"Anderson should face inquiry, judge rules," Chuck Lindell's Austin American-Statesman post.
Former Williamson County district attorney Ken Anderson should face a court of inquiry to examine allegations that he violated state law by withholding evidence that could have spared Michael Morton from a wrongful conviction and almost 25 years in prison, a district judge ruled today.
After a 75-minute hearing, District Judge Sid Harle ruled that there is probable cause to believe that Anderson may have broken state law in the Morton case.
Noting that the allegations to date have been spurred by Morton’s lawyers, Harle said a court of inquiry would give Anderson a chance to clear his name and Morton a chance to seek a greater measure of justice.
Harle will put his request in writing - he gave no timeline - to Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, who will determine whether to convene a court of inquiry to examine the allegations.
If Jefferson agrees, the Supreme Court would assign a state district judge to oversee the court of inquiry, which is a fact-finding body that would determine whether any state laws were violated. The court would not issue a punishment or criminal conviction.
After the hearing, Morton choked up briefly when facing reporters. “When you do the right thing, like the judge did today, everything falls into place,” said Morton, now sporting a gray goatee.
Anderson, now a district judge in Georgetown, was not in court. His lawyer, Mark Dietz, said Anderson looks forward to the court of inquiry. “It does give him the ability to clear his name,” Dietz said.
"Judge Orders Court of Inquiry for Morton Prosecutor," by Brandi Grissom at the Texas Tribune.
Judge Sid Harle said today he will recommend that Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson convene a court of inquiry to review a slew of evidence against former Williamson County prosecutor Ken Anderson and determine whether there is probable cause to press criminal charges of prosecutorial misconduct related to his work in 1987 to secure a wrongful murder conviction that sent Michael Morton to prison for life.
In addition to allowing a full public airing of the evidence, the Bexar County state district judge said the unique legal proceeding would allow Anderson, who is now a district judge, the opportunity to clear his name.
“The only method and venue I know of for that to occur and for Mr. Morton’s interests to be served” is a court of inquiry, Harle said.
Morton was convicted of the 1986 murder of his wife, Christine Morton, who was bludgeoned to death in the couple's North Austin home. DNA testing results last year showed that Morton was innocent and that another man was likely responsible for his wife's gruesome death. After spending 25 years in prison, he was released in October and charges against him were dismissed in December.
And:
In November, Mark Norwood, the man whose DNA was connected to Christine Morton's death and to the 1988 killing of Debra Masters Baker, was arrested and charged with murder. A Williamson County grand jury indicted Norwood this month.
Baker’s family, including her husband Phillip, her son Jesse, her daughter Caitlin and her sister Lisa Conn, were in the courtroom for the proceedings Friday. The family joined in Morton’s request for the court of inquiry.
Earlier coverage of Michael Morton's exoneration and its aftermath begins at the link.
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