Court Opinion

ID: 9679164
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 06:43:09.616079+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:10.750156
License: Public Domain

ONION, Judge
(concurring).
I concur in the result here reached, but feel compelled to state my reasons for so doing. It is true that the only appeal before this Court is the appeal from the revocation of probation. It is also true that the only issue on such appeals is whether the trial court abused its discretion in revoking probation. The reported cases, however, revealed there are many ways in which the trial court might abuse its discretion in such matters.
Appellant’s present appointed counsel on appeal has concluded the appeal is frivolous and without merit. His duty under such circumstances is prescribed by the United States Supreme Court in Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed. 2d 493.1
*391It is observed that appellant’s counsel filed no brief in the trial court at the first stage of the Texas appellate procedure as required by Article 40.09, Sec. 9, V.A.C.C. P., that article being applicable to “all cases appealable by law to the Court of Criminal Appeals.” See Section 1 thereof. I am unaware of any law which exempts appeals in probation revocation matters from such procedure. An appeal in such matters is expressly provided by Article 42.12, Section 8, V.A.C.C.P.
While counsel did not follow the careful procedure utilized in Gainous v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 436 S.W.2d 137, I believe the instant case is controlled by this Court’s decision in Garcia v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 436 S.W.2d 139.
The record before us supports the fact that appellant’s counsel’s brief filed in this Court was served upon the appellant and he was advised to raise any further “complaint” with this Court. This he has not done. To abate this appeal for further proceedings in the trial court, as was done in Garza v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 433 S.W.2d 428, where appointed counsel filed no appellate brief in either the trial court or this Court, would be a useless thing under the circumstances presented.
My examination of the record convinces me that counsel is correct in concluding that the appeal is frivolous, there being no legal points arguable on their merits. Appellant’s only complaint stems from the delay in sentence which resulted in part by his premature delivery to the Department of Corrections prior to sentence and in part by his own insistence that he personally be sentenced by the trial judge who revoked his probation and who was serving in Wichita County at the time by administrative assignment.
For the reasons stated, I concur. Garcia v. State, supra.
MORRISON, J., joins in this concurrence.

. In Anders the United States Supreme Court, in discussing the duty of court appointed counsel on appeal, said:
“The constitutional requirement of substantial equality and fair process can only be attained where counsel acts in the role, of an active advocate in behalf of his client, as opposed to that of amicus curiae. * * * His role as advocate requires that he support his client’s ap*391peal to the best of his ability. Of course, if counsel finds his case to be wholly frivolous, after a conscientious examination of it, he should so advise the court and request permission to withdraw. That request must, however, be accompanied by a brief referring to anything in the record that might arguably support the appeal. A copy of counsel’s brief should be furnished the indigent and time allowed him to raise any points that he chooses; the court — not counsel — then proceeds, after a full examination of all the proceedings, to decide whether the case is wholly frivolous. If it so finds it may grant counsel’s request to withdraw and dismiss the appeal insofar as federal requirements are concerned, or proceed to a decision on the merits, if state law so requires. On the other hand, if it finds any of the legal points arguable on their merits (and therefore not frivolous) it must, prior to decision, afford the indigent the assistance of counsel to argue the appeal.”