Protect the Michael Morton Act in Texas

Help protect innocent Texans from wrongful convictions. Call 737-210-5456 and urge lawmakers to protect the Michael Morton Act.

Michael Morton spent more than 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Texas is about to rollback protections put in place to make sure wrongful convictions like his don’t happen again. 

On August 13, 1986, while Mr. Morton was at work, his wife was found dead in their bed. Despite Mr. Morton’s assertions of his innocence and both of his neighbors recalling a parked van behind the Mortons’ house at the time as well as the Mortons’ three-year-old son saying that his “Daddy” was “not home” during the crime, Mr. Morton was arrested and charged with murder. During the trial, Mr. Morton’s defense raised concerns that the prosecution was concealing potentially exculpatory evidence, but the prosecution denied it and ultimately, Mr. Morton was convicted of the crime. 

In 2005, the Innocence Project and the law firm of Raley & Bowick reinvestigated Mr. Morton’s case and requested additional DNA testing on evidence from the crime scene. During this reinvestigation, it was revealed that DNA linked another unknown male, not Mr. Morton, to the crime scene. Additionally, it showed that the prosecution had information during Mr. Morton’s trial that showed his innocence, but chose to withhold it. Mr. Morton was finally exonerated in 2011.

In 2013, in direct response to Mr. Morton’s wrongful conviction, Texas enacted the Michael Morton Act to ensure that in a criminal case, defendants received full disclosure of all of the evidence, “as soon as practicable.” The passing of the Michael Morton Act showed Texas’ commitment to preventing wrongful convictions, but now the state may take a step backward. 

Police and prosecutors, who are directly involved in criminal investigations, have an enormous advantage when it comes to accessing evidence in criminal cases. Texas’ current discovery law ensures that both sides in a legal case have prompt and comprehensive access to evidence so that people accused of crimes can make informed plea agreements and defend against wrongful convictions. A strong discovery law is fundamental to protecting innocent people. Texas must not rollback the Michael Morton Act and put innocent Texans at risk. 

Sign up above to contact your state legislature and protect the Michael Morton Act to ensure that Texas remains a leader in discovery reform.