(Houston) Judge grants motion declaring death penalty unconstitutional

[last_texas_dem]

Source: Houston Chronicle

>>>>A Houston judge this afternoon declared the death penalty unconstitutional in a pretrial hearing in response to a motion from defense lawyers.

State District Judge Kevin Fine's ruling is unlikely to withstand appellate review.
Fine granted a motion from defense attorney Bob Loper to declare Texas' death penalty unconstitutional. Further details about the motion were not immediately available.

Fine, a judicial maverick, was elected in the 2008 Democratic near sweep of Harris County's benches. The judge came under fire last year for questioning a victim during the punishment phase of rape trial.

The defendant in Thursday's hearing, John Edward Green, Jr., is accused of fatally shooting a Houston woman and injuring her sister on June 16, 2008.>>>>

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6897252.html

[midnight]

1. I do not support the death penalty.

[MrCoffee]

2. Good luck with that, Judge

It'll be overturned before the ink is dry.

[cosmicone]

3. Freepers' little heads will explode and spread sawdust n/t

[valerief]

4. I'm having trouble opening the link, but wouldn't this make war unconstituional, too? nt

[fascisthunter]

5. Good! (nt)

[liberation]

6. Extra points to the first pro-lifer who complains openly about this decision...

[nyc 4 Biden]

7. but the only way to teach people not to kill is to kill them! eom

[LuckyLib]

8. In Texas? Good gawd, pigs really DO fly!

What next?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. Challenged a rape victims version of the events after the conviction. POS judge.

[Heywood J]

10. Texas has been through this many times before.

If an appellate court doesn't overturn this, the state will find some new way to "reconstitutionalize" the death penalty.