Should Judge Answer For Her Actions In Public Trial?

I found an interesting editorial in the Austin American Statesman by an unknown author. Basically, on September 25, 2007 a man (Michael Richard) was executed due to a judge’s refusal to accept his appeal because it was received after 5 pm. Not saying that he wasn’t guilty of committing the crime he was accused of but… Interestingly enough, that morning the U.S. Supreme Court had said that it would hear arguments that death by lethal injection is unconstitutional. Since he was scheduled to be executed that evening, Judge Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and other judges were even expecting the man’s attorneys to file an appeal. Due to a computer glitch, Richard’s attorneys asked if they could file the appeal a little after the court clerk’s office was to close. This request was denied by Judge Keller alone, without informing or consulting with the other judges. I do agree with the author that Judge Sharon Keller should have to stand trial for her decision to deny Richard’s appeal because it would arrive after the court clerk’s office closed. This is a man’s life we’re talking about here, no matter what crime he may have committed. She shouldn’t be allowed to take the easy way out by retiring or resigning. She is a member of society just like the rest of us and should face the consequences of her actions. However, it seems as though the author’s feelings are a bit extreme. Saying that, “At trial, the sordid events of Sept. 25 would be aired before Texas and the world. Keller's cold-blooded and process-centered approach to justice would be on vivid display.” Seems a bit harsh to me. Is there a personal reason why the author wants to rake the judge over the coals in front of the public? Yikes! I'm not sure who the author's intended audience is. Maybe anyone else who will listen to his/her exaggerated opinions??

"FIxing" the Nursing Shortage in Texas?

I stumbled upon an interesting article about Texas bills designed to improve the nursing shortage. It seems that there has been a lot of talk in the news over the past few years about nursing shortages. According to this article, the main reason for the shortage is that too many nurses are forced to work overtime and the nurse-patient ratio is too high. Does this mean that there are plenty of licensed nurses in Texas who are not working in their field for fear of being overworked? Or, are there not enough licensed nurses in Texas, period? There is a waiting list to get in to most of the Registered Nursing programs here in central Texas. In my opinion, there either needs to be more nursing programs created in order to accommodate all incoming nursing students or increase the number of faculty to allow more students in to the existing programs.