Limit the application of the “Law of Parties” doctrine.
The law of parties allows courts to convict individuals of crimes they neither committed nor intended for anyone else to commit. Texas should limit its application, particularly in murder cases and capital murder cases where the rule allows juries to convict an individual of a crime that is more serious than they contemplated and carries the state’s severest punishments.
Resources
Commentary
- Texans Convicted of Crimes in their Youth Deserve a Second Look: May 2021
- Inviting Common Sense into the Texas Law of Parties Doctrine: February 2021
- Limited Liability, Unlimited Growth: January 2017
Research
- Research Report: A review of asbestos litigation: February 2005