Court Opinion

ID: 9763940
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 03:02:33.195613+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:51.562186
License: Public Domain

FRANK G. MCDONALD, Chief Justice (Retired),
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent to the majority’s opinion and would overrule Appellant’s point of error and affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Appellant cites Marquez v. State, 921 S.W.2d 217 (Tex.Crim.App.1996) which holds:
Because of the fundamental and inviolate nature of the right to trial by jury, Texas law requires waiver of jury trial to be made in person, in writing, in open court. Tex.Code Crim. Proc. art. 1.13.
Marquez was handed down in April 1996. Effective September 1, 1997, Amended Rules of Appellate Procedure were set in place by our Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals.
Rule 44.2. Reversible Error in Criminal Cases:
(a) Constitutional error....
(b) Other errors. Any other error, defect, irregularity, or variance that does not affect substantial rights must be disregarded.
The failure to sign a written jury waiver did not affect Appellant’s substantial or constitutional rights. Salinas v. State, 963 S.W.2d 889, 892 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1998). In this case Appellant made no complaint about being tried before the judge and raises for the first time on appeal the lack of a written jury waiver.
This court addressed the new non-constitutional test mandated by Rule 44.2(b), Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, in Fowler v. State, 958 S.W.2d 853, 866 (Tex.App. — Waco 1997, no pet.), and after a careful and exhaustive analysis stated:
In summary, when we assess harm under Rule 44.2(b) flowing from non-eonstitutional error, we review the entire record to *739determine whether the error had more than a slight influence on the verdict. If we find that it did, we must conclude that the error affected the defendant’s rights in such a way as to require a new trial. If we have grave doubts about its effect on the outcome, we should find that the error was such as to require a new trial. Otherwise we should disregard the error.
From all the evidence in this record, I conclude that the complained of error had no effect on the verdict. Thus, I would hold the technical violation of Article 1.13, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure harmless and disregard the error. See also Cain v. State, 947 S.W.2d 262 (Tex.Crim.App.1997). I would affirm.