Today in my university library we had the vice provost discuss work he has done on making legal counsel available to indigent individuals who have been arrested. The topic hasn't come up in the debates or ads, but it is one of those "what makes America great" kind of topics - we provide legal representation if you can not afford it. This usually reserved and high-on-the-academic-food-chain Political Science professor really gets going when he talks about the work he did for 15 years on a committee to oversee and revise state policies. His closing remarks had to do with a race in the November 6 election against one of the corrupt judges in the state. She closed down her judge's office at 5pm, even though she knew that a death penalty appeal was going to be arriving any minute now. . . it made the news. It was wonderful to hear that in something, Texas has cleaned up its act.

The "Fair Defense Act" happened because Dubya, in one of his last acts as governor, vetoed a bill that had unanimous support in the Texas House and Senate. It seems the judges didn't like it because it took away a patronage perk they enjoyed. And the veto was such an embarrassment (it was discussed in many national news programs) that when the same state senator introduced the bill again to the next legislature, he tightened it up even more and it passed. Judges can no longer pick and choose what attorneys to give cases to - give a complicated death penalty case to someone who didn't support you in your last campaign and you can put him out of business if you choose not to pay him. Give simple cases to your supporters and they could take the check to the bank. Doesn't happen that way any more.

Elections make this possible. GO OUT AND VOTE.

SRS