Ethicists Call for Sharon Keller’s Removal

Contact members of the Texas House Committee on Calendars

Urge Them to Send HB 2267 to the Floor of the House for a Vote.
HB 2267 Would Prohibit Death Sentences Under the Law of Parties.

Sample Message (change it to your own words) “Hello, I am calling to urge Representative X to vote in the Calendars Committee to send HB 2267, the Law of Parties bill, to the floor of the House for a vote. HB 2267 would require separate trials for co-defendants in capital trials and would prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty for people who do not kill anyone but are convicted under the Law of Parties. I do not believe it is fair to sentence someone to death, like Kenneth Foster was, if they did not kill anyone. Thank you”.

The Law of Parties allows people who “should have anticipated” a murder to receive the death penalty for the actions of another person who killed someone. A person sentenced to death under the Law of Parties has not killed anyone. They are accomplices or co-conspirators of one felony, such as robbery, during which another person killed someone.

Please contact your own state representative and at least some of the committee members on the list below. You can find out who your own representative is at: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us

Members of the House Committee on Calendars

Rep. Brian McCall (Chair) Plano Republican
Email form for McCall: http://tinyurl.com/BrianMcCall
Room 1W.11, Capitol Bld.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0594 Phone
(512) 474-7512 Fax

Rep. Eddie Lucio III Democrat Cameron County
Email form for Lucio http://tinyurl.com/EddieLucioIII
Room EXT E1.318
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0606 Phone
(512) 463-0660 Fax

Rep. Norma Chavez El Paso Democrat
Email form for Chavez http://tinyurl.com/NormaChavez
Room CAP GN.8
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0622 Phone
(512) 478-6755 (Fax)

Rep. Garnet Coleman Houston Democrat
Email form for Coleman http://tinyurl.com/GarnetColeman
Room GW.17, Capitol Building
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0524 Phone
(512) 463-1260 Fax

Rep. Byron Cook Navarro County Republican
Email form for Cook http://tinyurl.com/ByronCook
Room EXT E2.410
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0730 Phone
(512) 463-2506 Fax

Rep. Brandon Creighton Conroe Republican
Email form for Creighton http://tinyurl.com/BrandonCreighton
Room EXT E1.412
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0726 Phone
(512) 463-8428 Fax

Rep. Charlie Geren Tarrant County Republican
Email address: charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us
Room E2.308, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0610 Phone
(512) 463-8310 Fax

Rep. Jim Keffer (Eastland) Republican
Email form for Keffer http://tinyurl.com/JimKeffer
Room E2.418, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0656 Phone
(512) 478-8805 Fax

Rep. Lois W. Kohlkorst (Brenham) Republican
Email form for Kohlkorst http://tinyurl.com/LoisKohlkorst
Room E2.318, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0600 Phone
(512) 463-5240 Fax

Rep. Edmund Kuempel Seguin Republican
Email form for Kuempel http://tinyurl.com/EdmundKuempel
Room CAP 3N.06
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0602 Phone
(512) 480-0391 Fax

Rep. Jim McReynolds Lufkin Democrat
Email form for McReynolds http://tinyurl.com/JimMcReynolds
Room CAP 1W.3
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0490 Phone
(512) 463-9059 Fax

Rep. Allen Ritter Jefferson County Democrat
Email form for Ritter http://tinyurl.com/AllenRitter
Room E2.406, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0706 Phone
(512) 463-1861 Fax

Rep. Burt R. Solomons Denton County Republican
Email form for Solomons http://tinyurl.com/BurtSolomons
Room E1.420, Capitol Extension
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0478 Phone
(512) 463-2089 Fax

The Law of Parties bill today passed the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence.

HB 2267 in the Texas Legislature would prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty for people in Law of Parties cases, which is a law that allows non-killers to be sentenced to death for the actions of another person. Kenneth Foster was sentenced to death under the Law of Parties before his death sentence was commuted to life in 2007 by Governor Perry.

Rep Hodge’s bill was approved in the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on April 21. It now goes to the Calendars Committee.

Scott Cobb recorded this video of Rep Hodge talking about HB 2267 about an hour after the bill was approved in committee.

We have a lot of work to do to get the bill passed by Calendars and through the entire House, but today’s approval was a major victory. The victory was made possible by the efforts of many people, including Rep Hodge, Rep Dutton, their staffs, and the many people who attended the Lobby Day Against the Death Penalty on March 24 to visit legislators in person or called or emailed legislators urging them to pass the bill.

Special thanks go to all the family members of people on death row under the Law of Parties who came to Lobby Day or who testified in committee for the bill. This victory belongs to you!

Rep Terri Hodge on Committee Approval of Law of Parties Bill from Scott Cobb on Vimeo.

On June 2, 2009, the 200th execution under Texas Governor Rick Perry is scheduled to take place. Since he became governor of Texas in December 2000, Perry has signed more execution orders than any other governor in U.S. history.

Terry Hankins is scheduled to be the 200th person executed under Rick Perry. If he or anyone scheduled before him receives a stay of execution, then the 200th person will be the next person on the list. We hope everyone receives a stay!

The Texas anti-death penalty community asks people around the world to focus your attention on Texas and join us in protesting the 200th execution carried out under Rick Perry. Altogether, Texas has executed 436 people since 1982, including 152 under former Texas Governor George W. Bush.

