U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee called on Sunday for a congressional investigation into Harris County, Texas, saying current events indicate that its legal system confronts with a state of crisis.

The Democrat of Texas first referred to a recent Harris County grand jury decision not to prosecute a suburban homeowner, Joe Horn, who shot to death two men he suspected of burglarizing a neighbor's home.

"As far as many are concerned, justice was not rendered," said Jackson Lee, speaking at news conference Sunday.

Jackson Lee also mentioned a recent dispute concerning the Harris County Sheriff's Office, where top commanders were corrected for sending racially insensitive e-mails, including some that insulted Islam.

Other matters have concerned the Harris County Jail, which is subjected to a federal civil rights investigation and the withdrawal earlier this year of ex-District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal, who resigned from office after sending explicit e-mails on his county computer.

Jackson Lee also aimed at the current problems with the Houston Police Department crime lab, which forced interruption of DNA testing twice since 2002. Since then, three men convicted with culpable evidence have been acquited.

According to Jackson Lee, the model of behavior arouses questions about partiality in the system.

"With the enormous fractures in the system, until we take a broom and sweep it out, there won't be evenhanded justice," she said.

Jackson Lee said she wishes for congressional hearings to investigate possible biases in the Harris County justice system. She also demanded a federal investigation of the sheriff's department.