Texas lawmakers, rather than Gov. Abbott, took lead in winning Roberson reprieve

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A frantic and unprecedented rush by Texas lawmakers to successfully block the controversial execution of death row inmate Robert Roberson this week was notable for the absence of Gov. Greg Abbott, political analysts say.

In a state where the death penalty is as ingrained as cowboy boots and conservative politics, news of Roberson's death sentence broke through in Texas after the rarest of phenoms: a noisy, bipartisan effort that bypassed the governor's office to save a man from lethal injection.

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