Court Opinion

ID: 9907821
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-12-07 08:09:42.638417+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:05:59.278569
License: Public Domain

COURT OF APPEALS
                                  EIGHTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
                                       EL PASO, TEXAS

                                                    §                 No. 08-23-00201-CR

 EX PARTE:                                          §                    Appeal from the

 JUAN CORTES-FERNANDEZ,                             §                     County Court

                                  Appellant.        §               of Kinney County, Texas

                                                    §                    (TC# 11946CR)

                                          JUDGMENT

        The Court, considering this cause as a petition for a writ of mandamus, remands to the trial

court for it to consider Juan Cortes-Fernandez’s application for a pretrial writ of habeas corpus on

the merits in light of the Fourth Court of Appeals’ holding in Aparicio and its progeny, and

determine whether—at the time Cortes-Fernandez was arrested and charged with criminal

trespass—the State was applying the criminal trespass statute under Operation Lone Star in an

unconstitutional manner by selectively prosecuting males only, without justification.

        We deny the petition for writ of mandamus without prejudice to Cortes-Fernandez’s ability

to seek relief, if necessary, after the trial court has had an opportunity to reconsider its ruling.

        IT IS SO ORDERED THIS 30TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2023.

                                                LISA J. SOTO, Justice

Before Palafox, and Soto, JJ., and Marion, C.J. (Ret.)
Marion, C.J., (Ret.) sitting by assignment