Political Updates
Chapter Nine: Laws, Courts, and Justice

Pretrial Actions, pg. 382

Reports of attorneys who were unqualified or slept through capital murder trials resulted in legislation by the 77th Legislature that changed the way Texas counties appoint attorneys for the poor criminal defendants. Under the Texas Fair Defense Act, appointed defense counsel must meet minimum qualifications; an attorney must be appointed within 3-5 days of an indigent defendant's arrest (depending on the size of the county); and each country must establish a public defender's office, rotating appointment system, or an alternative system acceptable to county commissioners and the appopriate administrative judge.