On Pins and Needles
Some major legislation was still on the Maybe-Maybe Not list as the governor's June 17 veto deadline approached. The list included the so-called Penry Bill, which would insert an evaluation of mental retardation into the state's death penalty process and make it more difficult for the state to execute mentally retarded murderers. Gov. Rick Perry originally said the issue should be left to the courts, since the case involving Johnny Paul Penry was, at the time, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. That court has since ruled (on a related, but somewhat different point about the judge's instructions to the jury) and Perry no longer has that excuse. He's getting advice both ways, both internally and externally, but hadn't made a decision as of late Thursday. Full Story