OFFICE OF GOVERNOR WILLIAM P. CLEMENTS JR. June 26, 1981 For Immediate Release: Governor Clements said today he was "delighted with the judicious, thorough• and timely consideration by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the state's •• motion for a stay in the Texas prison case. "As I have stated repeatedly i Judge William Wayne justice orerstepped his power and incorrectly assessed the facts presented to him in the Ruiz case," the Governor said. "I am grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice for its assistance in critical areas of the motion for a stay. In spite of Texas Attorney General Mark White's attitude toward the Reagan Administration, I am con- fident that the Justice Department's altered positiclm played an important role in the circuit court's decision. "Justice Department zilJrneys did side with the state on several key issues. The Carter Justice Department agreed with the Texas position on nothing and, in fact, led the charge against the Department of Corrections. "I still feel strongly, as does the Department of Corrections Board, that Attorney General White should promptly retain competent outside counsel, in the form of a major Texas law firm, to represent the state in the crucial final hearings on this major litigation before the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court."
