This is from Robert C. Owen, Clinical Professor of Law at The University of Texas School of Law.
"We are very pleased with today's decision by the Supreme Court, holding that Mr. Skinner may invoke the protections of the federal Civil Rights Act in his effort to obtain access to evidence for DNA testing.
"The Court's action corrects the Fifth Circuit’s fundamental misunderstanding of this important principle. As Justice Ginsburg states in her majority opinion, there is no reason to fear that lawsuits like Mr. Skinner's will overwhelm the federal courts. The high court’s ruling will simply make it possible for Mr. Skinner to vindicate his due process rights in federal court, a right long enjoyed by prisoners in other parts of the country.
"We look forward to making our case in federal court that Texas's inexplicable refusal to grant Mr. Skinner access to evidence for DNA testing is fundamentally unfair and cannot stand."
Owen is Co-Director of UT Law's Capital Punishment Clinic. Earlier coverage of Skinner v. Switzer begins with the preceding post.
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