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James Woodard pardoned!

Congrats to James Woodard, Texas' longest-serving DNA exoneree (28 years) who finally received his formal pardon yesterday from Governor Perry. AP notes that "The official declaration of James Woodard's innocence clears the way for the Dallas man to collect millions of dollars from the state." (See 60 Minutes coverage for background on his case.)I got to know James a bit during the legislative session, particularly during the exoneree lobby day organized by the Innocence Project of Texas when he and I walked around together all afternoon talking to members and their staffs. At the time, he'd been out just a few months.Like many exonerees, James has faced health problems and a rough transition back to the free world. In addition to the reentry problems you'd expect, there was also an aspect of culture shock that's been difficult to overcome...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on October 01, 2009 (boomark / email).