Tag Archives: Court of Criminal Appeals

Roberson files another appeal

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him luck. Texas death row inmate Robert Roberson filed a new appeal with the state’s highest criminal court on Wednesday in his first attempt to overturn his death sentence since an unprecedented intervention by a state legislative committee … Continue reading →

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One of the judges Ken Paxton helped elect wants to reform judicial campaign finances

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And I support him! Honestly, I’m as surprised as you are. David Schenk, the new presiding judge on Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals, is on a mission to make sweeping changes to the rules governing judicial elections in the Lone … Continue reading →

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SCOTx lets Robert Roberson get another execution date

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

But thank God that separation of powers was preserved. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled a House committee overstepped its authority when it effectively stalled Robert Roberson’s execution by issuing an eleventh-hour subpoena. The ruling clears the way for … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton also doesn’t care if we execute an innocent man

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know, from such a moral paragon. A week after death row inmate Robert Roberson was set to die, the extraordinary quest to save his life has morphed into a deepening political battle between Texas House lawmakers and the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Don’t Paxton the CCA

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A good message. Before this year, even reasonably well-informed Texans didn’t know much about the state’s Court of Criminal Appeals. Then Attorney General Ken Paxton took a keen interest in ousting several of the court’s justices. Suddenly, many voters knew … Continue reading →

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CCA to take up Crystal Mason appeal

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I guess we’re doing this. Texas’ highest criminal court will hear the case of Crystal Mason, a Tarrant County woman whose voter fraud conviction was previously overturned. Mason, 49, has been a focal point in Texas’ tough-on-voter-fraud election laws. She … Continue reading →

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Paxton special prosecutors get bad pay ruling

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer for them. A pair of lawyers who prosecuted Attorney General Ken Paxton on securities fraud charges won’t be paid more than a couple thousand dollars for their work on the case since 2016, a Houston-based appeals court ruled Thursday. … Continue reading →

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Kerry Max Cook declared innocent

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Kerry Max Cook is innocent of the 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found, citing stunning allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that led to Cook spending 20 years on death row for a crime … Continue reading →

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Tarrant County DA still wants to prosecute Crystal Mason

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What an asshole. Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells wants Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction reinstated, his office announced Thursday. Mason, a Tarrant County resident, was acquitted of an illegal voting charge last month. Sorrells’ office is now asking the … Continue reading →

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The Paxton prosecutors’ personal dispute

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to leave this here. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton never would have been sent to prison if his fraud case had gone to trial, the prosecutors now say. In the week since Paxton, a Republican, cut a … Continue reading →

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Crystal Mason’s conviction for illegal voting overturned

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Justice at last. A Texas appeals court on Thursday overturned the illegal voting conviction of Crystal Mason, who was given a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election while on supervised release for federal tax … Continue reading →

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More on the Paxton deal

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story goes into some detail about how we ended up with the deferred adjudication deal that brought an abrupt end to the Ken Paxton securities fraud trial. Special prosecutors assigned to the case said years-long procedural delays made … Continue reading →

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Paxton gets his deal

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will have his felony securities fraud charges dismissed in exchange for doing 100 hours of community service and meeting other requirements, according to a last-minute deal announced Tuesday. The agreement requires Paxton, 61, to … Continue reading →

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Paxton could be getting a plea deal

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what to say. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is nearing a resolution to the 9-year-old securities fraud charges that have dogged his tenure as the state’s top attorney through a special agreement with prosecutors, the American-Statesman has … Continue reading →

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Primary 2024 results: Republican headlines

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

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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Paxton’s revenge against the CCA

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The three incumbents running for their seats on Texas’ highest criminal courtwere not well known political figures outside of the legal community. That was until they earned the ire of Attorney General … Continue reading →

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Judge rejects Paxton’s “but I’m an orphan!” motion

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains on track to be tried for felony fraud this spring after the presiding judge shot down his attempts to have the charges thrown out. During a Friday court hearing in Houston, Harris County … Continue reading →

