The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas asked the state judicial commission to investigate the actions of a Harris County judge who released youthful offenders after they promised not to kill anyone on Wednesday — a day after he lost an election, a report said.
“It is improper for a judge to make orders motivated by partisan interests or spite as a result of his political loss,” Sharon Watkins Jones, director of political strategies for the ACLU of Texas said in a statement, Patch Houston reported.
Republican jurist Glenn Devlin caused an uproar when he released every defendant – totaling seven – who appeared before him just hours after losing his election, surprising attorneys on both sides. Four were charged with aggravated robbery.
“He was releasing everybody,” said public defender Steven Halpert, who watched the string of surprising releases. “Apparently he was saying that’s what the voters wanted.” – READ MORE