U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee from Houston is calling for a federal inquiry into the legal system of Harris County, Texas.
Jackson Lee says several incidents have raised concern that the system is unfair and bias. Most notably, she points to a grand jury’s recent failure to indict a Pasadena man who shot and killed two men who were suspected of burglarizing a neighbor’s home. Jackson Lee has also expressed dismay over derogatory emails circulated by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and over the number of deaths which have occured in the Harris County Jail over the past decade.
At a press conference on Sunday, Jackson Lee said, ”With the many misgivings surrounding the Harris County judicial system, it is fair to say that this local judicial system has been tarnished. It is time for all officials to be held accountable and true justice and democracy restored.”
Jackson Lee said the federal government should probe these matters because they deal with civil right concerns and because the county jail and district attorney’s office both receive federal funds.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5874193.html
