Our Goals in 2008

Texas continues to lead the nation in using the death penalty, carrying out 62 percent of executions nationwide in 2007. Overall, 86 percent of all U.S. executions in 2007 were in the South. It is time to turn the page on this legacy of the Old South. The death penalty system in Texas is broken and puts innocent people at risk of execution.The TMN PAC has three goals in the 2008 elections: 1) elect a progressive Travis Count District Attorney, 2) elect Democrats to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and 3) elect reform-minded voices to the Texas Legislature in order to build a majority in favor of a moratorium on executions.

1) The question for voters in the upcoming election for Travis County District Attorney is whether they are ready to turn the page on this legacy of the Old South and elect a District Attorney who will pledge to impose a moratorium on seeking new death sentences and a moratorium on setting execution dates for people already on death row from Travis County.

The next district attorney should pledge to reduce the number of new death sentences from Travis County to zero and instead use life without the possibility of parole as an alternative.

We will pressure all DA candidates to pledge to impose a moratorium on seeking new death sentences and a moratorium on setting execution dates for people already on death row from Travis County.

2) The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has been called the “worst court in Texas” by Texas Monthly. Sharon Keller has brought the current court into even more disrepute by saying “We close at 5” and refusing to accept an appeal from a man on the day of his execution. All nine judges on the CCA are Republicans. We will work to elect Democrats to the Court. It is not in the interest of Justice to have all the judges on the state’s highest criminal appeals court from one party.

3) We will support reform-minded candidates for the Texas Legislature in order to ensure a Democratic majority that will enact a moratorium on executions.