NO. PD-0031-15 IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

OF TEXAS
DAVID LEE VICTORICK, Petitioner

vs. STATE OF TEXAS, Respondent


## AMENDED PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW (Oral Argument Not Requested)
On Discretionary Review from Docket Number 9-14-00190-CR

Ninth Court of Appeals, Beaumont
Trial Court Cause Number 13-11-12323-CR

435 TH Judicial District Montgomery County, Texas

Submitted by: L.T. “Butch” Bradt #02841600 14015 Southwest Freeway, Suite 4 Sugar Land, Texas 77478-3500 (281) 201-0700 Fax: (281) 201-1202 ltbradt@flash.net Attorney for David Lee Victorick PD-0031-15 COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS Transmitted 2/6/2015 5:41:34 PM Accepted 2/11/2015 1:48:10 PM

ABEL ACOSTA CLERKI D E NTITY O F PA RTIES Pet it ion er : D avid L e e Victorick Couns e l for Pe titione r at Trial Court and on Ap p e al: L

. T. “Butch” Bradt #0 2 8 4160 0 140 1 5 S outhwe s t Fre e way , S uite 4 S u g ar L and, Te xas 77478

- 3 50 0 (28 1) 20 1- 0 70 0 Fax: (28 1) 20 1- 120 2 ltb radt@ flas h. ne t Respon d en t: The S tate of Te xas Couns e l for the S tate of Te xas : Honorab le Bre tt L ig on, D i s trict Attorne y William D e lmore , As s ’ t D is trict Attorne y 20 7 W. Phillip s , 2nd Floor Conroe , Te xas 773 0 1 (93 6) 5 3 9- 78 0 0 Fax: (93 6) 760

- 6 940 b i ll. de lmore @ mctx. org Pos tconviction L itig ation D i vis ion Office of the Attorne y

G e ne ral P. O. Box 125 48 Aus tin, Te xas 78 711- 25 48 (5 12) 93 6- 140 0 cons t_claims @ te xas attorne y g e ne ral. g ov S t ate Pros e cuting Attorne y P. O. Box 13 0 46 Aus tin, Te xas 78 711- 3 0 46 information@ s p a. te xas . g ov

Tr i al C our t J ud ge: Honorab le Michae l T. S e i le r

iTA B LE O F C O NTENTS Pa ge

I D EN TI TY OF PARTI ES

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i TABL E OF CON TEN TS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii N OMEN CL

ATURE US ED I N BRI EF.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii TABL E OF AUTHORI TI E S

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i v S t ate me nt Re g arding Oral Arg ume nt.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix S T ATEMEN T OF THE CAS E.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 PRO C ED U RA L H I STO RY

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 QUES TI ON S OR G ROUN D S FOR REVI EW.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 QUES TI ON N O. ON E: I s the e vide nce le g ally s ufficie nt to sup p ort the Pe titione r’ s conviction? .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 QUES TI ON N O. TWO: Whe n a judg e p re - judg e s a de fe ndant’ s g uilt, is the de fe ndant the re b y d e n i e d the fair, ne utral and imp artial mag is trate that he is g uarante e d u nde r Ame nd. I , V and XI V, U. S

. Cons titution?.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Q UES TI ON N O. THREE: Are Rule 18 a(a)(3 ) and 18 a(j)(1)( A ) , Te xas Rule s of Civil Proc e d u re uncons titutional as de p riving a criminal de fe ndant of D ue Proc e s s w he n the e vide nce of the judg e’ s p re

judg me nt of g uilt is p lace d in orde rs in the cas e and the de fe ndant is de nie d i mme d iate ap pe llate re vie w of the de nial of his motion to re cus e ?.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 S T ATEMEN T OF FACTS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 S T AN D ARD OF REVI EW.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 L e g al S ufficie ncy

Re vie w. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ARG U MEN T AN D AUTHORI TY.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 I S S UE N O. ON E RES TATED : The e vide nce is le g ally i n s u f f i c i e nt to s up p ort Pe titione r’ s conviction.

ii. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

S t atutory

Cons truction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Evide nce D oe s N ot S up p ort A Conviction.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 I S S UE N O. TWO RES TATED : Whe n a judg e pre - judg e s a de fe ndant’ s g uilt, the d e f e ndant is the re b y de nie d the fair, ne utral and imp artial mag is trate that he is g uarante e d unde r Am e n d

. I , V and XI V, U. S

. Cons titution.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Cons truction of Orde r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Pre judg me nt Of G uilt.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 D ue Proce s s Conce rns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Rule 18 b Re quire d Re cus al.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Conclus ion.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 I S S UE NO. THREE: Rule s 18 a(a)(3 ) and 18 a(j)(1)(A ) , T

. R

. C. P. are uncons titutional as de p riving a c riminal de fe ndant of D ue Proce s s whe n the e vide nce of the judg e ’ s p re j udg me nt of g uilt is place d in orde rs in the cas e and the de fe ndant is de nie d imme diat e a p p e l late re vie w of the de nial of his motion to re cus e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 Conclus ion.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 CON CL US I ON AN D PRAYER.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 CERTI FI CATE OF S ERVI CE.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CERTI FI CATI ON OF COMPL I AN CE .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 APPEN D I X.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

NO M ENC LA

TU RE U SED IN B RIEF C R - 1 S T A

ppea l – Cle rk ’ s Re cord file d in D ock e t N o. 0 9- 13 - 0 0 5 5 1- CR C R - 2 N D A

ppea l – Cle rk ’ s Re cord file d in D ock e t N o. 0 9- 14- 0 0 112- CR C R - 3 R D A

ppea l – Cle rk ’ s Re cord file d in D ock e t N o. 0 9- 14- 0 0 190 - CR

i iiTA B L E O F A UTH O RITIES Pa ge F ED ERA L C

A SES Aet na L ife I

ns. Co

. v. L avo ie , 475 U. S

. 8 13 (198 6 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Arizo na v. Fulm inant e , 499 U. S

. 279 (1991).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Arm st ro ng v. Manzo , 3 8 0 U. S

. 5 45 (1965 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Bo st o n v. L e craw , 5 8 U. S . 426 (18 5 6).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Bracy v. G ram ley , 5 20 U. S

. 8 99 (1997).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Califo rnia Mo t o r Transp o rt Co

. v. Truck ing Unlim it ed , 40 4 U. S

. 5 0 8 (1972)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Est elle v. William s , 425 U. S. 5 0 1 (1976).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 G agno n v. S carp elli , 411 U. S. 778 (1973 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 G o nzales v. J

o hnso n , 994 F. S up p . 75 9 (N .D

. Te x. 1997).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Hudso n v. Unit ed S t at es , 5 22 U. S

. 93 (1997).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 I n re Murchiso n , 3 49 U. S

. 13 3 (195 5).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 , 17 J ack so n v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 3 0 7 (1979).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 , 5 Marshall v. J

e rrico , I nc. , 446 U. S

. 23 8 (198 0 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mat hews v. Eldridge , 424 U. S

. 3 19 (1976).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mo rrissey v. Brewer , 40 8 U. S

. 471 (1972).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Pat t erso n v. Co ughlin , 90 5 F. 2d 5 64 (2d Cir. 1990 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 , 17

ivRyland v. S hap iro , 70 8 F. 2 d 967 (5 t h Cir. 198 3 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6

Tum ey v. Ohio , 273 U. S

. 5 10 (1927).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 , 17 Ward v. Village o

f Mo nro eville , 40 9 U. S

. 5 7 (1972).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6

STA TE C A SES Adam es v. S t at e , 3 5 3 S

. W. 3d 8 5 4 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Adelm an v. S t at e , 8 28 S .W. 2d 418 (Te x. Crim. A p p . 1992).

. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Allen v. S t at e , 65 1 S

. W. 2d 267 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 198 3 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Barnard v. Barnard , 863 S. W. 2d 770 (Te x. Ap p . —Fort Worth 1993 , no writ)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Blue v. S t at e , 41 S

. W. 3d 129 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 00 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Bro o k s v. S t at e , 3 23 S

. W. 3 d 8 93 (Te x. Crim. Ap p. 20 10 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 8 Carlsen v. S t at e , 65 4 S

. W. 2d 444 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 198 3 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cit y o f H u rst v. Cit

y o f Co l leyville , 50 1 S

. W. 2 d 14 0 ( T e x. Civ. Ap p. —Fort Worth 1973 , writ re f’ d n. r. e . ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Clayt o n v. S t at e , 23 5 S

. W. 3d 772 (Te x. Crim. Ap p. 20 0 7).

. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 D elay v. S t at e , 443 S

. W. 3 d 90 9 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 14).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Ex p art e Briseño , 13 5 S

. W. 3 d 1 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 0 4).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Ex p art e L o , 424 S

. W. 3 d 10 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 13 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Ex p art e Vict orick , D ock e t N o. 0 9 - 14- 0 0 112- CR,

___ S

. W. 3 d

_ _ _ _ , 2 0 14 WL 698 4140 (Te x. Ap p . —Be aumont D e ce mb e r 10 , 20 14).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 1 4

vFo st er v. S t at e , 63 5 S

. W. 2d 710 (Te x. Crim. Ap p. 198 2).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

G arza v. S t at e , 715 S

. W. 2d 642 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 198 6).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 G o l lihar v. S t at e , 46 S

. W. 3 d 243 (Te x. Crim. A p p . 20 0 1).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Halb ert v. Alfo rd , 16 S

. W. 8 1 4 (Te x. 18 91).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 I sassi v. S t at e , 3 3 0 S

. W. 3 d 63 3 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 10 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 J o hnso n v. S t at e , 3 64 S

. W. 3 d 292 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 12).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 L anco n v. S t at e , 25 3 S

. W. 3 d 699 (Te x. Crim. Ap p. 20 0 8 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 L ast e r v. S t at e , 275 S

. W. 3 d 5 12 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 0 9).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 6 McFarland v. S t at e , 93 0 S

. W. 2d 99 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 1996).

. . . . . . . . . . . 5 N arvaiz v. S t at e , 8 40 S

. W. 2d 415 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 1992).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ort iz v. S tat e , 5 77 S

. W. 2d 246 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 1979).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Prib le v. S t at e , 175 S

. W. 3 d 724 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 0 5 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Richardso n v. S t at e , 973 S

. W. 2d 3 8 4 (Te x. Ap p . – D allas 1998 , no p e t. )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 S chex nider v. S t at e , 943 S .W. 2d 194 (Te x. A p p . – Be aumont 1997, no p e t. )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 S mit h v. S t at e , 961 S

. W. 2d 5 0 1 (Te x. Ap p. – S an Antonio 1997).

