The Herald-Zeitung
Serving New Braunfels and Comal County since 1852
Letters for February 27, 2009
Time to impeach Judge Keller
To the editor:
In an effort to restore justice and remove some of the tarnish on the Texas criminal justice system, state Rep. Lon Burnam has filed HB 480 to establish a Special Committee on Impeachment to consider impeaching Criminal Court of Appeals Judge Sharon Keller. This is the judge that closed the door on justice at 5 p.m. and prevented the filing of an appeal of Michael Richards’ execution scheduled a few hours later that evening.
The appeal was based on the U.S. Supreme Court earlier the same day agreeing to consider a challenge to the constitutionality of lethal injection. Due to a problem with the computer on which the appeal had been written, the defense team was delayed in printing and delivering the documents to the court. Other judges in the same court were prepared and waiting for the appeal paperwork, but Judge Keller shut it down without even telling them what she did. This is neither the first nor the last blemish Judge Keller has placed on the Texas justice system, but it is certainly the most egregious.
Judges all over Texas have criticized her actions and it’s about time she was impeached for her miscarriage of justice.
JC Dufresne,
Cibolo
