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Sign the Judicial Complaint Against Texas Judge Sharon Keller |
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Click here to join the more than 1,800 people who have signed on to the general public members' Judicial Complaint Against Judge Sharon Keller.
Smoking Gun in Sharon Keller Fiasco: Click Here to Read Full Text of Policies She Violated
If you are as shocked as we were by the refusal of Judge Sharon Keller to accept an appeal 20 minutes late by a man about to be executed, then sign on to our complaint to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. We will submit our complaint to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct on November 16, 2007. Anyone can sign on to the complaint. It is intended as a means for regular members of the public to express their outrage at Keller's action.
After you have signed the complaint, please also take a moment to send an email to Sharon Keller asking her to resign. Your email will also be sent to Governor Perry, the Texas Legislature and the other judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Click here to send Keller and the others an email.
Sending an email is a separate action in addition to signing on to the complaint. We want Keller and members of the Legislature and the Governor to know that the public is upset by Keller's behavior and want her to resign or be removed from office, so send them an email.
If you would like to help us with a donation, please click here or send a check made out to Texas Moratorium Network to 3616 Far West Blvd, Suite 117, Box 251, Austin, Texas 78731. Donations are not tax-deductible. If you have questions, please call 512-302-6715. If you would like to download a copy of the complaint for your records, click here.
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Quotes About Sharon Keller
On the complaint page, there are many more comments that signers have left.
"We should expect fair and judicious treatment from our courts not cruel
and callous actions such as this. Otherwise, we are no better than
societies without an impartial justice system."
Steven Rosner, Signed Judicial Complaint from Members of Public
"I am deeply disturbed at the damage caused by this single incident to
the integrity of our justice system, an issue more important than even
a single man's life. Unless consequences are addressed, this behavior
undermines the very foundations of respect for our legal system.
Criminal behavior often occurs because criminals don't respect our
legal system, therefore we demand a legal system worthy of respect. A
judge is only a civil servant, but one who is held to the highest
standard of trust to be impartial and fair and not impose their own
cynical ideology."
Debbie Deiters, Austin, Texas,
Signed Judicial Complaint from Members of Public
“This act is the most disgraceful thing I have ever heard of a judge
doing and it should not go unpunished. Justice Keller needs to be
removed from the bench and placed on the other side facing charges of
negligence, malpractice and murder.”
Andrew Ritzdorf, Centennial, Colorado
Signed Judicial Complaint from Members of Public
“This conduct was most appalling and vile - especially coming from
someone supposedly qualified to affect justice! She is a disgrace of
the highest order, and her wanton disregard for a man's right to (try
to)live must be punishable by removing her from office.”
Dorothy Finch, Atlanta, Georgia
Signed Judicial Complaint from Members of Public
“Your actions should be criminal in a world where the harm done to
society is actually judged by harm and not class status. This is an
example of how justice not only sleeps, but saunters lazily out of the
courtroom even at the peril of death to others, whose right to an
appeal was immorally thwarted. I would never clerk for a judge like
you. Despicable. Disgusting. You will forever be pinned in my judicial
Hall of Shame. If I end up teaching law, your name will be forever
ringing as an example of incompetence and hatred under the guise or
procedure.”
Heather Burke, San Diego, California
Signed Judicial Complaint from Members of Public
"Way to serve the public, your dis-honor."
Michael Murphy, Houston, Texas
Signed Judicial Complaint from Members of Public
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"We Close at 5"
Dec 13: Keller admits she violated polices of CCA. Read more
Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
"Since she will not face the voters until 2012, the miscarriage of justice perpetrated by Chief Justice Keller can only be remedied by a recommendation by the Judicial Conduct Commission to the Texas Supreme Court that she be removed from office". "Judge Keller let her personal bias in favor of the death penalty trample the right of now-executed prisoner Michael Richard to access the courts and have due process. In doing so, she abdicated her role as the state's chief criminal justice to become its chief executioner".