How you can protest the 200th execution under Texas Governor Rick Perry

Visit www.protest200executions.com for updates.

1) On the day of the 200th execution, call Governor Perry at 512-462-1782 and tell him your opinion on the death penalty. If you live in the U.S., you can use his the form on his website to email him. We suggest you both call him and email him. If you live outside the U.S., you can fax him at (512) 463-1849 or send him a letter in the postal mail. We would like to hand deliver letters to him, so please send your letter to the address below and we will deliver it to Rick Perry: You can send us your letter to Perry for us to deliver whether you live in the U.S. or another country.

Texas Moratorium Network

3616 Far West Blvd, Suite 117, Box 251

Austin, Texas 7831

2) Attend a protest in your city either on the day of the 200th execution or sometime before. There are protests already planned. If a protest is not scheduled yet in your city, you can organize a protest. If you live outside the U.S., organize a protest at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Send us a photo or video of your protest by email and we will post it on this website and on YouTube. Or you can upload your photos and videos yourself to our social networking site or directly to our group on YouTube. If your organization is planning a protest, please let us knowso that we can list your protest on this site.

3) Sign the petition and add your name to the list of people who are raising their voices to protest the 200th execution under Texas Governor Rick Perry.

4) Donate a symbolic 200 cents towards helping us organize against the Texas death penalty. That is one penny for every execution under Rick Perry. We are asking everyone to donate $2, which is the equivalent of 200 pennies. You are welcome to donate more if you can afford it, but everyone can afford to donate $2.

The artwork at the top of www.protest200executions.com is by German artist Jasmin Hilmer and represents the isolation of Texas in the world community. While most of the rest of the world, including all of Europe, have turned their backs on the use of capital punishment, Texas continues to execute people at a shocking rate.

This campaign is sponsored by Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Campaign to End the Death Penalty – Austin, Students Against the Death Penalty, Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center, Abolish the Death Penalty Project on Amazee. If your organization would also like to be a sponsor, email us at admin@texasmoratorium.org or call 512-961-6389.

Video of Scott Cobb Talking About 200th Execution Protests at Rally at UT-Austin.

We have heard that the House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence will hold a public hearing on the proposal to impeach Judge Sharon Keller on Monday, April 27.

This resolution, HR 480 by Lon Burnam, would create a select committee in the House to investigate further whether Sharon Keller should be impeached for her refusal to accept an appeal 20 minutes after 5 PM for a person on the day of his execution.

If you believe that Keller should be impeached, please plan to attend and fill out a Witness Affirmation form in support of HR 480. We will announce the time and room number of the hearing as soon as we confirm those details, but put April 27 on your calendar as a day to go to the capitol and sign a witness affirmation form in support of HR 480. It only takes five minutes to fill out the form, but you have to be there in person to fill it out and turn it in.

81R8266 JSA-F

By: Burnam
H.R. No. 480

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the Texas

Legislature has exclusive power to present articles of impeachment

against a state officer under Section 1, Article XV, Texas

Constitution, and Chapter 665, Government Code; now, therefore, be

it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas

Legislature adopt the following procedures to consider the

impeachment of Judge Sharon Keller, Presiding Judge of the Texas

Court of Criminal Appeals, for gross neglect of duty and conducting

her official duties with willful disregard for human life:

SECTION 1. SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON IMPEACHMENT. The House

Special Committee on Impeachment composed of seven members of the

House of Representatives shall be appointed by the Speaker of the

House. The Speaker shall designate a committee member to serve as

chair of the committee and a committee member to serve as vice-chair

of the committee.

SECTION 2. INVESTIGATION; ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT. (a)

The committee shall conduct an investigation to consider whether to

recommend that under Section 1, Article XV, Texas Constitution, and

Chapter 665, Government Code, the House of Representatives adopt

and present to the Texas Senate articles of impeachment against

Judge Sharon Keller, Presiding Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal

Appeals, for gross neglect of duty and conducting her official

duties with willful disregard for human life in connection with her

actions on the evening of September 25, 2007, including her

apparent irresponsible refusal to abide by the prior practice of

the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in order to receive the appeal

of Michael Richard, which conduct may have resulted in Mr.

Richard’s deprivation of life without due process of law as

guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United

States and Section 19, Article I, Texas Constitution, by means of a

potentially unlawful execution by lethal injection, and in the

embarrassment of the State of Texas in a manner that casts severe

doubt on the impartiality of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and

the entire criminal justice system of this state.

(b) The committee shall submit a report of its findings to

the Speaker of the House and the full House of Representatives as

soon as reasonably practicable, but not later than the 90th day

after the date the committee is appointed. If the committee

recommends impeachment of the judge, the report shall contain a

draft of articles of impeachment.

SECTION 3. POWERS; ADMINISTRATION. (a) The committee

shall meet at the call of the chair and may meet in executive

session if approved by a majority of the members of the committee.

(b) The committee has all the powers granted to a standing

committee under the Rules of the House of Representatives and under

Subchapter B, Chapter 301, Government Code, including the power to

issue process to procure testimony or other evidence.

(c) On the request of the committee, the House of

Representatives or the Texas Legislative Council shall provide the

staff necessary to assist the committee in carrying out its duties.

(d) The operating expenses of the committee shall be paid as

determined by the Committee on House Administration.

SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This resolution expires and the

House Special Committee on Impeachment ceases to exist on January

1, 2010.