Attorney General Ken Paxton defended the existing federal standards to maintain criminal sentences, Jan. 23, 2019.

The argument at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit aims to hold the legal standards in place and keep admitted pedophile Ricky Langley in prison for the murder of a six-year-old boy. Loosening the standards for criminals to overturn their convictions could subvert necessary criminal justice procedures and risk public safety.

“The courts should not change the law and allow a man found guilty of murdering a child to walk free,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The Louisiana court acted justly and in accordance with established federal law when it convicted and sentenced Langley for this horrific crime. I am confident the federal court will protect and preserve our criminal justice system, and continue to hold dangerous, violent criminals accountable for their crimes.”

Langley has been tried and convicted three times for the killing of a six-year-old boy and is now seeking to escape his prison sentence by claiming that the Louisiana court violated federal standards when it allowed a jury to find he specifically intended to kill or cause great bodily harm to the boy. The Texas attorney general’s office today argued the type of extraordinary relief that Langley seeks is intended as a “guard against extreme malfunctions” of the court and is not applicable in this case.