. . . . . . . . 9 S u rgit ek , Brist o l –Myers Co rp . v. Ab e l , 997 S .W. 2 d 5 98 (Te x. 1999)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Tho m pso n v. S t at e , 697 S

. W. 2d 413 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 198 5 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Wallace v. S t at e , 95 5 S

. W. 2 d 148 (Te x. A p p . – Be aumont 1997, no p e t. )

vi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

STA TE STA TU TES Te x. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 3 . 0 1 (20 0 5 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Te x. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 44. 2 5 (20 0 6).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Te x. Code Crim. Pro. Art. 5 6. 0 1(3 ) (20 0 6).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Te x. Code Crim. Pro. Art. 5 6. 3 2(a)(11)(A)(I ) (20 0 6).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 S ection 3 11. 0 16(3 ), Te xas G ov’ t Code (20 1 3 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 S ection 3 3 . 0 21(b ), Te xas Pe nal Code (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 S ection 3 3 . 0 21(c), Te xas Pe nal Code (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 9 , 11 Te x. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 3 . 0 1 (20 0 5 ).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

STA TE RU LES Rule 18 a(a)(3 ), Te x. R. Civ. P. (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 , 19 - 21 Rule 18 a(j)(1)(A), Te x. R. Civ. P. (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 , 19 , 21 Rule 18 b (b ), Te x. R. Civ. P. (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Rule 18 b (b )(1), Te x. R. Civ. P. (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Rule 18 b (b )(2), Te x. R. Civ. P. (20 11).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Te x. Rule Ap p . Proc. 43 . 2(c) (1997).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

viiU.S. C ONSTITU TIO N

Ame nd. I , U. S

. Cons t itution.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 , 1 3 , 16 , 17 , 1 9 Ame nd. V, U. S . Cons titution.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 5 , 13 , 17 , 1 9 Ame nd. XI V, U. S. Cons titution.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - 5 , 13 , 1 6 , 17 , 19 , 21

OTH ER A U TH ORITIES Black ’ s L aw D ictionary (9th e d. 20 0 9).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Co ncise Ox

fo rd Am erican Thesaurus , 674 (20 0 6).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Random Hous e D ictionary , © Random Hous e , I nc. 20 1 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

viiiSt a t em en t Rega r din g O r a l A r gum en t

Unde r Te xas Rule s of Ap p e llate Proce dure 68 .4(c), P e titione r doe s not

re que s t oral arg ume nt b efore this Court. See Te x. Rule Ap p . Proc. 6 8

. 4(c). Althoug h this is a me ritori o us ap p e al of a criminal cas e , P e titione r b e lie ve s that the facts a nd le gal arg ume nts are ade quate ly p re s e nte d in this Pe tition and in the re cord on ap p e al. Pe titione r als o b e l i e v e s that the de cis ional
p roce s s of the Court will not b e s ig nificantly aide d b y o r a l a r gume nt. As a

re s ult, Pe titione r doe s not re que s t oral arg u me nt and as k s that t he Que s tions
p re s ente d in this Pe tition b e cons ide re d b y s ub mis s ion only

. S hould the Court de s ire oral arg ume nt, Pe t itione r will b e hap p y to comp ly

.

ixT O T H E H O N O R A B L E J U D G E S O F T H E C O U R T O F C R I M I N A L A P P E A L S : Pe titione r, D avid L ee Victorick , re s pe ctfully s hows : STA TEM ENT O F TH E C

A SE This p etition re que sts this Court to re vie w the judg me nt and op inion of the Ninth Court of Ap p eals in Ex p art e Vic t oric k , D ock e t N o. 0 9- 14- 0 0 112- CR,

___ S

. W. 3 d ____, 20 14 WL 698 4140 (Te x. Ap p . —Be aumont D e ce mb e r
10 , 2 0 14) (D e s ig nate d for p ub lication) ( S e e Ap pe ndix 1). On N ove mb e r 14, 20 13 , the S tate charg e d Pe titione r b y indictme nt with

a s e cond- de gre e fe lony unde r S e ction 3 3 . 0 2 1 (c), Te xas Pe nal Code

. Trial was to a jury that convicte d. The N inth Court of Ap p eals affirme d.

PRO C ED U RA L H ISTO RY On A ug us t 3 0, 20 13 , Ancillary Conditions of Bond we re imp os e d on P e titione r. (CR – 1 S T Ap p e al, p . 13 , Ap pe ndix 2). On De ce mb e r 6, 20 13 , the trial court orde re d the D is t rict Cle rk to p lace ce rtifie d cop ie s of all docume nts from Caus e N o. 13 - 0 8 -0 9228

- CR i nto Caus e No. 13 - 1 1- 123 2 3 - CR. ( C R

– 1 S T Ap p e al, p . 8 6). Pe titione r was i ndicte d on N ove mb e r 14, 20 1 3 for violating § 3 3 . 0 21(c), Te xas P e nal Code

. (CR – 3 R D Ap p e al, p . 6) On N ove mb e r 19, 2 0 13 , the Ancillary Conditions of Bond we re ag ain

1imp os e d on Pe t itione r. (CR - 1 S T Ap p eal, p . 48 ; Ap p e ndix 3 ).

Pe titione r p le ad not guilty

. B e twe e n March 3 1 and Ap ril 3 , 20 14, a t rial

was had b e fore a jury

. (RR Vol. 2 – 7). The jury convicte d. (CR – 3 R D A p p eal, p . 6 1) The jury as s e s s e d
p u nis hme nt at 5 ye ars conf i n e m e n t in the T e xas De p artme nt of Criminal J us tice – I n s t i t u t i o nal D ivis ion. (CR – 3 R D A pp e al, p. 78 ) J udg me nt was

e nte re d on t he jury ’ s ve rdict on Ap ril 3 , 20 14. (CR – 3 R D Ap p e al, p p. 8 0 – 8 2) The t rial court ce rtifie d Pe titione r’ s rig ht to ap p e al on the s ame day

. (CR – 3 R D Ap p e al, p . 8 3 ) On Ap ril 15 , 2 0 14, Pe titione r file d his Notice of Ap pe al to the N inth Court of Ap p e als

. (CR – 3 R D Ap p e al, p . 8 8 ) On De ce mb e r 1 0 , 20 14, the N inth Court of A p p e als de nie d Pe titione r

re lie f and affirme d the trial court. On J anuary 5, 20 1 5 , P e t i t ione r file d his Motion for Ext e n s ion of Time

. On J anuary 14, 20 15 , this Honorab le Court
g rante d his Exte ns ion of T ime until Fe b ruary 9, 20 15 . This Pe tition is time ly file d. QU E STIO NS O R GRO U ND S F O R REVIEW Pe titione r p re s ents the following que s tions or g rounds for dis cre tionary

re vie w.

2Q U ESTIO N NO . ONE: Is the e vide nce le g ally s ufficie nt to s up p ort the

Pe titione r’ s conviction? Q U ESTIO N NO . TW O : Whe n a judg e p re - judg e s a de fe ndant’ s g uilt, is the de fe ndant t he re b y de nie d the fair, ne utral and i mp artial mag is trate that he is g uarante e d unde r Ame nd. I , V and XI V, U. S

. Cons titution? Q U ESTIO N NO . TH REE: Are Rule 18 a(a)(3 ) and 18 a(j)(1)(A), Te xas Rule s of Civil P roce dure uncons t itutional as de priving a criminal de fe ndant of D ue Proce s s whe n t h e e vide nce of the judg e ’ s p re judg me nt of g uilt is p l ace d i n orde rs in t he cas e and t h e de fe ndant is de nie d imme diate ap p e llate re vie w of the de nial of his motion to re cus e? The re le vant p ag e s of the re cord are : CR

- 1 S T Ap p e al, p p . 13 , 24 – 3 4, 3 5 , 3 8 , 40 – 41, and 8 6; CR

- 3 R D Ap pe al, p p . 6, 8 0 - 8 3 ; and the following p ag e s from the Re p orte r’ s Re cord: RR, Vol. 3 , p p . 71; 8 7; 8 9 – 90 ; 9 2 – 94; Vol. 4, p p. 5 9; 67; 78 – 79; 8 1 – 8 2; 10 2; and 111. STA TEM ENT O F F

A C TS The characte r iz a ti o n of the facts s e t forth b y the Court of Ap p e als

corre ctly s e ts forth the re le vant facts re lating to Pe t itione r’ s conviction e xce p t that the Court of Ap pe als ig nore d that the re is no e vide nce that Pe titione r e ve r

s oug ht to me e t with K. E. or for K. E. to me e t with him, for any p urp os e . 1 STA ND A RD O F REVIEW L E G A L S U F F I C I E N C Y R E V I E W Whe n re vie wing the le g al s ufficie ncy of the e vid e n c e t o s up p ort a

1 Entire C.R. and entire R.R.. ... 3conviction, t his Court de te rmine s whe the r any rat io nal t rie r of fact could have

f ound the e s s e ntial e le me nts of the crime b e yond a re as onab le doub t. 2 I n conducting i ts re vie w, the Court as s e s s es all of the e vide nce in the lig ht mos t favorab le to the p ros ecution. 3 This Court mus t p re s ume that the trie r of fact

re s olve d any con f

li cting infe re nce s i n favor of the p ros e cution and de fe r to that re s olution. 4 The D u e Proce s s Claus e of the Fifth and Fourte e nth A me ndme nts of the Unite d S tate s Cons ti t u t i on re quire s that a criminal conviction b e s up p orte d
not only b y p roof b e y ond a re as onab le doub t re garding e v e r y e s s e ntial

e le me nt of a crime , b ut that s uch a de te rmination b e made b y a rational trie r of fact. 5 Afte r g i v i ng “p rop e r de fe re nce ” (and not total de fe re nce ) to the role of the trie r of f

a c t, an ap p e llate court mus t “up hold the ve rdict unle s s a rational factfinde r mus t have had re as onab le doub t as to any e s s e ntial

2 Laster v. State , 275 S.W .3d 512, 518 (Tex

. Crim. A pp. 2009) (emphasis a d d e d) (quoting J

ackson v. V

irginia , 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)); B r o o k s v . St a te , 3 23 S.W .3d 893, 912 (Tex

. Crim. App. 2010); Adelm an v. State , 8 28 S.W .2d 418, 421 (Tex

. Crim. App. 1992); Carlsen v. State , 654 S.W .2d 444, 448 ( Tex

. Crim. App. 1983) ( o p inion on rehearing

); Prible v. State , 175 S.W

. 3d 724, 729-730 (Tex . Crim. App. 2005). ...

