Judge Acted Beyond Scope of Authority in Death Penalty Case

Judge Kevin Fine (pictured) of the 177th District Court in Houston overstepped his authority when holding a pretrial hearing to determine whether a provision of the Texas death penalty statute is unconstitutional. So said the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which on Jan. 12 granted a mandamus sought by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and permanently put a stop to a pretrial hearing in defendant John E. Green’s capital murder case.