There's an inverse relationship between the shock value in Erma Wilson's criminal justice experience and the remedy, or lack thereof, afforded to her for an alleged violation of her constitutional rights. Despite a federal judge calling her story "utterly bonkers," she has been barred from going before a jury and stating her civil case against a rogue ex-prosecutor.
In a rare turn, that may finally change. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit this week agreed to rehear her petition—implying a majority of judges may be inclined to reverse the court's previous ruling, which shielded from liability a former assistant district attorney in Texas who allegedly helped prosecute Wilson while he covertly worked for the same judges overseeing his cases.
