Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas, has granted pardons to 35 defendants caught up in the bogus Tulia, Texas drug sting. Perry said discredited undercover cop Tom Coleman was a big factor in his decision.

Jeff Blackburn, a lawyer in Amarillo who represents many of the people pardoned yesterday, said indiscriminate spending in the war on drugs was to blame for the debacle in Tulia. He was especially critical of the Texas Panhandle Regional Narcotics Trafficking Task Force, a federally financed consortium of 26 Texas counties based in Amarillo.

"The government agency that caused the Tulia fiasco was the task force," Mr. Blackburn said. "They were the group that hired Coleman. They were that group that allegedly supervised Coleman. We believe it was this group that encouraged him to make the largest number of cases using whatever methods he chose. The more productive he appeared to be, the more funding money they could get."

The pardons will allow those receiving them to sue for damages. Most have settled with local officials for $250,000, but they remain free to sue the task force that employed Coleman.

Coleman is white. 39 of the 46 defendants were black. Here are some details about Coleman and his conduct: