| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 329 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Admired attorney Jeff Blackburn died on February 7, |
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| 6 | 6 | | 2023, at the age of 65, bringing a great loss to his family, his |
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| 7 | 7 | | friends, and the legal community; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Blackburn was born on May 1, 1957, in Amarillo; |
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| 9 | 9 | | he earned his law degree from the University of Houston and |
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| 10 | 10 | | subsequently began practicing law in his hometown in 1983; in 1988, |
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| 11 | 11 | | he became board certified as a specialist in criminal law; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, Throughout his exemplary career, Mr. Blackburn |
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| 13 | 13 | | worked tirelessly representing the poor and disadvantaged in |
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| 14 | 14 | | criminal and civil rights cases across the State of Texas, and he |
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| 15 | 15 | | also spearheaded a number of significant criminal justice reform |
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| 16 | 16 | | efforts in Texas; two of his most celebrated cases were the Tulia |
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| 17 | 17 | | Drug Bust of 1999, where he secured the pardon of 38 defendants, and |
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| 18 | 18 | | the posthumous exoneration of Tim Cole, who had been falsely |
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| 19 | 19 | | convicted and died in prison; in 2006, he founded the Innocence |
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| 20 | 20 | | Project of Texas and served as its chief counsel until 2015; in |
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| 21 | 21 | | recognition of his many accomplishments, he received a multitude of |
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| 22 | 22 | | awards, including the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year |
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| 23 | 23 | | award, the Frank Spurlock Award, and the Warren Burnett Award, and |
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| 24 | 24 | | he was also honored by numerous civil rights groups, such as the |
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| 25 | 25 | | American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the |
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| 26 | 26 | | Advancement of Colored People, the League of United Latin American |
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| 27 | 27 | | Citizens, and the Texas Civil Rights Project; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Blackburn eventually moved to New Mexico with |
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| 29 | 29 | | his partner, Jessy Tyler, and while there, he created the Rio Grande |
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| 30 | 30 | | Regional Justice Project; in his free time, he enjoyed traveling, |
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| 31 | 31 | | reading, organic farming, listening to good music, and engaging in |
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| 32 | 32 | | great conversation; moreover, he was a devoted father to his two |
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| 33 | 33 | | sons, Sam and John; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Jeff Blackburn was a powerful advocate for his |
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| 35 | 35 | | clients and for criminal justice reform, and although he will be |
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| 36 | 36 | | greatly missed by those he left behind, they will forever remember |
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| 37 | 37 | | his dedication, his generosity, and his passion for life; now, |
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| 38 | 38 | | therefore, be it |
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| 39 | 39 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 40 | 40 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Jeff Blackburn and |
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| 41 | 41 | | extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his |
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| 42 | 42 | | sons, Sam and his wife, Scotney, and John; to his grandchildren, |
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| 43 | 43 | | Archer and Oliver; to his partner, Jessy Tyler; and to the many |
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| 44 | 44 | | others who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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| 45 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 46 | 46 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 47 | 47 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Jeff |
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| 48 | 48 | | Blackburn. |
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| 49 | 49 | | Dutton |
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| 50 | 50 | | ______________________________ |
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| 51 | 51 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 52 | 52 | | I certify that H.R. No. 329 was unanimously adopted by a |
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| 53 | 53 | | rising vote of the House on March 8, 2023. |
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| 54 | 54 | | ______________________________ |
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| 55 | 55 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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