3 Id. (citing Jackson , 443 U.S. at 319). ...

4 Clayton v. State , 235 S.W .3d 772, 778 ( Tex

. Crim. App. 2007) (citing Jackson , 443 U.S. at 326). ...

5 U

. S. Const. Amend. V; U.S. Const. Amend. XI V; Laster v. State , 275 S

. W

. 3 d a t 517; Jackson v. V

irginia , 443 U.S. at 316-319. ... 4e le me nt. ” 6

Althoug h b as e d u p on a re vie w of t he facts , re vie w of t he le g al s ufficie ncy of evide nce is a de t e rmination of law. 7 An ap p e l late court mus t alway s addre s s challe n g e s to the s u fficie ncy of the e vide nce . 8 Such a re vie w mus t b e conducte d whe n a le gal s u fficie ncy challe ng e is rais e d, eve n if the conviction

mus t b e re v e rs e d on othe r grounds , b ecaus e a finding that the e vide nce is le g ally ins ufficie nt to s up port the conviction pre ve nt s a r e trial u nde r the doub l e je op ardy

claus e of the Fifth Ame ndme nt. 9 S hould an ap pe llate court find that the ve rdict is contrary to the e vide nce p re s e nte d at trial, the court is

e mp owe re d to re ve rs e the conviction and e nte r a judg me nt of acquittal. 1 0 Evide nce is le g ally s uffic i e n t only if the s tate has affirmative ly p rove n

e ach of the e ss e ntial e le me nts of the offe ns e . 1 1 T he S tate ’ s cas e f a l ls s hort if

6 Laster v. State , 275 S.W .3d at 5 1 8 , ci t ing Narvaiz v. State , 840 S.W .2d 415, 423 (Tex

. Crim. App. 1992); Brooks v. State , Id. at 902 n.1. ...

7 Allen v. State , 651 S.W .2d 267, 269-270 (Tex . Crim. App. 1983). ...

8 Garza v. State , 715 S.W .2d 642, 645 (Tex . Crim. App. 1986). ...

9 Hudson v. United States , 522 U.S. 93, 98-99 (1997); U.S. Const. Amend. V & XI V; Ortiz v. State , 577 S.W .2d 246, 2 50 (Tex

. Crim. App. 1979); Foster v . State , 635 S.W .2d 710, 717 (Tex

. Crim. App. 1982); McFarland v. State , 930 S.W .2d 99, 100 (Tex

. Crim. App. 1996). ...

10 Tex . Code Crim. Proc. Art. 44.25 (2006); Tex

. Rule App. Proc. 43.2(c) (1997). ...

11 Isassi v. State , 330 S.W .3d 633, 638 (Tex

. Crim. App. 2010); Jackson v . V irginia , 443 U.S. at 319; Adam es v. State , 353 S.W .3d 854, 859-860 (Tex

. Crim. App. 2011). ... 5the re is a mate rial variance b e twe e n the indictme nt alle g ations and the p roof

at trial. 1 2 Whe n conducting a le g al s ufficie ncy re vie w, a que s tion for this Court is whe the r the trie r of fact “g ot it w r o n g ” b e caus e the ve rdict it re nde rs is ir r ational cons ide ring t he e vide nce that is p re se nte d. 1 3 As the following analy s is wi l l s h o w , the cas e b e fore this Court re pre s e nts one s uch rare

occurre nce . I n B rook s v . S t a t e , this Court he ld that in conducting a le g al

s ufficie ncy

re vie w, (1) re vie wing courts are to re vie w all of the e vide nce , and
not jus t the e vide nce that favors the conviction, (2) i n t he lig ht mos t favorab le
to the p ros e cuti o n , a n d (3 ) affirm the conviction if t he e vide nce is le g ally

s ufficie nt for a rat io nal trie r of fact, and not jus t any trie r of fact, to find all of the e le me nts be y ond a re as onab le doub t. 1 4 Que s tions that aris e are : how much de fe re nce s hould a re vie wing court g ive to the ve rdict, what is a “rational” trie r of fact, and whe n this Court cons ide rs all of the e vide nce i n the lig ht mos t

12 Gollihar v. State , 46 S.W .3d 243, 246 (Tex

. Crim. App. 2001); Johnson v . State , 364 S.W

. 3d 292, 294 (Tex . Crim. App. 2012). ...

13 See L a ster v

. State , 2 75 S.W .3d at 517 (a lega l s u f fi ciency r eview “is restricted to g uarding ag ainst the rare occurrence when a factfinder does not act rationally .”). ...

14 Brooks v. State , 323 S.W .3d 893, 899 (Tex

. Crim. App. 2010) [ Emphasis supplied] ... 6favorab le to the ve rdict, was the trie r of fact rat io nal in finding g uilt b e y ond

a re as onab l e doub t ? I n ruling that a “g re at amount of de fe re nce ” mus t b e g ive n to the ve rdict of the trie r of fact, t his C ourt ack nowle dg e d that the Court ne ve r p re vious ly

s tate d pre cis e ly how much de fe re nce it mus t g ive to the ve rdict of the trie r of fact, and e s p e cially to the trie r of fact’ s cre dib ility a n d w ei gh t d e t erminations

. 1 5 Furthe r, “total de fe re nc e ” t o t he trie r of fact’ s cre dib ility and we ig ht de te rminations i s n o t re quire d. 1 6 I n fact, this Court re je cte d the s ug g e s tion from the dis s enting op inion in Lan c on v . St at e , 25 3 S

. W. 3 d 699, 70 7- 70 9 (Te x. Crim. Ap p . 20 0 8 ), that “total de fe re nce ” is t he s tandard. 1 7 This Court als o he ld that the re is s ome e vide nce that a rational trie r of fact cannot dis re g ard or dis b e lie ve : as p rovide d ab ove , t h e Court p rovide s a hy p othe tical in which the witne s s ide ntifie s “A” as the rob b e r e ve n thoug h the
p rop erly authe nticate d s urve illance vide otap e of the e ve nt cle arly s hows that “B” committe d the rob b e ry . 1 8 Ye t, the t rie r of fact convicts “A, ” and althoug h it i s within the trie r of fact’ s p re rog ative t o b e lie ve the conve nie nce s tore cle rk

15 Brooks v. State , 323 S.W .3d at 900. ...

16 Id. at 902 n.19 (emphasis added). ...

17 Id. ...

18 Brooks v. State , Id. at 906-907. ... 7and dis re g ard the vide o, b as ed on all the e vide nce , the trie r of fact’ s finding of

g uilt is not a rational finding

. 1 9 How did the trie r of f

a c t convict “A” ag ains t the irre futab le e vide nce containe d on the vide o? The ans we r i s that t he trie r o f f act that found “A”
g uilty was not a “rational trie r of fact. ” 2 0 N o de finition of “rational trie r of fact, ” “rational j ury , ” or “rational” is found within t he Te xas Pe nal Code or the Te xas Code of Criminal Proce dure

. Whe n this is the cas e , all words , p hras e s and te rms us e d in the Code are to b e tak e n and unde rs tood in the ir us ual acce ptation in common lang uag e, e xce p t whe re s p e cifically de fine d. 2 1 T h e d e finition of “rational” as acce p te d in

common lang uag e is “log ical, re as one d, ag re e ab le to re as on, re a s o n a b l e,

s e n s i b l e , common s ens e . 2 2 The re fore , a “rational trie r of fact” is one that is

re as onab le or one that e xe r c i s e s r e as on or s ound j udg me nt in re aching a

ve rdict. Finally , the s tandard of p roof in circums tantial evide nce cas e s i s th e

s ame standard as us ed in “dire ct evide nce ” cas e s, and a re vie wing court may

19 Id. ...

20 Id. ...

21 Tex . Code Crim. Proc. Art. 3.01 (2005). ...

22 Concise Oxford American Thesaurus , 674 (2006). ... 8cons ide r the e xis te nce of all alte rnative re as onab l e hy p othe s e s in conducting

s uch a re vie w. 2 3 A RGU M ENT A ND A U TH O RITY All Arg ume nt and Authority a d vance d in s up port of e ach I s s ue is incorp orate d b y

re fe re nce in s up p ort of e ve ry othe r I s s ue . ISSU E NO . O N E R E S T A TED : The e vide nce is le g ally ins ufficie nt to s up p ort Pe titione r’ s conviction. The s tatute unde r which Pe titione r was indicte d 2 4 re quire s the S tate to p rove that he : “[K]nowing ly s olicits a minor to me e t anothe r p e rs on, i ncluding the actor, with the i nte nt that the minor will e ng ag e in s exual contact, s e xual inte rcours e , or de viate s e xual inte rcours e with the actor or anothe r p e rs on. ” The re was no e vide nce that Pe titione r s olicite d any one to me e t him. S T A T U T O R Y C O N S T R U C T I O N : The s tatute 2 5 s p e ak s in te rms of “s olicits ” a minor to “me e t” with the inte nt that the minor will e ng ag e in s e xual contact, etc.
. S i nce the L e g is lature

23 Schexnider v. State , 943 S.W .2d 194, 1 98 (Tex

. App. – B eaumont 1997, no pet.); Wallace v. State , 955 S.W

. 2d 148, 151 (Tex

. App.

– B eaumont 1997, n o pet.); Sm ith v . State , 961 S.W

. 2d 5 01, 504 (Tex

. App.

– San Antonio 1 9 97); Richardson v. State , 973 S.W

. 2d 384, 385 ( Tex

. App. – Dallas 1998, no pet.). ...

24 § 33.021(c), Tex as Penal Code (2011). ...

