PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Although this editorial does not relate directly to the subject matter of this Blog, it paints a vivid picture of Texas justice, demonstrates how "a wave of cases unraveled and began exposing how fragile and vulnerable to manipulation the justice system is," and shows how the State Bar of Texas is beginning to sanction dishonest prosecutors by stripping away their ability to practice law. As the editorial notes, "In some
cases, disbarment may be too little punishment for a dishonest DA, but
it at least sends a message that the bar will not give safe harbor to
conniving members of the justice system."
EDITORIAL: "Exonerees' fights remind us to be vigilant against justice," published by the Dallas Morning News on June 15, 2015.
GIST: "In idyllic Dallas of the 1980s, with hard-nosed lawmen running the
district attorney’s office, citizens thought they could trust that the
good guys were making sure the bad guys got what was coming to them. Then a wave of cases unraveled and began exposing how fragile and vulnerable to manipulation the justice system is. The
name Joyce Ann Brown became synonymous with prosecutorial misconduct at
the Dallas County courthouse. It was suddenly clearer that the justice
system might be swift, but it was not always sure or above-board..........Brown, who died Saturday, was one of several
people on Texas’ growing list of exonerees who have used their hard-won
freedom to help improve the justice system. Another is Anthony Graves,
who spent 18 years in prison, 12 of them on death row, for the gruesome
hammer-and-knife slaying of six family members whose house was then set
ablaze in Somerville, in Central Texas. The state cut Graves a
$1.4 million check four years ago as testimony that the case against him
was a colossal miscarriage of justice. That followed a special
prosecutor’s finding that the district attorney’s case against Graves
was “a travesty.” Last week, the State Bar of Texas did one better and
disbarred former DA Charles Sebesta for, among other things, eliciting
false testimony from a witness at Graves’ trial. That disbarment
comes about 18 months after the disbarment of former Williamson County
DA Ken Anderson, prosecutor in the infamous Michael Morton murder case. The
State Bar of Texas was right to take on these cases and strip disgraced
attorneys of their ability to make a living in the profession. In some
cases, disbarment may be too little punishment for a dishonest DA, but
it at least sends a message that the bar will not give safe harbor to
conniving members of the justice system."
The entire editorial ca be found at:
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20150615-editorial-the-fragile-foundation-on-which-our-justice-system-is-built.ece
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I
have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible
years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr.
Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of
Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"
section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It
can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
