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Jana Duty to Take On Bradley For Williamson County DA

Williamson County attorney Jana Duty announced this morning that she will run for district attorney. Duty will challenge the incumbent DA, John Bradley, in the Republican primary on March 6.

A central theme of Duty’s campaign will be the bungling of the Michael Morton case. Morton was convicted of murdering his wife in 1987 and spent 25 years behind bars before he was exonerated by DNA evidence in October.

“Unfortunately there is a cloud hanging over the District Attorney’s office. John Bradley represents all that is wrong with our political system today,” Duty says on her campaign website. “Instead of seeking justice, Bradley aggressively fought against DNA testing for a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for over two decades for murder.”

Bradley rejects the criticism and suggests Duty is unqualified for the job.

"She has never even tried a case, handled an appeal or decided whether to seek the death penalty," Bradley told our political reporting partners, the Texas Tribune. However, in an interview with the Tribune last month, Bradley confessed that his legendary confidence had been shaken by the Morton case.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.
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