25 § 33.021(c), Tex as Penal Code (2011). ... 9did not de fine any of the s e words , the y

e ach have the i r ordinary me aning

. 2 6 S olicit me ans to s e e k for (s ome thing ) b y e ntre aty , e arne s t or re s p e ctful

re que s t , formal ap p lication, e tc. ; to entre at or pe tition; to s e e k to influe nce or incite to action, e s p ecially unlawful or wrong action; to offe r to have se x with in e xchang e for mone y . 2 7 Entre at me ans to as k (a p e rs on) e arne s tly ; b e s e ech; imp lore ; b e g . 2 8 I nde e d, this Court once note d that “We b s te r de fine s “s olicit”

as me aning “to as k e arne s tly , to e nde avor to ob tain b y as k ing , ” e tc. ” 2 9 “Me e t” is a ve rb that me ans to join at an ag re e d or de s ig nate d p lace or time

. 3 0 T H E E V I D E N C E D O E S N O T S U P P O R T A C O N V I C T I O N : I n o v e r s i x months of s e arching 7, 0 0 0+ te xt me s s ag e s , no one e ve r found a sing le te xt me s s ag e whe re Pe t itione r as k e d t o me e t K. E. or for K. E. to

26 See FKM P'ship, Ltd. v. Bd. of Regents of the U niv. of Houston Sys. , 255 S.W .3d 619, 6 33 ( Tex .2008) (“W e us e d e f i n i t ions p rescribed by the L eg islature and any technical or particular meaning the words have acquire d , b u t o t h e r w ise, we construe the statute' s words according t o t h e i r p l ai n a

n d common meaning unless a contrary intention is apparent from the contex t, or unless such a construction leads to absurd results.”) ...

27 Source: Random House Dictionary , © Random House, I nc. 2014. ...

28 Source: Random House Dictionary , © Random House, I nc. 2014. ...

29 Truesdale v. State , 296 S.W . 320, 321 (Tex . Crim. App. 1927). ...

30 Source: Random House Dictionary , © Random House, I nc. 2014. ... 10me e t him for the p urp os e of any thing , much le s s having s e x. 3 1

Pe titione r was charg e d with an offe ns e that was alle g e d to have occurre d

on or ab out J une 2 , 20 13 . The S t ate introduce d many te xt me s s ag e s that P e t i t ione r e xchang e d with K. E. in 20 12 and e arly 2 013 , many of whi c h
ap p e are d to b e s alacious , vulg ar, inap p rop riate or s e xually e xp licit. But not ille g al b e caus e this Court de clare d § 33 . 0 21(b ) , Te xas Pe nal Code (20 11)

uncons t itutional. 3 2 The re fore , communicating in a s e xually e xp l icit manne r with a min o r , e v e n i f with the inte nt to arous e or g ratify the s exual de s ire of
any p e rs on, is le g al. S o, no mat t e r h ow s alacious , vulg ar, inap p rop riate or se xually e xp licit

a n y of the te xt me s s ag e s t hat Pe t itione r s e nt be fore J une 2, 20 13 , m a y h a v e b ee n – if one comp le t e ly dis counts the e xp lanations give n the re for by K. E.

– the y are not ille g al, as ack nowle dg e d b y s e ve ral S tate witne s s e s . 3 3 N e ithe r do the y cons titute a violation of the s tatute
. 3 4 Which b ring s us to the nig ht of J une 2, 20 13 . At 21: 0 6 Pe titione r s e nt

31 RR, Vol. 3, p. 92, l. 13 – p. 93, l. 24. ...

32 See Ex parte Lo , 424 S.W .3d 10 (Tex . Crim. App. 2013). ...

33 See, e.g. , RR, Vol. 3, p. 71; Vol. 4, p. 59, ll. 1 – 4 and ll. 15 – 19. ...

34 § 33.021(c), Tex as Penal Code (2011). ... 11a te xt: “I s y our quick ly (s ic) done ? Time to g e t b a c k

. ” 3 5 I t is u ndis p ute d that K. E

. had le ft the party
. I t is im p o r t a n t to n o te that t his te xt me s s ag e s ay s nothing ab out me e tin g , for any thing

. And the law will not p re s ume that Pe titione r was e ng ag ing in ille g al conduct b y s e nding this te xt me s s ag e . 3 6 Almos t t wo hours late r, 3 7 a te xt me s s ag e is s e nt from Pe t itione r’ s p hone to K. E. that re ads : “I

. ne e d the n & s ick (s ic) me y ou will love , whe re y ou are ! S u ck me ! ” 3 8 N owhe re in that te xt me s s ag e doe s t he s e nde r solicit K. E. to me e t the s e nde r of the te xt. A te xt me s s ag e t hat was s e nt almos t two hours b e fore , s tating “Time to g e t b ack

. ” 3 9 is not a s olicitation t o me e t, for any p u rp os e . It is t he admonition of a p are nt to a 16- y e ar- old s e xually p romis cuous daug hte r to re t urn t o the
p arty , whe re he r p are nts can k e ep the ir ey e on he r. N o more , no l e s s . And that fact was ack nowle dg e d b y K. E. , he rs e l f. 4 0 The s ub s e que nt t e x t me s s ag e, s e nt almos t two hours late r, doe s not

35 RR, Vol. 4, p. 10, l. 22 – p. 11, l. 1. ...

36 See, Boston v. Lecraw , 58 U.S. 426, 435 (1856). ...

37 See State’s Ex hibit A. ...

38 RR, Vol. 4, p. 12, ll. 11 – 12. ...

39 RR, Vol. 4, p. 10, l. 22 – p. 11, l. 1. ...

40 RR, Vol. 4, p. 102, ll. 16 – 23. ... 12chang e that fact, re gardle s s of whe the r t he s e nde r of the t e xt me s s ag e k ne w

that K. E. was at the s ame p arty as the s e nde r. And while the offe ns ive te xt me s s ag e 4 1 was found on Pe titione r’ s p hone , it is undis p ute d t hat he was s haring his p hone with colle g e - ag e stude nts at the
p arty , any

one of whom could have s e nt the me s s ag e . T he me re p re s e nce of the te xt on his p hone and Pe titione r’ s me re p re s e nce at the home doe s not

e s tab lis h Pe t itione r’ s g uilt as a p arty to the offe ns e . 4 2 As this Court note d re ce ntly , “.

. . s ome time s ap p e llate re vie w of le g al

s ufficie ncy involve s s imp ly cons truing the re ach of the ap p licab le p e nal
p r o v i s io n in orde r t o de cide whe the r the e vide nce , e ve n whe n vie we d in the lig ht mo st f

avorab le to conviction, actually e s tab lis he s a violation of the law. ” 4 3 As t he analy s is he re has s hown, the cas e b efore this Court re p re s e nts one s uch

occurre nce . I n s h o r t , t h e evide nce is le g ally ins ufficie nt to s u p p ort Pe titione r’ s conviction and the conviction mus t b e re ve rs ed and an acquittal orde re d. ISSU E NO . T

W O R ESTA

TED : Whe n a judg e p re - judg e s a de fe ndant’ s g uilt , th e de fe ndant is the re b y de nie d the fair, ne u tral and imp artial m a g i s t r a te that he i s g uarante e d unde r Ame nd. I , V and XI V, U. S

. Cons titution.

41 RR, Vol. 4, p. 13, ll. 10 – 12. ...

42 Thom

pson v. State , 697 S.W .2d 413, 417 (Tex

. Crim. App.1985). ...

43 Delay v. State , 443 S.W .3d 909, 912-913 (Tex . Crim. App. 2014). ... 13I n s i mp le st te rms , b e fore he aring any e vide nce , can a judg e e ve r re fe r

to a comp lainant as a victim without the re b y p re j udg i ng the de fe ndant’ s g uilt? I n de ny ing re l ie f, the Court of Ap p e als re lie d on the trial judg e us ing a p re - printe d form t hat “include s no factual f i n d i n gs. ” 4 4 But t his analy s is mis s e s the mark

. C O N S T R U C T I O N O F O R D E R : An orde r is a command, d ire ction, or de cis ion on a collate ral or inte rme diat e p o i n t in a cas e, that is inde te rminative of the main is s ue . 4 5 A
court acts b y an d t h r oug h its orde rs and not othe rwis e . 4 6 The Ancillary Conditions of Bond was an orde r. (Ap p e ndix 2) The s ame rule s o f i nte rp re tation ap p ly in cons truing t he me aning of
court orde rs as in as ce rtaining the me aning of othe r writte n ins trume nts : the

e ntire conte nts of an ins tr u m e nt and the re cord s hould be cons ide re d in

cons truing t he me aning of a court orde r o r judg me nt, and the orde r is to b e

re ad as a whole

. 4 7 I f a court orde r is unamb ig uous , the court of ap p eals mus t

44 Ex parte V

ictorick , 2014 W L 6984140 at * 7. ...

45 Halbert v. Alford , 16 S.W . 814 (Tex

. 1891). ...

46 City of Hur s t v

. City of Colleyville , 501 S.W .2d 140, 143 (Tex

. Civ. App.—F ort W o rth 1973, writ ref’d n.r.e.). ...

47 Surgitek, Bristol–Myers Corp. v. Abel , 997 S.W .2d 598, 601 (Tex

. 1999) ... 14cons true the orde r in lig ht of the lite ral me aning of the lang uag e us e d. 4 8

P R E J U D G M E N T O F G U I L T : J udg e S e ile r s ig ne d A ncillary C o n ditions of Bond on Aug u s t 3 0 , 20 13 and on Nove mb e r 14, 2 0 13 . 4 9 S pe cific re fe re nce is made to ¶¶ 15 , 16 and 17, the re of and the word, “victim” within e ach p arag rap h. I n e ach of the Ancillary Conditions of Bond, J udg e S e ile r us e d the te rm, “victim, ” on thre e s e p arate occas ions

. More ove r, Judg e Se ile r re fe rre d to the “victim’ s family ” in e ach of the fore g oing p arag rap hs

. This is imp ortant b ecaus e the word, “victim, ” i s de fine d in the Code of Criminal Proce dure as :

“

. . . a per son w

h o is t h e vict im of t h e offen se o f s e x u a l a ssa ult , k idnap p i ng , ag g ravate d rob b e ry , traffick ing of p e rs ons , or injury to a child, e lde rly individual, or d i s a b le d individual or w ho h a s suffer ed per son a l in j ur y or d ea t h as a r esult o f t h e cr im i n a l con d uct of a not h er . ” 5 0 Or as : “(A) an individual who: (I ) s uffe rs p e rs onal injury or de ath as a re sult of cr im in a lly

48 Barnard v. Barnard , 863 S.W

. 2d 7 70, 772 (Tex

. App.—F ort W orth 1993, no writ). ...

