Court Opinion

ID: 4091158
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-10-20 14:01:34.292232+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:35:38.795725
License: Public Domain

In The

                                Court of Appeals
                    Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
                            ____________________
                               NO. 09-16-00131-CV
                            ____________________

                           IN THE INTEREST OF J.G.

_______________________________________________________             ______________
                    On Appeal from the 258th District Court
                         San Jacinto County, Texas
                          Trial Cause No. CV14,203
________________________________________________________              _____________

                          MEMORANDUM OPINION

      Appellants C.M. and J.G. appeal from the trial court’s order terminating

their parental rights to the minor child, J.G. The trial court found by clear and

convincing evidence that termination of the parental rights of C.M. and J.G. was in

the best interest of the child and that C.M. and J.G. violated subsections (N), (O),

and (P) of section 161.001(b)(1) of the Texas Family Code. After the final hearing,

the trial court ordered the parental rights of C.M. and J.G. terminated.

      Court-appointed counsel for both C.M. and J.G. each filed an Anders brief

stating their professional opinion that no arguable grounds of error existed. See

                                          1
Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); see also In re L.D.T., 161 S.W.3d 728,

731 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2005, no pet.) (holding that “when appointed counsel

represents an indigent client in a parental termination appeal and concludes that

there are no non-frivolous issues for appeal, counsel may file an Anders brief”);

Taylor v. Tex. Dep't of Protective & Regulatory Servs., 160 S.W.3d 641, 646–47

(Tex. App.—Austin 2005, pet. denied) (applying Anders procedure in appeal from

an order terminating parental rights. We granted an extension to both appellants to

allow time to file a pro se brief, but neither appellant filed a brief.

      When faced with an Anders brief and if a later pro se brief is filed, the court

of appeals has two choices: (1) it may determine that the appeal is wholly frivolous

and issue an opinion explaining that it has reviewed the record and finds no

reversible error, or (2) it may determine that arguable grounds for appeal exist and

remand the cause to the trial court so that new counsel may be appointed to brief

the issues. Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824, 826–27 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005).

      We have independently reviewed the clerk’s record, the reporter’s record,

and the Anders briefs, and we agree with appellate counsels’ contention that no

arguable issues support an appeal by C.M. or J.G. See id. Therefore, we find it

unnecessary to order appointment of new counsel to re-brief the appeal of either

C.M. or J.G. See id.

                                            2
      We affirm the trial court’s order terminating the parental rights of C.M. and

J.G., and we grant the motions to withdraw filed by counsel for C.M. and J.G. 1

      AFFIRMED.

                                             ______________________________
                                                    CHARLES KREGER
                                                         Justice

Submitted on October 18, 2016
Opinion Delivered October 20, 2016

Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Horton, JJ.

      1
         In connection with withdrawing from the case, counsel shall inform C.M.
and J.G. of the result of this appeal and that C.M. and J.G. have a right to file a
petition for review with the Texas Supreme Court. See Tex. R. App. P. 53; In the
Interest of K.D., 127 S.W.3d 66, 68 n.3 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist. 2003, no
pet.).
                                         3