Paul B. Kennedy

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On Tuesday night, the State of Texas will kill again…ALVIN BRAZIEL, JR., 43. Mr. Braziel’s attorneys said he received sub-par legal assistance at trial, reducing his chances of avoiding the death penalty. Despite the claim, Texas intends to carry out his execution. Mr. Braziel was sentenced to death in the 1993 slaying of a couple in Mesquite. Testing of DNA evidence in 2001 implicated Braziel, who was already in prison for sexual assault of a…
After posting yesterday’s entry I went out to the mailbox and found yet another stack of mailers from the Republican party for the judicial races. Each of them exhorted folks to vote for the Republican candidates calling them “exceptionally qualified” or “principled conservatives.” No other reason was given for why anyone should vote for them. The mailers encourage folks just to vote Republican straight down the line. So I really don’t want to hear any…
The mailers from the Republican Party are coming hot and heavy as we approach Election Day. The latest broadside warns of chaos in the courthouse should the Democrats sweep the judicial races. Once again I must address the warning that folks aren’t showing up for their court dates. Blaming that on Democratic judges is more than a bit misleading. Let’s see, a lawsuit was filed in Harris County challenging the constitutionality of the bond schedule…
At some point I keep hoping folks will realize that the purpose of the 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments is to protect individuals accused of breaking the law from the long, strong arm of the government. Without these protections, the state would be able to run roughshod over a defendant and beat him into submission. The purpose of the criminal (in)justice system is to create a forum in which a judge or jury can weigh…
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Just because: [embedded content] Here’s the abridged version: [embedded content] This is what makes college football so great — bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. I have seen some wacky halftime shows, but for the sheer insanity of it, my hat’s off to Iowa State Marching Band. Here’s a little back room info about the show.…
Oh, campaign season is all around us. The other day I got a mailer from the Republican Party of Texas promoting Republican judges. I suppose for the ordinary person who hasn’t the slightest clue how the criminal (in)justice system works, the mailer might have an effect. But not really. You see, the results in most judicial races mirrors that of the races at the top of the ballot. There might be a difference of a…
This is a video that Texas now requires all high school students to view. Its purpose is to “teach” students how to interact with the police. But, in reality, it serves to give the police any number of excuses when they make the decision to pull their weapon and shoot someone. And I don’t want to hear that constant refrain that being a cop is a hard job. No one was forced to enter law…
When we took that oath and received our ticket to play we obligated ourselves to do everything within our power to represent our clients’ interests. We agreed to set aside our own political beliefs when representing our clients. I have represented many a client with whom I couldn’t disagree more on questions of political, religious or racial beliefs or feelings. Not once did those disagreements prevent me from standing next to my client and forcing…
Allen Eugene Gregory was not a very good person. In 1996 he robbed, raped and murdered a woman. Two years later he was investigated for another rape. During that investigation police discovered evidence that tied Mr. Gregory to the robbery, rape and murder. Mr. Gregory was convicted of aggravated first degree murder in the 1996 case. The jury sentenced him to death. He was also convicted of the 1998 rape. The Washington Supreme Court later…
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Sid Miller is the Texas Agriculture Commissioner. The job appears to be primarily about promoting Texas agricultural products as well as slapping stickers adorned with his visage on gas pumps and scales in grocery stores. Apparently one of the unwritten duties of Ag Commissioner is to promote white nationalist causes on state time. But before we criticize the man, we should get to know him and his accomplishments in office. Mr. Miller appointed…