NACDL News: Discovery Reform - Texas Governor Signs Michael Morton Act

On May 16, during the week that marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Brady v. Maryland, the state of Texas took a significant step toward the realization of the promise of Brady. On that date, Gov. Rick Perry signed into law Senate Bill 1611 — The Michael Morton Act. This bill delivers positive change to discovery in criminal cases in Texas. The new law codifies that prosecutors should make available to the defense, automatically upon request, all police offense reports and witness statements in their files.