David Goodman Makes a Case

State Senator David Goodman has introduced a bill that will make more DNA evidence available to more convicted felons, without compromising their rights. In addition, the bill would require videotaping all interrogations from the time Miranda Rights are read, and that all lineups be administered by officers who are unaware of which person is the suspect.

Every single one of these is an excellent idea. Barring some unknown poison pill (I haven't read the bill's text yet), I'd endorse this bill as strongly as anything I've seen come through the legislature in recent years.

Typically, when you see a high-profile bill introduced in the summer of an even-numbered year, the sponsor is trying in part to increase their re-election chances in November. Senator Goodman is actually not up for re-election this fall.

He is, however, on the ballot as a judicial candidate for the 10th (Franklin County) Court of Appeals. There are a number of reasons to hope that he is unsuccessful in this run, the main one being that it gives the GOP a big procedural advantage in holding on to a swing Senate district in 2010. Another would be that it would mean a victory for the previous target of a damn-the-facts-full-outrage-ahead attack by Bill O'Reilly.

On the other hand, having judges who are strongly, concretely, and publicly in favor of... justice, well, I can't say that's a bad thing at all. Ball's in your court, John Connor.