Search Results for: tim cole

Coleman convicted of perjury

Good. The lone undercover agent in a sting that sent dozens of black people to prison on bogus drug charges in Tulia was convicted today of one of two perjury counts. Tom Coleman was acquitted of testifying falsely in a … Continue reading Continue reading

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Coleman pleads Not Guilty

The perjury trial of disgraced gypsy cop Tom Coleman is underway. He has pleaded “not guilty” to the charges before him. Tom Coleman is accused of lying under oath during a March 2003 evidentiary hearing about his investigation, which led … Continue reading Continue reading

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Tom Coleman’s trial begins

The perjury trial of Tom Coleman, the renegade undercover cop whose false testimony led to the wrongful conviction of dozens of citizens from Tulia, Texas, begins today. Guest blogging for the trial at Grits for Breakfast is the Rev. Alan … Continue reading Continue reading

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Tough times for Tulians

Now that 12 of the 14 remaining Tulia defendants have been released on bond, the other residents of the town are trying to deal with the town’s negative image. “It seems to me our community has gotten a pretty bum … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 2 Comments

Pessimism and optimism

Via Big Media Matt, I see that Jacob Rosenfeld is worried about pessimism among Democrats in the runup to next November: The 2004 race isn’t over — despite what Kurtz and others presume. Now, the relentless negative coverage can become … Continue reading Continue reading

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Tom Coleman indicted

Former “Lawman of the Year” Tom Coleman was indicted on three counts of lying under oath for his made-up testimony during the Tulia drug trials. If convicted, he faces 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. I call that … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | 11 Comments

Endorsement watch: State Senate

The Chron makes another curious choice. District 17: Joan Huffman In District 17, which includes parts of Harris County and counties to the east, Republican incumbent Joan Hoffman has a credible Democratic opponent in Rita Lucido, 58, a family law … Continue reading

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Taking back the Texas Senate

Colin Strother says the Democrats should not overlook opportunities to make gains in the upper chamber of the Legislature. The conventional wisdom is that Democrats need a miracle to pick up any single seat, much less turn the chamber Blue. … Continue reading

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Who will be on the Ten Best and Ten Worst lists?

The Trib starts the speculation. Texas Monthly‘s list of the best and worst legislators of the 83rd session doesn’t come out until June 12, but why should Paul Burka and his colleagues have all the fun? Use this interactive to … Continue reading

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Who resigns after a DUI arrest?

The Statesman asks the question and gets some answers. In 2006, District Attorney Tim Cole had a decision to make. The then-chief prosecutor for Montague, Clay and Archer counties had been arrested for drunken driving after a day of July … Continue reading

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An answer in the Claude Jones case

Back in June, I noted the case of Claude Jones, who had been executed in 2000 for a murder committed in 1990. The main piece of evidence used to convict him was a single strand of hair that a forensic … Continue reading

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What happens to exonerees?

We know that quite a few people who had been in prison have been exonerated and freed in recent years, and we know that a fund was created by the Lege last year to give them some compensation for their … Continue reading

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Perry goes on the attack as evidence of a coverup mounts

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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Monday Lege roundup

Lots of legislative action today beyond the voter ID vaudeville act. Here’s a quick roundup of some other bills of interest. – HB1736, also known as the Tim Cole Act for the man who was posthumously exonerated this February, has … Continue reading

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Busy day yesterday

There were a lot of bills passed yesterday by one chamber or the other. My mailbox is full of press releases touting them. I’m going to go ahead and print them beneath the fold as a roundup. A few bills … Continue reading

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Busy day yesterday

There were a lot of bills passed yesterday by one chamber or the other. My mailbox is full of press releases touting them. I’m going to go ahead and print them beneath the fold as a roundup. A few bills … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | 1 Comment

Exonerating the deceased

One of the things Eric Berger focused on in his story about the relevance and importance of Charles Darwin some 200 years after his birth was the rise of DNA and its application to criminology. Today, DNA evidence is as … Continue reading

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Exonerating the deceased

One of the things Eric Berger focused on in his story about the relevance and importance of Charles Darwin some 200 years after his birth was the rise of DNA and its application to criminology. Today, DNA evidence is as … Continue reading Continue reading

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“Reverse redlining”

Very interesting. A novel legal argument is at the heart of a federal lawsuit against the sprawling Colony Ridge housing development in Liberty County that could prove a test case for similar claims around the country, experts say. The lawsuit … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, March 29 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: Ken Paxton gets off with a slap on the wrist; repercussions from the election including a Big … Continue reading

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Primary 2024 results: Democratic headlines

It’s going to be a late night and I have a couple of long days ahead of me, so I’m going to do some quick summaries based on what I now know, and will come back later to fill the … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Constables

The Chron runs its endorsements in the Democratic primaries for Constable, in what I believe is now the last of their recommendations. They didn’t get off to a good start, however: Harris County Commissioners Court draws the constable precinct lines … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, February 23 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: the Dallas City Manager resigns; the Mayor gets divorced; the City of Dallas passes a bond package; … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: The Civil courts

You’ve heard me complain about the Chron editorial board’s lack of endorsements for the Civil District Courts – they did not endorse in those races in 2022, and it sure looked like they were going to skip them again this … Continue reading

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Weekend link dump for February 4

“Pop superstar Taylor Swift might have helped register enough voters in a single day last September to swing close races in multiple states, with turnout experts predicting a strong youth vote for the 2024 presidential election.” “No, office mandates don’t … Continue reading

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How are the city’s talks with H-GAC going?

Things seemed to be going reasonably well. The deadline had passed but no one seemed to fussed about it. Despite a deadline set by Houston voters for early January, the process to increase Houston’s role in regional planning will take … Continue reading

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An effort to recall Dallas’ Mayor

I don’t know how seriously to take this. It seems like a big stretch. But I’ll be rooting for them. Last September, when Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson told the world he had switched political parties from Democrat to Republican, it … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, December 8 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth: Mark Cuban sells the Mavericks and a lot of filing activity in the Metroplex. Plus, the Fairfield … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, October 20 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week we have a long entry after a respiratory bug bit me last week. (The RAT said it wasn’t COVID and I’m recovering … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, October 6 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, we have a giant grab bag of questions. Will a Texas Republican end up as Speaker of … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, September 22 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, the big news is, of course, the Ken Paxton acquittal and the domino effect it’s having on … Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Just say No to blocking a wealth tax

Good call by the Chron. When Elon Musk relocated his business empire from California to Texas in 2021, he likely took billions in state tax revenue with him. Some California lawmakers want to claw back that lost revenue through a … Continue reading

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Dispatches from Dallas, September 15 edition

This is a weekly feature produced by my friend Ginger. Let us know what you think. This week, in news from Dallas-Fort Worth, we have a grab bag of stories. Ken Paxton is keeping his pension no matter how the … Continue reading

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Rep. Carl Sherman enters Senate primary

Crowded in here all of a sudden. State Rep. Carl Sherman, D-DeSoto, announced Saturday he is running for U.S. Senate, becoming the latest Democrat to launch a campaign to challenge Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Sherman, a pastor, jumped in the … Continue reading

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