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Biden Has 65 Days Left in Office. Here’s What He Can Do on Criminal Justice.

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Judicial appointments and the death penalty are among areas where a lame-duck administration can still leave a mark. Donald Trump’s second presidential term will begin on Jan. 20, bringing with it promises to dramatically reshape many aspects of the criminal justice system. The U.S. Senate — with its authority over confirming judicial nominees — will also shift from Democratic to Republican control.
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Texas: DNA hearing set in Skinner case

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An evidentiary hearing in the Hank Skinner case has been scheduled for Feb. 3 and 4 in 31st District Court, Texas Attorney General’s Office spokesman Tom Kelley said.

The hearing concerns DNA evidence that Skinner told the Texas Tribune will show someone else likely committed a 1993 triple murder.

Kelley declined to comment further on the case, but lawyers with the AG’s office previously told the Texas Tribune that the results reinforce Skinner’s guilt.

A Tarrant County jury in 1995 convicted Skinner of capital murder in the 1993 murders of Twila Busby, 40, and her sons, Elwin “Scooter” Caler, 22, and Randy Busby, 20, at their Pampa home. They were strangled, beaten or stabbed, prosecutors said.

In November 2011, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted Skinner’s execution for the third time since 1995 to consider how changes to the state’s post-conviction DNA law would affect his requests for testing. Prosecutors agreed to allow the testing in June 2012, and lawyers received tests results Aug. 6 from hairs found on Busby’s hands.

Source: Amarillo Globe News, December 18, 2013
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