Texas Monthly: Impeach Sharon Keller
Texas Monthly's December issue has an article by Mike Hall calling for Sharon Keller to be impeached, according to Evan Smith's blog:
"When
a man’s life is on the line—to say nothing of the U.S. Constitution—our
top criminal judge should behave like one: with prudence, fairness, and
a calm hand. It’s time for Keller to go. If the commission doesn’t act
quickly, we’ll have to wait until January 2009, when the
Legislature—which has the power to oust high judges—reconvenes, or
worse, 2012, when Keller is up for reelection. The fact is, we need to
do it now. Impeach Sharon Keller."
Waco Tribune Herald Editorial
"Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, shamed the state by deciding that 20 minutes of her time was more important than a last-minute appeal for a man on death row.
If Keller cannot be removed from her position, she should be disciplined for her outrageous behavior." - Oct 16, 2007. Link
Corpus Christi Caller Times Editorial
"All the evidence in Michael Richard's criminal case says he was a cold-hearted murderer. He killed a young woman without any hint of compassion. He may have been short of the mental capacity to understand the enormity of his crime. But even if society would not allow him that mitigating factor, he deserved more justice than he received in his final hours on earth. More to the point, Texans deserved a better brand of justice to represent them at a crucial moment of decision."
"The best justice system should honor the rule of law and due process without regard to the vagaries of the defendant's situation. There may be no perfect justice on this earth, but the pursuit of it should be the most vigorous particularly in the worst of crimes. Belief in the rule of law should demand its dispassionate meting out. Do the condemned want to use any legal hand hold to delay the day of their execution? Of course. But the respect for the rule of law should demand that judges keep their minds open to its possible imperfection, not out of any regard to the defendant, but out of regard for the law and the Constitution." - Nov 4, 2007. Full Article .
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Protest Nov 16 at CCA
We held a protest on Nov 16 at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The Court stayed open late during our protest accepting letters from the public urging Judge Sharon Keller to resign. On Sept 25, Keller closed the court sharply at 5, saying "We close at five", but on Nov 16 the court stayed open for business until 5:03 accepting letters urging Keller to resign.
This shows how arbitrary the decision was on Sept 25 to close exactly at five. The court stayed open an extra three minutes on Nov 16 with no problem, they could have easily stayed open an extra 20 minutes on Sept 25 to accept an appeal from a man set for execution at 6 pm that day.
Click here to watch an excellent video story of today's protest from FOX 7 News.
There is also a video on YouTube of the protest.
We lined up at the office of the clerk of the court at about ten minutes before five pm to turn in a copy of the judicial complaint signed by more than 1600 people. We also each brought a personally written letter to Keller telling her to resign. Each person stood in line to personally deliver their letter to the clerk. When the clock reached five pm, there were several people still waiting in line. The clock reached 5:01 and 5:02 and still the clerk kept the office open accepting letters. Finally, after the clock had passed 5:03, the clerks stopped accepting letters, left the area and turned off the lights. We asked them to stay open an extra twenty minutes so that everyone could turn in their letter, but they refused. Yet they had already broken the "Keller Rule" by staying open three minutes beyond 5. People who had not yet had a chance to turn in their letters to the clerks left them lying on the counter.
Michael Richard's sister, Patricia Miller, spoke to the group outside the court after the delivery of the letters and judicial complaint. Watch the videos above to hear what she said. Patricia demanded that Keller resign no later than Nov 25.
Please take a moment to send an email to Sharon Keller telling her to resign. Your email will also be sent to Governor Perry, members of the Texas Legislature and the other judges on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Click here to send Sharon Keller an email telling her to resign.
Keller's resignation or removal from office is the only way to restore integrity to the office of Presiding Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Please bring letters urging Keller to resign.
Judicial Complaints Filed Against Keller
In addition to our complaint signed by members of the general public that we filed on Nov 16, there have also been several other judicial complaints filed against Keller. Some complaints may have been filed confidentially, but here are the ones that we know have been filed by organizations or individuals
- Twenty lawyers represented by Jim Harrington of the Texas Civil Rights Project, including:
- Dick DeGuerin
- Chuck Herring
- former State Bar President Broadus Spivey
- University of Houston law professor Mike Olivas
- former appellate Judge Michol O'Connor
- State Representative Harold Dutton
- Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, signed by more than 130 lawyers and others, including:
- State Representative Dora Olivo
- State Representative Garnet Coleman
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- State Representative Lon Burnam
- State Representative Jessica Farrar
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