John Cornyn......fails the Texas People...Watt a ""Travesty of Justice" (8/15/2002)"

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ACLU of Texas Denounces State Attorney General for Failing to Investigate "Travesty of Justice" (8/15/2002)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAN ANTONIO-In testimony today before state lawmakers, the American Civil Liberties Union blasted Texas Attorney General John Cornyn for failing to investigate a series of phony drug busts that led to the arrest of nearly 10 percent of the black residents of a small town in Texas.

"Attorney General John Cornyn is passing the buck to the United States Justice Department while innocent people continue to languish in prison, and corrupt police officers and prosecutors continue to pervert justice," said Harrell, who testified before the House Judicial Affairs Committee, which oversees the Texas Attorney General's Office.

After learning of the mass arrests of black residents in Tulia, the ACLU of Texas, along with the NAACP, filed a civil rights complaint in October 2000 with the U.S. Department of Justice, charging racial discrimination and prosecutorial misconduct.

An investigation was initiated that now appears to have come to a standstill under the Bush Administration, Harrell said. Last month a Justice Department official reportedly told the president of the American Bar Association that the investigation was closed.

The ACLU then asked the Texas Attorney General' office to pursue an investigation of those responsible for the Tulia arrests and convictions. In response, an official said that their effort would be "duplicative of the federal investigation" and that the "federal court system provides the proper forum and remedies should criminal violations be discovered during this investigation."

"This is a totally disingenuous response from an Attorney General who has clearly expressed a philosophy that federal authorities should not meddle in local law enforcement matters," Harrell said.

The failure of both the Justice Department and Texas officials to investigate the Tulia drug busts has been the subject of a recent series of highly critical columns by Bob Herbert of The New York Times, Harrell noted in his testimony.

Harrell also told the Judiciary Committee today that the state Attorney General has failed to implement key components of the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act and has failed to investigate hate crimes against Arab Americans and Muslims in the wake of the tragedy of September 11.

Harrell's testimony was submitted on behalf of the ACLU, the Muslim Legal Fund of America and the League of United Latin American Citizens in Texas.

The ACLU testimony is available online at http://archive.aclu.org/news/2002/harrell_statement.pdf