Only hours after a Travis County jury unanimously found a man guilty of murder, Governor Greg Abbott promised to pardon him as soon as a request from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles hit his desk, something widely expected since he appoints those members. The unprecedented move by the Governor immediately elicited cheers from the conservative right, whose prominent figures had been calling for the pardon, and outrage and confusion just about everywhere else. The Travis County District Attorney called the Governor’s statement troubling, saying: "A jury gets to decide whether a defendant is guilty or innocent, not the governor." In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons explore what it means for the future independence of the legal system and whether it could have a chilling effect on future juries. UT School of Law professor Jennifer Laurin says we should all be concerned about the politicization of the criminal legal system. And former Travis County Criminal Court Judge David Wahlberg calls the move for a pardon outrageous, particularly since the Governor never set foot in the courtroom where jurors spent more than a week listening to several dozen witnesses.

GUESTS

 Professor Jennifer Laurin, UT School of Law (START/9:11)

 Judge David Wahlberg, Senior District Judge/former Criminal District Judge (START/19:49)

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