Think Texas is an irrelevant state this fall? Think again. The first thing probably everyone already knows is that every statewide office in Texas is held by a Republican -- every one.
The top of the Texas "justice" system is comprised of 2 separate institutions -- the Texas Supreme Court, which deals only in civil matters, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which deals only in criminal affairs. Each death penalty case in the state comes before the Court of Criminal Appeals, which, as with every other Texas office, is dominated by Republicans.
The Texas Supreme Court is a 9-member body whose entire membership is comprised of Republicans. Not only is there very little "justice" in the state of Texas, as a result, but there's very little dissent. The membership of courts in Texas tend to march in lock-step with the far right wing of the Republican party.
Read More