49 CR., Vol. 1, pp. 13 and 48 (Appendix 2) ...

50 Tex . Crim. Pro. Art. 56.01(3) (2006). [ Emphasis supplied] ... 15in

j ur i ous con d uct
. . . ” 5 1 Eve n if one doe s not us e the s tatutory de finitions , i n ordinary p arlance , victim me ans a p e rs on harme d b y a crime , tort, or othe r wrong . 5 2 The fact that this was a p re - p rinte d form that was s i g ne d s hould n o t chang e any thing

. J udg e S e ile r could have inte rline ate d the word, alle g e d, b efore e ach of the us e s of the word, victim. He did not do s o. S o, b e fore he had he ard any e vide nce in any cas e , J u d g e S e i le r de te rmine d t hat K. E. h a d b e e n harme d b y a crime as e vide nce d b y his

s ig nature on the Ancillary Conditions of Bond. T his was a p r e - j u d g m e nt of Pe titione r’ s g uilt. D U E P R O C E S S C O N C E R N S : Pe titione r’ s rig ht to a ne utral and imp artial judg e is a Firs t Ame ndme nt rig ht. 5 3 “A fair t rial in a fair trib unal is a b as ic re quire me nt of due proce s s . ” 5 4 D ue p roce s s g uarante es a de fe ndant the rig ht to a he aring b e fore a “ n e u t r a l

51 Tex . Crim. Pro. Art. 56.32(a)(11)(A)(I ) (2006). [ Emphasis supplied] ...

52 Source: B lack’s L aw Dictionary (9th ed. 2009). ...

53 California Motor Transport Co. v. Trucking Unlim ited , 404 U.S. 5 08, 510 (1972); Ward v. V

illage of Monroeville , 4 0 9 U

. S

. 57, 61 (1972); Ryland v. Shapiro , 708 F

. 2d 967, 971

- 72 (5 t h Cir. 1983). ...

54 In re Murchison , 349 U.S. 133, 136 (1955). ... 16and de t ache d he aring b ody

. ” 5 5 A “ne utral and de tache d” de cis i on mak e r doe s

not p re judg e e vide nce he has not y e t s e e n. 5 6 The de nial of an imp artial judg e is a de nial of Fourte e nth Ame ndme nt D ue Proce s s rig hts

. 5 7 T h e Firs t, Fifth and Fourte e nth Ame ndme nts e s t ab lis he d a

cons titutional floor of a fair trial, b e fore a judg e with no actual b ias ag ains t the de fe ndant, or inte re st in the outcome of his p articular cas e . 5 8 The que s tion is , w a s J u dg e S e ile r not imp artial? 5 9 I f J udg e S e ile r was not imp arti a l , the n this is a cons titutional violation t hat is not s ub je ct to the “harmle s s - e rror” analy s is b ut is ins te ad a s tructural de fe ct “ a f f e c ting the frame work within which the tri a l p r o c e e ds

. ” 6 0 The Sup re me Court has ob s e rve d:

55 Gagnon v. Scarpelli , 411 U.S. 778, 782 (1973); Morrissey v . Brewer , 408 U.S. 471, 489 (1972). ...

56 Patterson v. Coughlin , 905 F .2d 564, 570 (2d Cir.1990). ...

57 Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Lavoie , 475 U.S. 813 (1986), cit i n g , i n ter alia, Tum ey v. Ohio , 273 U.S. 510 (1927); Ward v. V illage of Monroeville , 409 U

. S

. 5 7 (1972); and In re Murchison , 349 U.S. 133 (1955). ...

58 Bracy v. G

ram ley , 520 U.S. 899, 904-5 (1997). See Gonzales v. Jo h n s o n , 994 F .Supp. 759, 763 (N.D.Tex

. 1997)(“F unda m e ntal component of due p rocess is rig ht to a hearing before impartial decision-maker who does not prejudg e the evidence and who cannot say , with utter certainty , how he will assess evidence he has not y et seen.”, citing Patterson v. Coughlin , 905 F .2d 564, 570 (2d Cir.1990)). ...

59 Tum ey v. Ohio , 273 U.S. 510 (1927). ...

60 Arizona v. Fulm inante , 499 U.S. 279, 309 (1991). ... 17“A fair trial in a fair trib unal is a b as ic re quire me nt of due p roce ss .

Fairne s s of cours e re q u ire s an ab s e nce of actual b ias i n the t rial of cas e s . * * * This C o urt has s aid, howe ve r, that ‘Eve ry p roce dure which would offe r a p os s ib le te mp tation t o the ave rag e man as a judg e * * * not to hold the b alance nice , cle ar, and true b e twe e n the State and the accus e d de nie s the latte r due p roce s s of law. ’ ” 6 1 S u ch it was with J udg e S e ile r. Es p e cially whe n the p ros e cutor and the witne s s re fe rre d to K. E. as th e victim, couns e l for Pe titione r ob je cte d and

move d t o have the jury ins tructe d t o dis re g ard. But J udg e S e ile r re fus e d to rule on couns e l ’ s ob

je ction and re fus e d to ins truct the jury to dis re g ard. 6 2 R U L E 18 B R

E Q U I R E D R

E C U S A L : Rule 1 8 b (b ), Te x. R. Civ. P

. , mak e s it m a ndatory for a judg e to re cus e whe n: (1) the judg e ’ s imp artiality mig ht re as onab l y b e que s ti o ne d; (2) the judg e has a p e r s o n a l b i as or p re judice conce rning the s ub je ct matte r or a p arty
. .. . N o de fe ndant s h ould b e re quire d t o e ng ag e in s op his try b y as s uming tha t a j u d g e is not b ias e d ag ains t him who, b e fore he aring any e vide nce , de te rmine s that the re is a victim. Criminal de fe ndants are e ntitle d to b e trie d “[W]ith as s urance that the arb ite r is not p re dis p os e d to find ag ains t him. ” 6 3

61 In re Murchison , 349 U.S. 133, 136 (1955). ...

62 RR, Vol. 3, p. 124, l. 25 – p. 125, l. 22. ...

63 Marshall v. Jerrico, Inc. , 446 U.S. 238, 242 (1980). ... 18Us ing te rms s uch as “victim” and p e rmitting the p ros e cutor to re fe r to

K. E

. as the victim, 6 4 allows the focus t o shift to the accus ed rathe r than re main

on the p roof of e v e r y e l e me nt of the crime alle g e d b y the comp lainant. A de fe ndant is pre s ume d to b e i n n o c e n t of the charg e s ag ains t him. 6 5 “The
p re s u mp tion of i nnoce nce , althoug h not articulate d in the Cons titution, is a b as i c comp one n t o f a f a i r trial unde r our s y s te m of criminal j u s tice

. ” 6 6 But J udg e S eile r took away t hat p re s ump tion whe n he us e d and allowe d the us e of the te rm, “victim. ” Ag ain, b y u s i ng the word, “victim, ” J udg e S e ile r had alre ady de te rmine d that a crime occurre d and had, the re by , p re judg e d Pe titione r’ s g uilt. This de nie d P e titione r his cons t i tutionally g uarante e d “ne utral and imp artial” judg e and de p rive d Pe titione r of his Firs t, Fifth and Fourte e nth Ame ndme nt rig hts

. He was re quire d to re cus e hims e lf. C O N C L U S I O N : Alte rnative ly , b e caus e J udg e S e ile r p re judg ed Pe titione r’ s g u i l t , this Court should re ve rs e the conviction and re ma n d f o r a ne w trial be fore a diffe re nt judg e , one who has not p re judg e d Pe titione r.

64 RR, Vol. 3, p. 124, l. 25 – p. 125, l. 22. ...

65 Blue v. State , 41 S.W .3d 129 (Tex . Crim. App. 2000). ...

66 Estelle v. William s , 425 U.S. 501, 503 (1976). ... 19ISSU E NO . TH REE: Rule s 18 a(a)(3 ) and 18 a(j)(1)(A), T. R. C. P

. are

uncons titutional as de p riving a criminal de fe ndant of D ue Pro ce s s whe n the e vide nce of the j udg e ’ s p re judg me nt of g uilt is p l ace d i n orde rs in the cas e and the de fe ndant is d e n i e d i m me diate ap p ellate re vie w of the de nial of his motion to re cus e . As s e t forth in I s s u e Two, e ve ry criminal de fe ndant is e ntitle d to a t rial b efore a judg e who has not p re judg e d the e vide nce , or who has no actual b ias
ag ains t him. But throug h the s imp le e x p e d ie nt of placing the e vide nce of that
p re judg me nt or b ias into an orde r, the j udg e force s a criminal de fe ndant into a trial b efore him, de lay ing any re vie w until afte r final judg me nt. S o, e ve n if t he de fe ndant is African- Ame rican and the judg e re fe rs to the de fe ndant, in an orde r, as the N

- word, that i s n o t g rounds to re cus e unde r Rule 1 8 a(a)(3 ), T. R. C. P.

. Any more than J udg e Se ile r’ s p re judg me nt of Pe titione r’ s g uilt is

. This e ve n thoug h Rule 18 b (b )(1) and (2), T. R. C. P. mandate the judg e ’ s

re cus al in s u ch a s ituation. 6 7 F u rthe r, whe re as he re , the only b as is t o have move d to re cus e J u d g e S eile r was his ruling s i n the cas e (s ) as containe d i n his orde rs , Rule 18 a(a)(3 ), T. R. C. P. , de nie s Pe titione r the ab ility to challe ng e thos e ruling s on ap p e al.

67 Must creates a condition precedent. § 311.016(3), Tex a s Gov’t Code (2013) ... 20“The “rig ht to b e he ard b e fore b e ing conde mne d to s uffe r g rie vous los s

of any k ind, e ve n thoug h i t may not invol v e t he s tig ma and hards hip s of a criminal conviction, is a princip le b as ic to our s ocie ty
. (citation omitte d) The fundame ntal re quire me nt of due p roce s s is the op p ortunity to b e he ard “at a

me aning ful time and in a me aning ful manne r. ” 6 8
B u t Rule s 1 8 a(a)(3 ) and 18 a(j)(1)(A), T. R. C. P. de n y a c r i m i n a l d ef en d a n t D ue Proce s s b y de ny ing the m the ab i lity to re cus e a jud g e whos e ruling s

e vide nce a p re

judg me nt of guilt or a b ias ag ains t him or both, and b y de ny i ng the m an ap pe llat e r e v i e w of the de nial of the motion to re cus e . S hould this Court hold that a criminal de fe ndant can rais e this i s s u e b y a pp e al afte r conviction, that doe s not affe ct the analy sis

. Why ? Be caus e t he de fe ndant will have b ee n force d, as was Pe titione r , to a trial b e fore a j u dg e who has
p re judg e d his g uilt. And jus tice de lay e d is jus tice de nie d. 6 9 C O N C L U S I O N : This Court s hould hold that Rule s 18 a(a)(3 ) and 1 8 a(j)(1)(A), T. R. C. P. , de ny a criminal de fe ndant D ue Proce s s and are , the re fore , uncons titutional.

