Court Opinion

ID: 9773647
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:52:39.257209+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:55.770276
License: Public Domain

McCORMICK, Judge,
dissenting.
The majority chooses to affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals because the charge authorized a conviction “on a theory not alleged in the indictment.” The “theory” alleged in the indictment was that appellant exhibited a firearm. By holding that the charge is fundamentally erroneous, the majority is declaring that under no circumstances can the terms “use” and “exhibit” be synonomous. To this absurdity I must dissent.
As noted in the majority opinion, this Court has held in many cases that, where the jury charge authorizes a conviction on a theory not alleged in the indictment, fundamental error exists. Today’s holding goes a step further, and the rule has been perverted to read: “Where the jury charge authorizes a conviction on words not alleged in the indictment, fundamental error exists.” Since the terms “use” and “exhibit” are not mutually exclusive, and can connote the same set of facts, the addition of the term “use” to the jury’s charge in the instant case cannot rise to the level of fundamental error, even when considered in light of this Court’s many recent expansions of the doctrine.
If ever there was a situation where Articles 36.14 and 36.15, V.A.C.C.P., must be complied with, this is it. Since “use” and “exhibit” can be used interchangeably in some circumstances, it was incumbent on the appellant to object if he felt their use in the present case would in any manner be prejudicial or harmful to his case. Further, the majority is telling us that in the instant case harm is being presumed when in truth and fact the charge as given could only have placed a more onerous burden on the State.
When this Court chooses to declare a charge to be fundamentally erroneous, it has a duty to set forth with clarity exactly how the appellant has been harmed, and not summarily recite trite expressions of general principles of law without indicating why the particular conclusion has been reached.
Finally, today’s decision serves as a judicial repeal of Article 36.19, V.A.C.C.P., which heretofore provided that a judgment would not be reversed unless the error appearing from the record was calculated to injure the rights of a defendant. To this violation of Article 2, Section 1 of our Texas Constitution, I must also vigorously dissent.
Continuing to adhere to my belief that Evans v. State, 606 S.W.2d 880 (Tex.Cr.App.1980), should be overruled, I likewise dissent to the second portion of the majority’s opinion.
DALLY and W.C. DAVIS, JJ., join in this dissent.