Author name: Benson Varghese

In Texas, individuals convicted of a felony are disenfranchised while they are serving their sentence, meaning they temporarily lose their right to vote. However, this loss of voting rights is not permanent. Once a person has fully served their sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, and probation, their right to vote is automatically restored.

Two death penalty trials recently concluded in Tarrant County, marking the third time in 2024 that prosecutors have pursued the death penalty and got it. This is particularly notable because, before 2024, Tarrant County hadn’t had a death penalty trial since 2019. Death penalty trials have declined significantly statewide since 1999, when Texas juries sentenced

Trials are like a game of chess. The best attorneys are always thinking several moves ahead. In every case that goes to trial, we are not just preparing our arguments for the judge and jury.  We are anticipating the prosecution’s every move and creating a record that maximizes our chances of victory –  not just

Prior to April 20, 2020, 48 states and the federal system required unanimous jury verdicts for serious criminal offenses. Louisiana and Oregon, however, only required a 10-2 jury verdict, meaning only 10 jury members needed to be in full agreement that a defendant was “guilty” of the serious crime with which he or she was

During an emergency meeting on Sunday, March 23, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson supported the county’s Second Amended Declaration of Local Disaster to impose jail time and fines for individuals charged with violating the county’s emergency order pertaining to the coronavirus. Even as state officials from both parties urge a reduction in jail populations

Duplicity in Prosecution or Politics as Usual? In recent days, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson has publicly stated that her office plans to pursue a murder indictment against former Fort Worth Police Officer Aaron York Dean in the officer-involved shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson. “We have completed an initial review of the case, and

Gamble vs. U.S. (2019) The Supreme Court handed down its decision in Gamble vs. United States (No. 17–646) on July 17 in which the Court declined to put an end to state and federal prosecutors punishing individuals twice for the same crime. In its 7-2 decision, the Court declined to overturn the dual-sovereignty doctrine. While