C O NC LU SIO N A

ND PRA

Y ER

68 Mathews v. Eldridge , 424 U.S. 319, 333 ( 1976), citing Arm strong v. Manzo , 380 U.S. 545, 552 (1965). ...

69 Ex parte Briseño , 135 S.W .3d 1, 5 (Tex . Crim. App. 2004). ... 21For the ab ove and forg oing re as ons , Pe titione r r e s p e c t fully p ray s that

this Court re ve rs e the j udg me nt of the tr i a l court and orde r an acquittal

e nte re d. I n the alte rnative , this Court s h o u l d re ve rs e and re mand for a ne w trial in front of a diffe re nt judg e . I n addition, this Court s hould de clare Rule s 18 a(a)(3 ) and 18 a (

j )(1)(A), Te xas Rule s of Civil Proce dure uncons titutional. Pe titione r p ray s for g e ne ral re lie f. Re s p e ctfully s ub mitte d, By : /s / L .T. B radt L

. T. “Butch” Bradt #0 28 4160 0 140 15 S outhwe s t Fre eway , S uite 4 S ug ar L and, Te xas 77478

- 3 5 0 0 (28 1) 20 1- 0 70 0 Fax: (28 1) 20 1- 120 2 ltb radt@ flas h. ne t Attorne y for Pe t itione r, D avid L e e Victorick

C ERTIF I C

A TE O F SERVIC E I , the unde rs ig ne d attorne y , in accordance with the Rule 9. 5, T. R. A. P. , ce rtify that a true and corre ct cop y of the fore going Pe tition was de live re d t o: Honorab le Bre tt L i g on, D is trict Attorne y William D e lmore , As s ’t D is trict Attorne y 20 7 W. Phillip s , 2nd Floor Conroe , Te xas 773 01 b ill. de lmore @ mctx. org Pos tconviction L itig ation D ivis ion Office of the Attorne y G e ne ral

22P. O. Box 125 48

Aus t in, Te xas 78 711- 25 48 cons t_claims @te xas attorne y g e ne ral. g ov S tate Pros e cuting Attorne y P. O. Box 13 0 46 Aus t in, Te xas 78 711- 3 046 information@ s p a. te xas .g ov on Fe b ruary

5 , 20 15 . /s / L

. T. Bradt

L

. T. Bradt

C ERTIF IC

A TIO N O F C O M PLIA

NC E This is to ce rtify that, us ing the word count fe ature of WordPe rfe ct X7, t h e t o t a l numb e r of words i n the Pe t ition is 43 3 3 , ex cep t in the following s e ctions : cap t ion, ide ntity of p ar t i e s a n d couns e l, s tate me nt re garding oral arg ume nt, tab l e of conte n t s , inde x of authoritie s , s tate me nt of the cas e, s tate me nt of que s t ions p re s e nte d, s tate me nt of p roce dural his tory , s ig nature , p roof of s ervice , ce rtification, ce rtificate o f c o m p l i ance , and ap pe ndix. This docume nt als o comp lie s with the ty p e face re quire me nts b ecaus e it has b e e n p re p are d in a p rop ortionally

- s p ace d t y p e f a ce in 14- p oint G e org ia and the footnote s are in a p rop ortionally

- s pace d ty p e face in 12- p oint T ime s N e w Roman. /s / L

. T. Bradt L

. T. Bradt

23

## A PPENDIX

241 In The 

### Court of Appeals Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont

____________________ NO . 09
- 1 4
- 00 112
- C R NO. 09
- 14
- 00190
- CR



### ____________________ EX PARTE DAVID LEE VICTORICK and
DAVID LEE VICTORICK , Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS , Appellee

_______________________________________________________ ______________ On A ppeal from the 435th District Court Montgomery County, Texas Trial Cause No . 13
- 11
- 12323 CR

________________________________________________________ _____________ OPINION Th is matter involves two appeals filed by David Lee Victorick relating to his indictment and subsequent conviction for online solicitation of a minor. 1 See Tex.

1 We have considered three related matters filed by Victorick . Initially , we dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus wherein Victorick sought to compel the presiding administrative judge to grant Victorick’s motion to recuse the trial2 Penal Code Ann. § 33.021 (c) (West 2011). On March 7, 2014, the trial court denied Victorick’s pre - trial application for writ of habeas corpus asserting a claim of double jeopardy . Victorick filed a notice of appeal and requested that his trial be stayed pending the resolution of Appeal N o. 09

- 14

- 00112

- CR, but this Court denied the motio n to stay . Victorick was tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years of imprisonment. Victorick filed a notice of appeal of the final judgment, docketed in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR. We affirm the order denying the application for a writ of habeas corpus and the judgment of conviction.
I SSUES Victorick presents two issues in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00112

- CR (the pre - trial request for habeas relief) . First, he contends a bond order that issued after his arrest

judge. See In re Victorick , No. 09

- 13

- 00483

- CR, 2013 WL 5969469, at *1 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont Nov. 6, 2013, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designat ed for publication). Next, we denied a petition for a writ of mandamus and prohibition filed by Victorick to compel the trial court to stay the trial pending the resolution of his appeal of the trial court’s denial of a pre

- trial habeas application challen ging the facial constitutionality of the statute creating the offense for which he was indicted. See In re Victorick , No. 09

- 13

- 00550

- CR, 2013 WL 688 5 130, at *1 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont Dec. 30 , 2013, orig. proceeding, [leave denied]) (mem. op., not designated for publication). Finally, we affirmed the trial court’s denial of Victorick’s facial challenge to the constitutionality of Texas Penal Code section 33.021(c)

. See Ex parte Victorick , No. 09

- 13

- 00551

- CR, 2014 WL 2152129, at *1 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont May 21, 2 014, pet. ref’d) (mem. op., not designated for publication). In the habeas appeal now before us , we granted Victorick’s motion to take judicial notice of the clerk’s record filed in Appeal No. 09

- 13

- 00551

- CR. See Turner v. State , 733 S.W.2d 218, 223 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987).3 on a previous indictment , which did not go to trial , constitutes punishment under the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy Clause because the bond contained oppressiv e and onerous conditions that infringed upon his constitutional rights

. Second, Victorick contends the oppressive and onerous conditions of his pr e - trial bond on the indictment under which he was tried constitute punishment for double j eopardy purposes. In a motion to dismiss and with a suggestion of mootness , the State argues that Victorick’s conviction mooted the appeal of the denial of pre - trial habeas relief

. Victorick presents three issues in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 0019 0

- CR (appeal of his conviction) . First, he challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction. Se cond, he contends he was deprived of an impartial magistrate. Third, Victorick contends the procedural rules that apply to recusal proceedings deprived him of due process because the rules do not provide for an interlocutory appeal.
I NDICTMENT AND C ONVICTION The State initially indicted Victorick for online solicitation of a minor under subsection (b)(1) of section 33.021 of the Penal Code. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021. After subsection (b)(1) was found to be unconstitutional by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Ex parte Lo , Victorick was re

- indicted under subsection (c) of section 33.021 for knowingly soliciting a fifteen year old girl to meet him with the intent that she engage in sexual con tact, sexual intercourse, or4 deviate sexual intercourse with him

. See 424 S.W.3d 10 , 27 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013)

. Victorick enter ed a not gu ilty plea and a jury found the appellant guilty as charged, and assessed his punishment at imprisonment for five years

. M OOTNESS Before we address Victorick’s appellate issues we consider the State’s argument that Victorick’s appeal of the denial of the pre

- trial request for habeas relief is moot. As a general rule, a habeas appeal relating to pre

- trial bail is mooted by the subsequent conviction of the defendant because upon his conviction the habeas applicant is no longer being subjected to pre

- trial confinement. See e.g., Martinez v. State , 826 S .W.2d 620, 620 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). Unlike a habeas claim concer ning pre

- trial bail in which the applicant seeks relief from an unconstitutional pre

- trial confinement, if he is correct regarding his double jeopardy argument, Victorick may be entitled to relief from the sentence imposed in the judgment of conviction that has also been appealed to this Court . Therefore, Victorick’s pre - trial request for habeas relief i s not necessarily mooted by his conviction.
D OUBLE J EOPARDY C LAIM The indictment accusing Victorick of online solicitation of a minor under section 33.021(c) of the Texas Penal Code alleged, in part, that Victorick, on or about June 2, 2013 , did “knowingly solicit by text message, K.E., a minor, to meet5 the defendant, wi th the intent that K.E. would engage in sexual contact and sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse with the defendant[.]” After indictment, Victorick filed an application for writ of habeas corpus in which he alleged that he was being illegally c onfined because “[t]he Court has set conditions of bond that are not only oppressive, they have denied him constitutionally

- guaranteed rights. ” Victorick alleged that “ Double Jeopardy forbids his trial on the present indictment.” Victorick’s petition for habeas relief contends that subjecting him to a trial and potential conviction and sentence for a second degree felony would violate the Double Jeopardy Clause’s prohibitions against multiple punishments because he had already been subjected to punishm ent within the scope of the Double Jeopardy Clause by conditions of his bond that prohibit ed him from: (1) possessing any firearms; (2) contacting the alleged victim’s family; (3) going within 100 yards of the residence of the alleged victim; (4) contactin g any child under seventeen years of age; or (5) having any contact with any computer or internet connection. Victorick a rgues that the conditions of his bond effectively denied him his right to bear arms, to associate with his wife , to attend church, to

m ove about freely and peaceably in public places , and to work

. No evidence was offered in the pre - trial habeas hearing. T he trial court denied the application. The Fifth Amendment st ates that “[n]o person shall . . . be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. . . .” U.S. C ONST
.6 amend. V . Victorick argues that placing him on bond under conditions that he contends are oppressive and onerous constitutes punishment for F ifth Amendment double j eopardy p urposes. Citing United States v. Jorn , Victorick contends that judicial overreaching triggers double jeopardy protections. See 400 U.S. 470, 483

- 84 (1971) (plurality op.)

