St. Mary's School of Law - Chasing Justice: Prosecutorial Ethics, DNA, and the Road to Exoneration– A Discussion with Exoneree Kerry Max Cook and Matthew B. Howard, Director, Bexar County Conviction Integrity Unit.

Join the American Constitution Society on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 from 12:00 to 1:15PM in Law Classroom (LC) 105 for Chasing Justice: Prosecutorial Ethics, DNA, and the Road to Exoneration– A Discussion with Exoneree Kerry Max Cook and Matthew B. Howard, Director, Bexar County Conviction Integrity Unit.

Exoneree, Kerry Max Cook, spent over 2 decades on death row and nearly 47 years fighting to overturn his wrongful conviction. Initially beginning in 1978, Mr. Cook’s battle would continue until 2024, when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals officially declared his actual innocence. Cook authored a book based on his struggle, Chasing Justice: My Story of Freeing Myself After Two Decades on Death Row for a Crime I Didn’t Commit. 

Mr. Cook will be joined by one of St. Mary's University's own Practicing Adjunct Professors, Matthew B. Howard, discussing wrongful convictions and habeas corpus in the Spring. Additionally, Howard is a Writing Coach for Legal Research and Writing and is also an Externship Supervisor for the St. Mary’s University School of Law Externship Program. Howard serves as the Director of the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit and has an active role in the post-conviction litigation of over a dozen cases recognized by the National Registry of Exonerations. 

Kerry Cook, joined by Matthew Howard, will discuss topics surrounding the following:

• Legal and ethical obligations and Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Finality of convictions, Habeas Corpus, and Wrongful Convictions. 
• Exculpatory evidence, disclosure of evidence, and requirements of Brady, Art. 39.14. and ineffective assistance of counsel.
• Newly discovered forensic evidence, witness testimony, and ineffective assistance of counsel. 

Lunch will be provided by the American Constitution Society. This event is free and open to all St. Mary's students, faculty, and staff. This event is educational in nature and does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, party, or campaign.

ACS is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization. Views expressed by the speakers and attendees reflect their individual opinions and should not be attributed to ACS.

For more information please visit https://law.stmarytx.edu/academics/faculty/matthew-howard/; see generally Ex parte Cook, No. WR-84,565-01 (Tex. Crim. App. June 19, 2024), summarized in Case Summaries, Tex. Dist. & Cnty. Att’ys Ass’n (June 21, 2024), https://www.tdcaa.com/case-summaries/june-21-2024/.