Attorney Jerry Guerinot's record in capital cases is appalling, demonstrating his unfitness to serve as defense counsel in those cases. We, the undersigned, demand an immediate end to his appointment to defend indigent defendants.

Twenty of his 39 clients in capital cases, or over half, were sentenced to death as of 2007. To put that epic record of failure in context, it is higher than the number of prisoners on death row in more than half of the states still implementing the death penalty.

But it gets worse: of the remaining 19 clients, three had their charges dropped by the prosecution, six pleaded guilty in exchange for life in prison, and in another five, prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. In the remaining five cases, Guerinot persuaded the jury to give his clients life instead of the death penalty. For those not eager to do the math, that means that, as of 2007, Guerinot never persuaded even a single that there was a "reasonable doubt" about his client's guilt.

Texas courts should immediately end appointments of Guerinot in capital cases.