Texas attorney. Retired Court of Criminal Appeals Judge. Aspiring author. Mom of 3 kids in college. 2 rescue pups. 2 rescue cats. She/her.
Denver, CO
Joined May 2013
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Elsa Alcala retweeted
Texas has never even been able to get a hearing on reducing marijuana penalties in the Texas Senate bc Houston mayoral candidate John Whitmire has chaired the Criminal Justice Committee since 1993 and he refused to allow it.
Support for marijuana legalization reaches record high, at 70%. Importantly, this overwhelming support for legalization is the same in states where pot is still illegal, and where tens of thousands of people continue to be arrested for marijuana possession news.gallup.com/poll/514007/…
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Brent Brewer is scheduled for execution on 11/9 for the murder of Robert Laminack. A juror from the trial has spoken out about the misleading sentencing instructions in death penalty cases and how Mr. Brewer deserves clemency. tinyurl.com/5a26sjf5 #txlege @TCADPdotORG
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Brent Brewer will be executed this week. A juror in his case has stated that she was confused by the jury charge, and didn’t believe he should die. The House has voted many times to fix this. The Senate apparently thinks it’s ok to deceive jurors in a #DeathPenalty case. #txlege
Brent Brewer is scheduled to be executed on Thursday. One of the jurors in his case says says Texas' confusing jury instructions misled her into voting for his death sentence, despite her belief that he deserved to live huffpost.com/entry/texas-jur…
Elsa Alcala retweeted
The sister of Gary L. Dickerson, who was murdered by Will Speer, has submitted a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles supporting Mr. Speer’s application for clemency. Texas plans to execute Mr. Speer on October 26. tinyurl.com/101123Letter @TexDefender @TCADPdotORG
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Unaffordable housing in a city drives homelessness in that city.
NOT mental illness or substance use or "loss of community" or unhoused people moving to that city.
UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING.
Analysis comparing data from 2017 & 2022 found areas with fast rent growth—Sacramento, Fresno, Raleigh, Phoenix, Austin, and Tucson—saw homelessness spike.
Places with slow rent growth—Minneapolis, Houston, Philadelphia, and Chicago—saw homelessness drop. pew.org/3LCwv5c
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Is anyone surprised that Texas Republicans let Ken Paxton off the hook for blatant and rampant corruption?
We can't expect justice from them. We must #VoteThemOut
Elsa Alcala retweeted
But for several individuals on death row, relief has not been forthcoming. Join us for a webinar on September 7 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM CT to learn more about this law and how it has been interpreted by the courts. RSVP here: forms.gle/Wn5DxTENzZqWmdYs7. @innocencetexas @TexDefender
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Ten years ago today (9/1), a groundbreaking new law went into effect in Texas. The "junk science writ" created a pathway for individuals to challenge their convictions by presenting evidence of false or misleading scientific testimony, and it has led to some exonerations.
Elsa Alcala retweeted
In MN, prosecutors will seek to lessen sentences of rehabilitated inmates. @MaybellRomero @JudgeWren @CBHessick @WaqarVick @HaroldWallin @AdamKoppekin @GalvinAlmanza startribune.com/minnesota-pr…
Elsa Alcala retweeted
The fact the court is not trusted nor respected is the legacy of Chief Justice Roberts. So he should suck it up and stop whining about the damage he has helped inflict upon the court.
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Every university in country ought to be issuing statements reaffirming its commitment to a diverse student body & providing equal educational opportunity to all students.
Harvard leadership responds to today's Supreme Court decision: hrvd.me/SCOTUS23t
ALT A blue graphic that says "The heart of our extraordinary institution is its people. Harvard will continue to be a vibrant community whose members come from all walks of life, all over the world."
Elsa Alcala retweeted
.@GregAbbott_TX just accidentally posted a satire article because he wants to hate on queer Texans and Garth Brooks so bad.
The Texas Country Jamboree doesn’t exist. Hambriston, Texas is not real. And the Governor is not fit to tweet, much less govern.
Happy pride! 🏳️🌈
Elsa Alcala retweeted
In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: “A prisoner who is actually innocent, imprisoned for conduct that Congress did not criminalize, is forever barred ... from raising that claim, merely because he previously [was denied] postconviction relief.”
‘Legally innocent’ prisoner loses Supreme Court bid to challenge 27-year sentence. courthousenews.com/legally-i… @CourthouseNews @KelseyReichmann @InnocenceNtwrk
Elsa Alcala retweeted
In another Clarence Thomas opinion, the Supreme Court guts the constitutional protection against the prosecution's use of a non-testifying defendant's statements against another defendant. Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, dissent. supremecourt.gov/opinions/22…
Elsa Alcala retweeted
.@GovAbbott For two sessions in a row the Texas House of Representatives has passed measures to provide climate control for our prisons. Prison gaurds and inmates continue to suffer heat related deaths and injury. The Texas Senate once again has failed Texas families.
Elsa Alcala retweeted
Clarence Thomas’ Latest Criminal Justice Ruling Is an Outright Tragedy. slate.com/news-and-politics/… @Slate @LeahLitman #SCOTUS
Elsa Alcala retweeted
This heat wave, which is hitting incarcerated ppl extra hard, comes less than a month after the Senate declined to invest in AC in TX prisons, despite $32B budget surplus. #txlege
texastribune.org/2023/05/26/…
