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Ken Anderson (Texas district court judge)
Ken Anderson was the judge of the 277th District Court in Texas.[1] Anderson was appointed to the court in 2002 by Governor Rick Perry.[2] He resigned from his position on September 23, 2013.[3]
Education
Anderson received his B.S. and his J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He was admitted to the bar in 1976.[4]
Career
Before being appointed to the bench in 2002, Anderson was the district attorney for Williamson County.[2]
Noteworthy events
Judge resigns from bench, faces civil and criminal charges (2013)
Anderson submitted a letter, on September 23, 2013, notifying Governor Perry of his intention to immediately resign from the Williamson County court.[3] Anderson was accused of withholding evidence in a case he prosecuted in 1987 while he was the Williamson County District Attorney. The defendant in the case, Michael Morton, was wrongfully convicted of killing his wife and imprisoned for almost 25 years. Morton was released in 2011 after DNA evidence proved he was innocent.
Anderson was named "Prosecutor of the Year" in 1995 by the State Bar of Texas. As part of its duty to review allegations against attorneys in the state, the bar investigated Anderson's conduct for 10 months before filing a formal complaint in the Morton case.[5] Anderson's trial was set to begin on September 30. The trial date was delayed until November 8, 2013 to allow the parties time to reach a plea agreement.[5][6]
In April 2013, state district judge Louis Sturns ruled that Anderson also had to face criminal charges, including tampering with physical evidence. That felony carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.[5]
The state bar's investigation found Anderson knowingly hid evidence from both the judge and Morton's defense attorneys in the original case. During Morton's original trial, Anderson told the judge his office had no evidence to support Morton's claim that he did not kill his wife. Anderson publicly disputed the bar's findings and expressed his belief that the justice system failed in Morton's case.[2]
According to a joint statement released by Morton's lawyers, John Raley and Barry Scheck,
| “ | Judge Ken Anderson's resignation is long overdue. . .(He) deserves a fair trial, but if there are findings against him in either proceeding, we would expect that appropriate penalties be imposed.[3][7] | ” |
To help prevent future wrongful convictions, Governor Perry signed the Michael Morton Act in May 2013. Under the new law, prosecutors were required to provide defendants and their attorneys with any and all information or evidence that could exonerate them.[8]
Anderson sentenced for lie that sent an innocent man to prison for 25 years
Ex-judge Anderson pleaded no contest to a contempt of court charge on November 8, 2013. The charge stemmed from a statement he made in open court more than 25 years ago. During that 1987 murder trial, then-prosecutor Anderson told the judge he did not have any evidence that might clear the defendant, Ken Morton, of killing his wife in 1986. Anderson prosecuted the case while he was a Williamson County district attorney, before he became a judge.
Anderson's plea resolved any civil and criminal charges pending against him. In exchange, Anderson was required to serve 10 days in jail, complete 500 hours of community service and be disbarred after already resigning from the bench. According to the Houston Chronicle, during the hearing, Judge Kelly Glen Moore said,
| “ | 'There is no way that anything we can do here today can resolve the tragedy that occurred in these matters. . .I'd like to say to Mr. Morton, the world is a better place because of you.'[9][7] | ” |
Anderson was released from jail after serving only five days with credit for good behavior behind bars.[10] All of the other cases Anderson handled, during his career as a prosecutor, will be reviewed to ensure there were no other instances of misconduct.[11]
Elections
2010
Anderson was re-elected to the district court after running unopposed.
See also
- News: Courtroom Weekly:Murder in the courts, April 4, 2013
- Texas District Courts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Williamson County, Texas, "277th District"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Texas Tribune, "State Bar Seeks Disciplinary Action Against Anderson," October 19, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 YNN, "Williamson County District Judge Ken Anderson resigns," September 24, 2013
- ↑ Martindale, "Ken Anderson profile," accessed February 6, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Statesman, "Judge finds that Anderson hid evidence in Morton murder trial," April 19, 2013
- ↑ The Statesman, "Anderson trial delayed to November," September 25, 2013
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ www.kvue.com, "Gov. Perry signs Michael Morton Act into law," May 16, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Ex-prosecutor gets jail for wrongful conviction," November 8, 2013
- ↑ Statesman, "How Ken Anderson was released after only five days in jail," November 15, 2013
- ↑ Texas Monthly, "Jail Time May Be the Least of Ken Anderson’s Problems - See more at: http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/jail-time-may-be-the-least-of-ken-andersons-problems/#sthash.Wdj2Khxi.dpuf," November 14, 2013
