Continue reading →

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