. Jorn held the Double Jeopardy Clause barred a re

- trial after the trial court sua sponte discharged the jury without manifest necessity for calling a mistrial and without considering granting a continuance. Id. at 487. Jorn was a successive prosecution case in w hich jeopardy attached with the seating of the jury in the first trial and terminated when the trial court discharged th e jury; jeopardy would attach a second time with the seating of a new jury, thereby implicating the Fifth Amendment’s protection against successive prosecution. See id. at 484. Victorick argues the trial court erred in failing to apply th e Jorn successive prosecution concept , notwithstanding the fact that jeopardy attached only once in his case. Victorick contends without citing any authority that by referring to the complaining witness as the “victim” in the order setting conditions of bond, the trial court determined that he had committed a crime and the entry of the order functioned as an adjudication of guilt. The law of this state is well settled that with respect to a jury trial , je opardy attaches when the jury is empaneled and sworn , and for a bench trial jeopardy attaches when the defendant pleads to the charging7 instrument. See Ortiz v. State , 933 S.W.2d 10 2, 105 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996) ( The constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy does not apply until the defendant enters a plea before the trier of facts. ). Jeopardy does not attach in a preliminary hearing regardless of what facts may be determined during the proceeding. See id. Nevertheless, w hen the defendant has been subjected to a single trial, “ t he Double Jeopardy Clause ‘ prevent[s] the sentencing court from prescribing greater punishment than the legislature intended. ’” Ervin v. State , 991 S.W.2d 804, 807 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999) (quoting Missouri v. Hunter , 459 U.S. 359, 366 (1 983) ). Factors considered in determining legislative intent include whether two provisions imposing separate punishment s are contained within the same statutory section, whether the y a re phrased in the alternative, whether the y are named similarly, whether the y have common punishment ranges, whether the y ha ve a common focus or gravamen, and whether that common focus tends to indicate a single instance of conduct, whether the elements that differ between the m can be considered the same under an imputed theory of liability which would result in the offenses being considered the same under the Blockburger test , and whether there is legislative history articulating an interest to treat the offenses as the same or different for double jeopardy purposes

. Ervin , 991 S.W.2d at 814 (citing Blockburger v. United States , 284 U.S. 299, 304 (1932) )

.8 The State cites cases from other jurisdictions, which hold that conditional
pre - trial release cannot be considered punishment for purposes of the Double Jeopardy Clause because it serves a remedial rather than a punitive purpose and a bond condition is not based on a determination of guilt. See State v. Torres , 890 So.2d 292, 296 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2d Dist. 2004) (conditions of pre

- trial release requiring accused to attend sex offender treatment were not punitive and double jeopardy did not attach) ; accor d Parent v. State , 900 So.2d 598, 599

- 600 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2d Dist. 2004) (special conditions placed on pre

- trial release of DUI defendant did not ba r further prosecution under the double jeopardy clause); Halikipoulos v. Dill i on , 139 F.Supp.2d 312 (E. D.N.Y. 2001) ( pre - trial release condition requiring defendant to attend “stoplift” counseling program did not constitute punishment and court rejected double jeopardy argument)

. While not binding on this Court, the cases are instructive of the result reached in other jurisdictions. In Texas, the Code of Criminal Procedure provides rules for fixing the amount of the bond and the conditions of bond. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. arts

. 17.15 (West 2005) , 17.40 (West Supp. 2014 ). “ T he bail shall be sufficiently high to give reasonable assurance that the undertaking will be complied with.” Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 17.15. In setting the amount of the bond, “[t]he power to require b ail is not to be used as to make it an instrument of oppression.” Id. The9 magistrate considers “ [ t ] he nature of the offense and the circumstances under which it was committed” and also considers “[t]he future safety of a victim of the alleged offense and t he community. . . .” Id

. In Texas, “a magistrate may impose any reasonable condition of bond related to the safety of a victim of the alleged offense or to the safety of the community.” Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 17.40. Unlike the criminal offense of online solicitation of a minor that is contained within the Penal Code, the statute s that authorize a trial court to fix bail pending trial and to impose conditions on a defendant’s pre

- trial release on bail function to ensure the defendant’s appearance at trial and to protect the community without requiring a finding of guilt. Compare Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art s . 17.15, 17.40, with Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021(c). We conclude that the clear intent of the Legislature as demonstrated in the plain language contained in articles 17.15 and 17.40 was to permit a trial court to set reasonable conditions of bond as a requirement for pre

- trial release and then to impose the penalty set out in the Penal Code for the offense if the defendant is later tried and convicted. See Ervin , 991 S.W.2d at 814. Victorick argues that in his case, the trial court failed to follow the rules established by articles 17.15 and 17.40 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and that the tr ial court imposed unreasonable conditions of bond. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. arts. 17.15, 17.40. He a rgues that the conditions impacted his10 freedoms as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to such a degree that he has been punished before trial for the acts alleged in the indictment. T he proper method to challenge a punitive bail condition is by filing either a motion to reduce bail or an application for a writ of habeas corpus for a bail reduction

. See Stack v. Boyle , 342 U.S. 1, 6 (1951) ( t he proper procedure for challenging bail as unlawfully fixed is by m otion for reduction of bail ) ; Ex parte Young , 257 S.W.3d 276, 2 78 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont 2008, no pet.) ( the accused may challenge the conditions attached to bail through a pre

- trial writ of hab eas corpus ). Victorick petitioned for pre

- trial habeas relief, but he sought only relief from the indictment and did not seek habeas relief from the order setting ancillary conditions of bond. Furthermore, he submitted no evidence regarding the oppressive nature of the co nditions of bond. Duri ng the hearing on his pre

- trial habeas petition , the State argued that the bond conditions were reasonable because they related to safety of the victim and the community. Considering that the indictment accused Victori ck of online solicitation of a member of his household, and the use of a computer, electronic or texting device, the trial court reasonably could have determined that temporarily prohibiting his use of the internet and contact with the victim’s family was authorized by article 17.40 , even though the conditions necessarily impaired Victorick’s freedom to communicate electronically and to associate with his family

. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 17.40.11 Therefore, w e conclude that the trial court did not err in denying the application for writ of habeas corpus. Accordingly, we overrule both issues raised by Victorick in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00112

- CR

. S UFFICIENCY OF THE E VIDENCE In Victorick’s first issue in A ppeal No. 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR (appeal of his conviction) , Victorick challenges the sufficiency of the evi dence to support his conviction of online solicitation of a minor

. A person commits the offense of online solicitation of a minor if the person “over the Internet, by electronic ma il or text message or other electronic message service or system, or through a commercial online service, knowingly solicits a minor to meet another person, including the actor, with the intent that the minor will engage in sexual contact, sexual intercour se, or deviate sexual intercourse with the actor or another person.” See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021(c). Victorick argues the evidence at trial was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did “knowingly solicit by text message, K.E., a mi nor, to meet the defendant, with the intent that K.E. would engage in sexual contact and sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse with the defendant , ” as alleged in the indictment. Victorick contends that

“ communicating in a sexually explicit mann er with a minor, even if with the intent
to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person, is legal .” H e argues the evidence is legally insufficient to establish he violated the statute because the State12 failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he solicited K.E. to meet him and that he acted with the intent that K.E. engage in sexual contact. The “ Jackson v. Virginia legal

- sufficiency standard is the only standard that a reviewing court should apply in determining whether the evidence is s ufficient to support each element of a criminal offense that the State is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.” Brooks v. State , 323 S.W.3d 893, 895 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010) (citing Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)). In evaluating the le gal sufficiency of the evidence, we review all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict to determine whether any rational fact finder could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Brooks , 323 S.W.3d at 902 n.19; Hooper v. State , 214 S.W.3d 9, 13 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). The jury is the ultimate authority on the credibility of witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony. Brooks , 323 S.W.3d at 894; Penagraph v. State , 623 S.W.2d 341, 343 (Tex. Crim. App. 1981). We give full deference to the jury’ s responsibility to fairly resolve conflicts in the testimony, to weigh the evidence, and to draw reasonable inferences from basic facts to ultimate facts. Hooper , 214 S.W.3d at 13. If the record contains conflicting inferences, we must presume that the jury resolved such facts in favor of the verdict and defer to that resolution. Brooks , 323 S.W.3d at 899 n.13; Clayton v. State , 235 S.W.3d 772, 778 (Tex. Crim. App

. 2007). We also determine whether the necessary inferences are13 reasonable based upon the combined and cumulative force of all the evidence when viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict. Clayton , 235 S.W.3d at 778. We may not substitute our judgme nt concerning the weight and credibility of the evidence for that of the fact finder. King v. State , 29 S.W.3d 556, 562 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). Courts and juries no longer face the difficult task of excluding every reasonable hypo thesis other than the def endant’ s guilt. Under the current standard of review, there is no reason to treat circum stantial evidence of an accused’ s mental state any differently than circumstantial evidence of other elements. Just as circumstantial evidence is reviewed under the sam e standard as direct evidence, circumstantial evidence of intent is reviewed under the same standard as circumstantial evidence of other elements. Laster v. State , 275 S.W.3d 512, 521 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009). “ As long as the verdict is supported by a reaso nable inference, it is within the province of the factfinder to choose which inference is most reasonable. ” Id. at 523

. In 2013, Victorick was employed as a high school coach and teacher. A year before the events at issue in this appeal, Victorick’s wife became concerned that Victorick might have developed a sexual attraction to K.E. His wife notic ed that Victorick displayed a keen interest in the possibility that his step

- daughter, K.E. ,
m ight be sexually active and the wife observed what appeared to be inappropriate sexual remarks in text messages from Victorick to K.E. Victorick explained to his wife th at he had been “referring to

. . . bas ketball, teaching her how to shoot,14 dribble bette r, things of that nature[]” and that is what he meant when he sent K.E. a text message saying that “he could show her things and do things that, you know, some of those boys couldn’t.” Mrs. Victorick believed her husband, but she put locks on K.E.’s door a nd she would stay up until Victorick went to bed “to make sure that he wasn’t going in there and downloading from her phone[.]” There were times when Victorick was “ acting like a jealous boyfriend [;]” for example, once he climbed a ladder to look into a neighboring cul

- de

- sac to observe K.E. and her boyfriend. On the date of the offense, Victorick, his wife, and K.E. were attending a graduation party at a friend’s home. Victorick was, according to his wife, “drinking

exces sively” at the party. After K.E. left the party and went to a nearby fast food
restaurant with a boy , Victorick sent K.E. a text message asking, “Is your quick l y done? Time to get back.” K.E. responded, “I’m pretty sure all we did was go get ice cream.” Th e exchange of messages between K.E. and Victorick continued as follows: K.E.: We need water
V ictorick : I.need then & sick me you willl love, where are you! Suck me!
K.E.: Never Victorick : If you ever. You will h understand how good I I eat p [

