After State Rep. Jeff Leach contacted an appeals court judge asking her to change her opinion on the appeal of convicted child murderer Robert Roberson, the Texas attorney general is calling for his removal from the Texas House.
Leach’s “conduct demonstrates that he is unfit to serve in any capacity overseeing our judicial system and unfit to serve as a Member of the Texas House,” Attorney General Ken Paxton proclaimed in a news release. “House Speaker Dade Phelan must immediately remove him as Chairman before he can do further damage, and Leach must resign.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Leach (R-McKinney), a member of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, has been a staunch advocate for a new trial for Roberson. He contacted Judge Michelle Slaughter on October 24 to plead for a new trial for the death row inmate. Judge Slaughter did not engage with Leach’s request and reported the communication to the court.
“Jeff Leach sought to alter the outcome of capital punishment proceedings by criminally attempting to influence a judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals. This is a violation of Texas Penal Code 36.04, which outlaws ‘improper influence,’” Paxton wrote in the press release. “My office is now making a criminal referral.”
On Monday, Leach acknowledged sending the text and admitted that he made a mistake.
“I am fiercely committed to the Rule of Law and to strengthening our system of justice. This is why I’m so passionate about the case of #RobertRoberson — because I believe so strongly the system has failed him. And that’s why I sent that message to Judge Slaughter,” Leach posted on social media.
“… I’m not an attorney or a party to the case … nor was I aware of any pending dispute before the Court of Criminal Appeals. Thus, I thought I was in the clear. But, clearly, I was wrong. Judge Slaughter handled it perfectly and professionally — as any Judge should do. And I apologize to her and to the Court,” Leach added.
After Paxton’s announcement on Tuesday calling for Leach’s removal from the House, Leach declined to comment further on the matter.
“The only news worth commenting on today is that my son Brady, a golfer at Allen High School, shot a 74 and won 1st place in his tournament this morning. Other than that, please refer to my statement from yesterday,” Leach tweeted.
Leach, who represents part of Paxton’s hometown of Mckinney, was at one time a close ally of the attorney general. However, he played a significant role in the impeachment of Paxton last year, describing him as unfit to serve due to the alleged abuse of his powers of office. Paxton was ultimately acquitted of the charges after a contentious trial.
Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, characterized Paxton’s calls for Leach’s resignation as “gaslighting and nothing but a political threat. … Leach is a Republican — just not Paxton’s flavor of Republican,” Taylor said, per The Texas Tribune.
