State v. Oakley

Since a constitutional amendment in 1956, 1 the Legislature has enacted a number of statutes providing compensation for persons wrongfully imprisoned by the State. The current version is Chapter 103 of the Civil Practices and Remedies Code. 2 That Chapter allows either administrative or judicial claims, 3 the former providing a flat $25,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment, 4 the latter providing reimbursement of actual lost earnings, medical expenses, and legal fees. 5 In either case, there is a $500,000 cap. 6

The questions presented in these companion cases are whether claims for…