--- ] y, let me show you ! You will. Love ir!!’ Ask the others!!15 K.E.: F [

--- ] you Victorick : Please let me eat you you will love, it quit f [

--- ] ing, I love your, miore than you know!
K.E.: F [

--- ] ing for K.E.: Die 2 K.E. showed the message s to Victorick’s wife , who understood that it referred to oral sex. A few weeks thereafter, K.E. call ed 9

- 1

- 1 about a physical altercation she had with Victorick. During the call, K.E. told the dispatcher that Victorick grabbed her by her hair and shoved her into the furniture , and also that he was “trying to get me to do things with him

. . . sexual things.” K.E. testified at trial that she did not believe Victorick was trying to have sex with her , and that she believed he could have sent the messages because he was trying to keep her from having sex with more people. She does remember, however, telling her mother that she was “creeped out ” by her stepfather, and she agreed that she called 9

- 1

- 1. A clinical psychologist testified for the State. He stated that he had counsele d hundreds of children who were victims of sexual abuse. With respect to the Victorick case, he observed the testimony of K.E., reviewed some but not all of the texts between Victorick and K.E, reviewed the statements given by K.E.’s mother and Victorick, and re vie wed other items from

2 W e use brackets and dashes to note our omission of some letters due to the profane nature of the words.16 the reports. Further, he testified that abusers often “groom” their victims “[t]o foster that dependence and to foster that trust so that they can not only abuse the child and have access to them, but to the extent that they d o harm the child in some way, the child may not tell about it, may even have positive relationships toward the person related to ways that they ’ ve been manipulated.” The psychologist stated that the testimony of K.E. that she did not want Victorick to get in trouble, or that she did not think the texts were intended to be sexual, or that she blamed herself, would be consistent with someone who has been groomed by a suspect, groomed to feel like, to the extent anything bad is happening, it ’ s my fault, rather than the other person ’ s fault, and groomed to take responsibility for that, rather than entertain the idea, which may be a hard idea to entertain, to the extent that a child wants to believe in their father and the goodness of their father and having a go od relationship with the father, that can be a lot for a child to give up. And in some cases that I have worked on, they will try to deny or rationalize or even blame themselves for what ’ s happening rather than believe that their father might be trying to hurt them. A f orensic examination of Victorick’ s phone revealed an exchange of thousands of messages between Victorick and K.E. prior to July 25, 2013. Included within the messages are statement s that demonstrate Victorick’s sexual interest in
K.E. In his brief on appeal, Victorick further argues that his communications before the date of the offense were not illegal, “no matter how salacious, vulgar,17 inappropriate or sexually explicit a ny of the text messages that Mr. Victorick sent before June 2, 2 013, may have been[.]” He argues that the text message sent from his phone when K.E. went to the fast food restaurant did not request that K.E. meet him. Victorick contends that his messages, which express a present desire to engage in oral sex, appear to have occurred after K.E. returned to the party because they were made after K.E. asked Victorick for water. The alleged presence of Victorick and K.E. being in the same building at the time Victorick sent the
messages would not, however, negate the element of the offense that the person “knowingly solicits a minor to meet another person, including the actor” with the intent that the minor will engage in sexual contact. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021(c). The jury could have reasonably concluded based upon the content of the messages, as well as the testimony and evidence in the record, that Victorick sent K.E. a text message that solicited K.E., a minor , to meet. “Meet” is not defined in the statute. “Words not specially defined by the Legislature are to be understood as ordinary usage allows, and jurors may thus freely read statutory language to have any meaning which is acceptable in common parlance.” Vernon v. State , 841 S.W.2d 407, 409 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). “Accordingly, when determining the sufficiency of evidence to support a jury verdict, reviewing courts must not employ definitions of relevant statutory words which are different or more restrictive than the jurors themselves were legally18 entit led to use.” Id

. Among its commonly understood terms, “meet” means, “to come near or in touch with by approach from another direction” and “ in the basic sense pertinent here, [usually] implies no more than to come into the presence or
company of whether by chance or design[.]” W EBSTER ’ S T HIRD N EW I NT ’ L D ICTIONARY 1404 (2002) . The jury could, using the ordinary understanding of the word “meet , ” find that Victo rick solicited K.E. to meet him , and further that Victorick asked the victim to engage in a sex act that required physical contact between them. Victorick argues that the text message, “I.need then & sick me you will l love, where are you ! Suck me!”, does not “solicit” K.E. “Solicit” is not defined in section 33.021 of the Texas Penal Code, and could be understood by the jury by its commonly defined terms, which include, “to approach with a request or plea” and “to endeavor to obtain by as king or pleading [.] ” W EBSTER ’ S T HIRD N EW I NT ’ L D ICTIONARY 2169 (2002). “Suck” is also found in the dictionary, and includes the meaning, “to draw in the mouth over or around an object

. . . . ” Id. at 2283. The part of “me” to which Victorick referred could be understood by the jury to mean his genitals , especially in light of another communication from Victorick to K.E. in which Victorick suggested that they engage in oral sex

. The jury could, using the ordinary understanding of the word “solicit , ” find that Victorick asked or pleaded with K.E. to engage in oral sex.19 Victorick contends that the evidence is legally insufficient because the mere presence of the te xt on his phone does not prove that he sent the message because there were college

- age students at the party and one of them could have sent the
message. The officer who examined Victorick’s phone testified that it was password

- protected

. I t was reasonable for the jury to infer that Victorick sent the
message . H is wife saw him use the phone that night, and Victorick sent sexually explicit messages to K.E. on many other occasions. 3 Because the inference that it was Victorick that sent the message from his password

- protected phone was reasonable, the State was not required to exclude the possibility tha t s omeone else at the party used Victorick’s phone to send the messages to K.E. See Laster , 2 7 5 S.W.3d at 521, 523.
V iewing the totality of the evidence and inferences in a light most favorable to the verdict, the jury could have reasonably inferred that Vic torick sent the messages to K.E. See Hooper , 214 S.W.3d at 13. We conclude that the evidence is legally sufficient to support the verdict. Accordingly, we overrule issue one.

3 The testimony and evidence indicated that Victorick

— a 58

- year - old high school teacher and coach

— spied upon K.E. when she was with her friends ; he snuck into her room at night while she slept ; he used the “notes” function of his cell phone to record his own thoughts regarding her sexual activity and to record his sexual attraction to her ; and he sent many other text messages to K.E. t hat included request s to be permitted to perform what a jury could reasonably conclude were sex acts.20 I MPARTIAL T RIBUNAL In his second issue in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR (appeal of his conviction) , Victorick argues that the reference to the “victim” in the pre

- trial order setting ancillary conditions of bond demonstrates that the trial judge pre

- judged his guilt, and establi shes that he was deprived of a fair and impartia l tribunal , in violation of the D ue P rocess Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment s . See Tumey v. Ohio , 273 U.S. 510, 523 (1927). “A fair trial in a fair tribunal is a ba sic requirement of due process.” In re Murchison , 349 U.S. 133, 136 (1955). The trial court used a pre

- printed form that contained several references to the “victim” and “the victim’s family” which Victorick argues indicates that the trial court pre

- judged his guilt before the trial. The document imposes conditions but includes no factual findings. The document was not prepared for use before the jury , nor is there any indication from the record that the pre

- trial order setting ancillary conditions of bond was ever shown to the jury

. Additionally, d uring the trial, when Victorick o bjected to the prosecutor’s reference to the complaining witness as “the victim” the trial court sustained the objection and instructed counsel to use the phrase “alleged victim” and instructed the jury that “any time

. . . prosecutor uses the word ‘vi ctim,’ that you take it as alleged victim. ” Therefore, we conclude that t he record does not support Victorick’s claim that the trial court deprived him of the presumption of innocence. We overrule issue two.21 R ECUSAL P ROCEDURE In his third issue in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR (appeal of his conviction) , Victorick challenges the constitutionality of the recusal procedure contained in Rule 18a(a)(3) and 18a(j)(1)(A) of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. See Tex. R. Civ. P. 18a. S ubs ection (a)(3) of Rule 18a pr ovides that a party may not seek recusal of the judge solely on account of the judge’s rulings in the case in which his recusal is sought. Id. S ubs ection (j)(1)(A) states that a n order denying a motion to recuse may be reviewed only for abuse of discretion on appeal from the final judgment. Id. Victorick argues that Rule 18a unconstitutionally denies a criminal defendant due process “[b]ecause the defendant will have been forced , as was Mr. Victorick, to a trial before a judge who has prejudged his guilt.”

“ When ever we are confronted with an attack up on the constitutionality of a statute, we presume that the statute is valid and that the Legislature has not acted unreasonably o r arbitrarily. [citation omitted] The burden rests upon the individual who challenges the statute to establish its unconstitutionality ” as applied to him. Rodriguez v. State , 93 S.W.3d 60, 69 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002) (citing to Ex parte Granviel , 561 S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)) ; Wood v. State , 18 S.W.3d 642, 650

- 51 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). Victorick has not established that the trial court prejudged his guilt. Furthermore, Victorick has not shown that Rule 18a22 is unconstitutional as applied to him or as applied to some hypothetical third party. Therefore, w e overrule issue three. C ONCLUSION Having overruled all of the issues that have been raised by the appellant in his appeals, we affirm the order denying the application for a writ of habeas corpus and we affirm the judgment of conviction. AFFIRMED.

________________________________ LEANNE JOHNSON Justice

Submitted on November 10, 2014 Opinion Delivered D ecember 10, 2014 Publish Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Johnson, JJ.

### IN THE NINTH COURT OF APPEALS

_____________________ _____ 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR

__________________________

_________________________________________________________________ On Appeal from the 435th District Court of Montgomery County, Texas Trial Cause No. 13

- 11

- 12323 CR

_________________________________________________________________ JUDGMENT THE NINTH COURT OF APPEALS, having considered this cause on appeal, concludes that the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed. IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, in accordance with the Court’s opinion, that the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. Opinion of the Court delivered by Justice Leanne Johnson December 10, 2014 AFFIRMED
********** Copies of this judgment a nd the Court’s opinion are certified for observance.

Carol Anne Harley Clerk of the Court David Lee Victorick v. The State of Texas