| This post is one of many we'll do closely examining the Travis County DA race. So what exactly does the Travis County District Attorney do? From their website: The mission of the District Attorney's Office is to see that justice is done by providing the highest quality legal representation for the public and for individual victims of crime, and by supporting the community's efforts strengthen itself and solve problems. Ronnie Earle is currently stepping down as Travis County DA, but his legacy is one of enormous work that has led to the expandsion of the role of the DA's office. He created the Public Integrity Unit to hold elected officials accountable -- which has included high-profile pursuits of white-collar crime by such notorious elected officials as Tom Delay. There are numerous other divisions, which include: - Administration Division
- Major Crimes and Narcotics Division
- Appellate Division
- Special Prosecution Division
- Family Justice Division
- Victim Witness Division
- Trial Division
- Grand Jury/Special Prosecution Division
- Investigation Division
In addition to these and the Public Integrity Office, Earle has helped create and strengthen the Child Protection Team, the Children's Advocacy Center, and the Family Development Center (now part of Parents' Anonymous of Texas). His dpearture leaves very large shoes to fill for one of the most important jobs in the state of Texas. To learn more about the candidates in the race, click on the links atop this post, or read any of the following resources. We'll be providing a lot more information on this race over the coming days and weeks, so stay tuned. - Austin American-Statesman - Ronnie Earle announces his retirement
- Texas Observer - A terrific, long discussion of the race
- BOR - Ronnie Earle endorses Rosemary Lehmberg
- BOR - Richard Morrison writes a diary titled, "Why the Travis County DA's race matters" that is a must read
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