Court Opinion

ID: 9761314
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:38:26.011562+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:22.167711
License: Public Domain

HAMILTON, Justice
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent. The court recognizes that the law in this state as well as the majority rule in most other states is that an accused must be afforded a speedy trial after indictment even though he is incarcerated in that same sovereign’s penal institution under a prior conviction and sentence. State ex rel. Moreau v. Bond, 114 Tex. 468, 271 S.W. 379 (1925); 118 A.L.R. 1037. Moreover, this court has held in Wilson v. Bowman, 381 S.W.2d 320 (Tex.Sup.1964) that both the court and the prosecution are under a positive duty to prevent unreasonable delay in bringing an accused to trial and when the court has the power to act it must do so.
However, the court holds that a different rule is applicable here because two separate sovereignties are involved. It holds in effect that even though the state in the instant case has the power to afford the accused a speedy trial, it is under no duty to do so, because it has derived its power to afford a speeedy trial from waiver, permission or act of grace of the federal sovereignty. The writer is of the opinion that the more reasonable rule and the one more in harmony with the constitutional purpose, both state and federal, providing for or insuring a speedy trial for the accused, is that where the state has the power to afford the accused a speedy trial it is under a duty to do so. People v. Piscitello, 7 N.Y.2d 387, 198 N.Y.S.2d 273, 165 N.E.2d 849 (1960); State v. Patton, 76 N.J.Super. 353, 184 A.2d 655, affirmed 42 N.J. 323, 200 A.2d 493 (1964); Commonwealth v. McGrath, 348 Mass. 748, 205 N.E.2d 710 (1965); State ex rel. Fredenberg v. Byrne, 20 Wis.2d 504, 123 N.W.2d 305 (1963); Taylor v. United States, 99 U.S.App.D.C. 183, 238 F.2d 259, 261 (1956).
Under the undisputed facts of this case the state has the power to afford the relator a speedy trial, and no valid excuse has been offered as to why that power should not be exercised. This is especially true since the state is not required to surrender any of its sovereignty in order to give the relator the relief requested.
The relief prayed for in the relator’s writ of mandamus should-be granted.
CALVERT, C. J., and SMITH and GREENHILL, JJ., join in this dissent.