Texas Judge Questions Fairness of the Death Penalty
Senior
State District Judge C.C. "Kit" Cooke recently expressed his
concerns about the fairness of the death penalty during a legal seminar.
The Texas judge recalled how the 11 death penalty cases he presided
over during his 23-years as a judge altered his feelings about capital
punishment. Cooke helped
craft the state's death penalty law when he served as a state
representative. "I was
looking at it as a young politician, with about 90 percent of my district
supporting the death penalty. Now,
from a judge's perspective and taking care of people's rights, I think it
has a lot of flaws." Among
the flaws cited by Cooke were inadequate legal representation, access to
DNA testing and the racial disparity of those executed. "I think the
mood is changing in this country and people are realizing there are
deficiencies in the system," said Cooke.
"We always think we've got the right person, but the system is
not infallible."
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