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Paxton prosecutors respond to his “but I’m an orphan!” motion

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

They’ll fight it out on Friday. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be in a Houston court Friday in a nearly 9-year-old securities fraud case he is now seeking to dismiss. Paxton could face trial as early as April 15. … Continue reading →

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Paxton invokes the “but I’m an orphan!” defense

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This fucking guy, I swear. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal team is asking a Harris County district judge to dismiss his securities fraud charges, claiming his right to a speedy trial has been violated in the case that has gone … Continue reading →

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Paxton special prosecutor pay update

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Situation more or less the same as before. Texas’ highest criminal court on Wednesday declined to intervene in the long-running battle over the prosecutors’ pay in the securities fraud case against Attorney General Ken Paxton. After a trial court judge … Continue reading →

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Paxton versus the CCA

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He’s on a revenge tour. Attorney General Ken Paxton is turning up the heat in the Republican primary for Texas’ highest criminal court, where three judges are up for reelection. Paxton has long made clear he would be going after … Continue reading →

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More filing deadline news and notes

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to use the Erik Manning Spreadsheet, the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet, and the Secretary of State webpage to put together some notes and observations about the 2024 filing deadline and primary lineups. Note that some of this may still … Continue reading →

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Paxton prosecutors win pay ruling

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will be appealed, but for now it’s a win for them. A Harris County district judge has sided with the special prosecutors handling Ken Paxton’s securities fraud case in their years-long effort to get paid. The judge, … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s securities fraud trial set for April 15

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. And maybe make plans to camp out at the courthouse overnight if you want to get a seat, I suspect there will be a lot of people wanting to attend. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s long-delayed trial on … Continue reading →

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Hervis Rogers again cleared of voting charge

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell, man? District Attorney Kim Ogg’s prosecutors quietly reviewed a voter fraud allegation against Hervis Rogers — the Houston parolee who waited six hours to vote in the February 2020 presidential primary — nearly a year after illegal … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton’s long-awaited first day in court

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Literally years in the making. Impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton moved a small step closer to trial Thursday on long-delayed felony securities fraud charges, though both sides agreed his Senate impeachment trial looms large as a factor. Meeting briefly in … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton has a day in court today

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Now he gets to deal with those almost-decade-old state securities fraud charges against him. And we may even get a trial date! All eyes will be on the Harris County Criminal Courthouse when impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s securities trial will be in Harris County

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember all those years ago when Ken Paxton was indicted on securities fraud charges, and how he’s been able to avoid seeing the inside of a courtroom because of a barrage of appeals and other legal maneuvers? Well, we … Continue reading →

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In support of Crystal Mason

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping for the best. The same month Tarrant County officials announced the creation of an election integrity task force, a group of 14 bipartisan prosecutors threw their weight behind an effort to acquit the woman at the center of a high-profile … Continue reading →

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The next round of voter suppression bills are coming

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Texas Republicans spent most of the 2021 legislative session focusing on election security — and this year, it’s a top priority for them again. GOP leaders are discussing a range of election security measures, from higher penalties for … Continue reading →

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Charges dropped against Hervis Rogers

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but this whole thing was an enraging travesty and in no way makes things right. Voter fraud charges against Hervis Rogers, who garnered widespread attention for waiting hours in line to vote at a Houston polling location during the … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: A smattering

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses Stephanie Morales, the Democratic challenger in HD138. Stephanie Morales began her interview with the editorial board with a story about children who wind up in the care of Child Protective Services, fleeing harsh conditions at home only … Continue reading →

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CCA tells Paxton again that he’s not the supreme prosecutor

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but this isn’t over. It just means that the fight will have shifted. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s last-ditch attempt to regain the power of his office to unilaterally prosecute election cases was rejected by the state’s highest criminal … Continue reading →

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Crystal Mason’s conviction to be reconsidered

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has told a lower appeals court to take another look at the controversial illegal voting conviction of Crystal Mason, who was given a five-year prison sentence for casting a provisional ballot in … Continue reading →

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