We are looking out for you - seriously
I recently commented on the release of Michael Morton after DNA evidence established another person's guilt. DNA evidence that John Bradley called a waste of time, and opposed. As I wrote that, the Court of Criminal Appeals was issuing an order declaring Mr. Morton actually innocent. They did soextremely quickly, and there's a story behind that.
It turns out that Mr. Bradley filed a request for an expedited decision. He was clearly concerned about Mr. Morton being cleared so he could obtain compensation - at least that he said. As you can probably guess, there's more to the story.
There was an agreement that Mr. Morton's lawyers could pursue discovery until the final order was delivered - discovery aimed at uncovering who did what, and who knew what. They believed they had at least 30 days to do that, and probably would have in most cases. By obtaining an expedited ruling they short circuited that process, before it even started. What will happen with the investigation is now up in the air.
So did they take this action out of concern for Mr. Morton, or as a strategy to ensure that the truth remain the hidden? If I had to bet I know where I would place my money.
Apparently Mr. Bradely has no ethics at all. It's a shame the Texas Bar does not have a REAL ETHICS PANEL !