|
|
|
HR0786 |
|
LRB093 21680 RLC 49345 r |
|
|
1 |
| HOUSE RESOLUTION
|
2 |
| WHEREAS, The General Assembly enacted the Capital Crimes |
3 |
| Litigation Act, Public Act 91-589, effective January 1, 2000; |
4 |
| and
|
5 |
| WHEREAS, That Act created the Capital Litigation Trust |
6 |
| Fund; and
|
7 |
| WHEREAS, Moneys in the Capital Litigation Trust Fund are |
8 |
| used to provide funding for the prosecution and defense of |
9 |
| capital cases; and |
10 |
| WHEREAS, The Capital Crimes Litigation Act provides few |
11 |
| safeguards to prevent excessive requests for moneys from the |
12 |
| Capital Litigation Trust Fund by defense counsel appointed to |
13 |
| represent indigent defendants in capital cases; and |
14 |
| WHEREAS, There are several credible allegations of misuse |
15 |
| of moneys from the Fund; and |
16 |
| WHEREAS, One of the most outrageous examples of alleged |
17 |
| abuse is the Cecil Sutherland case; and |
18 |
| WHEREAS, In that case Sutherland's defense counsel has been |
19 |
| paid $612,463 from the Fund and the counsel's investigator has |
20 |
| been paid $420,715 from the the Fund; and |
21 |
| WHEREAS, These expenditures are considered outrageous by |
22 |
| reasonable members of the trial bar; and |
23 |
| WHEREAS, The Attorney General as the chief legal officer of |
24 |
| this State should investigate whether counsel appointed to |
25 |
| represent indigent defendants in capital cases are making |
26 |
| requests for outlandish sums of money from the Capital |
27 |
| Litigation Trust Fund; therefore, be it |