tors could override the governor with a two-thirds majority vote, Mr. Acuna said."The governor believes that the criminal justice system is good, and there are ways to improve it, but a moratorium of the death penalty in Texas is not one of them," Mr. Acuna said. Mr. Acuna cited a law recently signed by Mr. Perry allowing criminal defendants and inmates access to DNA testing as an example of the improvements the governor favored.For years, Texas voters have overwhelmingly supported capital punishment. But recent polls also have revealed that a majority of Texans supported the concept of a moratorium so that the fairness of the system could be examined. Polls also showed that a majority of Texans believe that an innocent person has been executed.Mr. Shapleigh noted that the committee actually approved two bills today, one to establish the commission to "fix what we now recognize as flaws," another to call for a moratorium vote. It is not yet certain when the bills will be voted on by the full Senate.Maurie Levin, a lawyer with Texas Defender Service, a group that represents capital defendants, said the committee vote was startling and seemed to suggest some shifting in attitudes among legislators. "It's tremendous," she said. "It's a recognition of all the problems in the system that have been exposed over the past year."Asked to assess the chances of passing both chambers, Ms. Levin added: "I don't know. I don't think we would have ever thought it would get out of committee."April 1, 2001 Widow's Quandary: Death Penalty or U.S. Trial?By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS • France Arrests Foe of Abortion in 1998 Murder (March 30, 2001) UFFALO, March 31 — Lynne Slepian, the widow of Dr. Barnett A. Slepian, favors execution for the anti-abortion activist accused of murdering her husband, but said a trial in the United States should be the priority.James C. Kopp, 46, was arrested Thursday in Dinan, France, two and a half years after th...
