General Counsel – Execution Files
Texas Governor Rick Perry:
An Inventory of Governor Rick Perry General Counsel Execution Files at the Texas State Archives, 1970-2014, bulk 1992-2014
| Organization | History | Scope and Contents | Restrictions | Related Materials |
Overview
Creator: Texas. Governor (2000-2015 : Perry)
Title: Governor Rick Perry General Counsel execution files
Dates: 1970-2014
Dates: bulk 1992-2014
Abstract: These are execution files that the Office of the General Counsel for Texas Governor Rick Perry created to track the cases of death row inmates and document actions by the courts and the governor through appeals, requests for stays of execution, or clemency. The files consist of execution summaries by the governor’s general counsel and summaries by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) (or by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the BPP), memos and correspondence, clemency petitions, affidavits, court documents, notes, records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmate files, Texas Department of Public Safety criminal history records, news clippings, case summaries from the South Western Reporter or similar court reports, citations from online legal sources, video tapes, and internal office files for General Counsel staff. Dates covered are 1970-2014, bulk 1992-2014. This series includes both paper and electronic record types.
Quantity: 37 cubic ft. and 79.2 MB (50 files)
Language: These materials are written predominately in English with scattered Spanish and other foreign languages throughout.
Repository: Texas State Archives
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Other Finding Aids
A description of non-electronic records described in this finding aid are available at https://txarchives.org/tslac/finding_aids/50120.xml.
Organization of the Records
These records are organized into two series:
- Execution case files, 1970-2014, bulk 1992-2014, 37 cubic ft. and 28.6 MB (35 files) (paper, digital)(Restricted)
- Administrative records and reports, 2001-2012, fractional and 50.6 MB (15 files) (paper, digital)
Agency History
The General Counsel position within the Texas Office of the Governor was created in October 1973 when the Executive Director of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division appointed an individual as General Counsel, to assist him in providing statute interpretations and in other matters relating to policies and procedures. Today the Office of the General Counsel is a separate division in the Governor’s Office.
Duties of the General Counsel include providing statute interpretations; tracking inmates on death row as their cases move through the judicial process including all appeals to the governor for commutations or stays of execution; handling pardon requests sent to the governor; reviewing proposed settlements, land patents, grant requests, contracts, easements, and deeds for the governor; analyzing proposed legislation and regulations for validity and legal effect; assisting appointments staff in determining eligibility and other legal issues related to proposed appointments; handling extradition and requisition matters; coordinating ethics guidelines and training for the governor’s office; advising the governor on federal programs administered by the state; coordinating the governor’s criminal justice policy with the governor’s Policy Director; and providing legal advice and handling litigation filed against the governor or the Governor’s Office, in conjunction with actions of the Attorney General on the governor’s behalf.
Scope and Content of the Records
These are execution files that the Office of the General Counsel of Texas Governor Rick Perry created to track the cases of death row inmates and document actions by the courts and the governor through appeals, requests for stays of execution, or clemency. The files consist of execution summaries by the governor’s general counsel and summaries by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) (or by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the BPP); memos and correspondence; clemency petitions; affidavits; court documents (judgments, opinions, appeals, motions, orders, etc.); notes; records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmate files, including medical or psychological summaries or reports, disciplinary reports, social histories, other internal reports about specific inmates, police reports, investigative reports of detectives, crime lab reports, fingerprint records, and occasionally, crime scene and/or autopsy photos; Texas Department of Public Safety criminal history records; clippings; case summaries from the South Western Reporter or similar court reports; citations from online legal sources; video tapes; and internal office files for General Counsel staff such as spreadsheets, databases and template response forms. Select cases are from Governor Clements, Governor Richards or Governor Bush’s terms as governor. This series includes both paper and electronic record types. Dates covered are 1970-2014, bulk 1992-2014.
The majority of the records are within the series Execution case files. This includes the individual files for most of the inmates executed during Perry’s term, dating 1970-2014, bulk 1992-2014. The series Administrative records and reports are records created by General Counsel staff to help track and facilitate execution case review and decisions within the General Counsel’s office, dating 2001-2012.
Formats of the original electronic files include word processing files (.doc, .docx), spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx), databases (.mdb), and PDFs. Digital files presented for public use will generally be PDF for text documents or spreadsheets. Files in their original format are available on request; restrictions may apply. Electronic records described in this finding aid that are part of the Texas Digital Archive are indicated as such in the inventory. Restrictions on access to the content of records are applicable to physical and electronic records.
Restrictions and Requirements
Restrictions on Access
Records described in this finding aid may contain information that is confidential under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552) or other statutes. Restricted information, as outlined in the statutes, applies to both physical and electronic records. As laws change, statutory restrictions may be added to or removed from these records. See our Texas Public Information Act and Researching in the State Archives web page for the more common types of restrictions found in state government records.
Requests for materials held within the State Archives, whether a Research Request or Public Information Act Request, must be submitted via this form: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ref/Texas_State_Archive_Material_Request_Form.pdf. A Research Request is sufficient for requesting most State Archives materials. While a PIA Request is always an option, a PIA Request for State Archives materials is required only if a researcher does not agree to the redaction or removal of restricted government information (see: Texas Gov’t Code Chapter 552).
For further assistance with accessing materials within the State Archives, contact the Reference Desk: archinfo@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455.
Restrictions on Use
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Technical Requirements
To view VHS videotapes please contact Archives staff for appropriate hardware.
Related Material
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Governor Rick Perry General Counsel execution files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession Information
Accession numbers: 2015/067, E2015/117
Paper records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Office of the Governor on December 19, 2014 through March 2015. Electronic records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Office of the Governor on January 29, 2015.
Processing Information
Processed by Halley Grogan, November 2015
