Court Opinion

ID: 9863012
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 02:49:54.504231+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:46:02.529104
License: Public Domain

MORRISON, Judge
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent to the affirmance of these convictions and to the overruling of Martinez v. State, 167 Tex.Cr.R. 97, 318 S.W.2d 66. It will only require a short research by any member of the bar to pass upon the soundness of such opinion. It is vital to remember that at Martinez’ first trial there were no formal or informal bills of exception and no objection to the Court’s charge. Appellant’s brief on original submission in a death penalty conviction consisted of two pages of generalities. It was only upon rehearing that the writer discovered that this Court had so lightly affirmed a death penalty conviction.
Upon retrial Martinez was represented not only by a legally licensed lawyer, but by one of the most capable in our field, as is demonstrated by the opinion which I prepared for this Court. Martinez v. State, 169 Tex.Cr.R. 229, 333 S.W.2d 370. Every accused and especially those in death penalty cases is entitled to, as we said in Brown v. State, 168 Tex.Cr.R. 67, 323 S.W.2d 954, “at least one tolerably fair trial.” This Martinez did not secure at his first trial and this he did get on his second trial. I retreat not one step from what I said in both cases.
Aside from this, it is quite clear from the reasoning in McKinzie v. Ellis, 5 Cir., 287 F.2d 549, that these convictions should not stand.