Texas House Gives Final Ok To Ban On 'pick-a-pal' Grand Jury Selection

The Texas House on Sunday approved a high-profile proposal to ban the "pick-a-pal" method for choosing grand juries, putting the state on the cusp of becoming the last in America to end the controversial practice. The "pick-a-pal" method, also known as the "key-man" system, in which grand jurors are selected through a list of individuals prepared by an acquaintance chosen by a local judge, has been criticized by the United States Supreme Court and replaced by every other state following complaints about favoritism, manipulation and bias. A series of articles by Houston Chronicle columnist Lisa Falkenberg revealed myriad problems with the system in Texas, including instances of judges' friends sitting on multiple grand juries and potential conflicts of interest going undetected, such as allowing former police officers to hear a case in which a lawman is accused of a crime.