Case Name: GUERRERA v. STATE
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1939-01-25
Citations: 125 S.W.2d 595
Docket Number: No. 20029
Parties: GUERRERA v. STATE.
Judges: 
Reporter: South Western Reporter Second Series
Volume: 125
Pages: 595–596

Head Matter:
GUERRERA v. STATE.
No. 20029.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas.
Jan. 25, 1939.
Rehearing Denied March 8, 1939.
Wade & Wade, of Beeville, for appellant.
Lloyd W. Davidson, State’s Atty., of Austin, for the State.

Opinion:
CHRISTIAN, Judge.
The offense is murder; the punishment, confinement in the penitentiary for 99 years. ' .
It appears from bill of exception No. la that the court charged the jury on Sunday, March 6, 1938, at 1:50 p. m. Charging the jury is strictly a judicial act. Moss v. State, 131 Tenn. 94, 173 S.W. 859, Ann.Cas.1916B, 1. Courts have no right to pronounce a judgment, or do any other act strictly judicial, on Sunday, in the absence of a permissive statute. Bloss v. State, 127 Tex.Cr.R. 216, 75 S.W.2d 694; Shearman v. State, 1 Tex.App. 215, 28 Am.Rep. 402. We have in this state no statute permitting the jury to be charged on Sunday. In Moss v. State, supra, the court said [page 863] : "Charging the jury is a high judicial function, and it cannot be lawfully exercised on Sunday." We are constrained to hold that reversible error is presented.
The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.
PER CURIAM.
The foregoing opinion of the Commission of Appeals has been examined by the' Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals and approved by the Court.