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The sexual affair between a former Texas judge and a former district attorney has threatened to complicate the conviction and sentencing of a death row case. The judge, Verla Sue Holland, admitted under oath on Monday, that she and Thomas O’Connell carried on an affair for many years. Charles Dean Hood had been scheduled for execution today, but was granted a stay by the Court of Appeals for a hearing on his challenge to jury instructions. The court dismissed the claims that Hood had not received a fair trial due to the affair. (Chicago Tribune)

Two senators, one Republican and one Democrat, have come together to accuse the Department of Labor for failing to uphold the “spirit and goals” of laws protecting whistleblowers. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) wrote the letter in reaction to a recent Wall Street Journal article that showed the government has ruled in favor of whistleblowers in only 17 out of 1,273 complaints. (Wall Street Journal)

Republicans called for embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to step down from his post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee until the ethics complaints against him are resolved. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH) wrote to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) requesting she insist that Rangel step down. Complaints over Rangel stem from his failure to disclose income from a rental property in the Dominican Republic. (Los Angeles Times)

A new report from the Government Accountability Office states that the government’s bridge repair program is unfocused and lacking in standards. The report comes a little after the one year anniversary of the collapse of the I-35W Minneapolis bridge, that killed 13 people and injured hundreds more. (AP)

Elections in Georgia have been plagued by ethics violations, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Their final report describes “widespread and serious irregularities” as well as ballot box stuffing and beating of opposition activists. The report describes over 1,400 complaints and cites failure by the government to properly respond. (Reuters)

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