Court Opinion

ID: 9768555
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 06:08:16.933715+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:41.863861
License: Public Domain

CAMPBELL, Judge,
dissenting.
The Third Court of Appeals held in this case that the complained-of testimony of Dr. Nauert was not admissible under Texas Rule of Criminal Evidence 702 because the child complainant had not been impeached at the time of the complained-of testimony. Yount v. State, 808 S.W.2d 633, 636 (Tex.App.— Austin 1991). The court of appeals, relying upon our decision in Duckett v. State, 797 S.W.2d 906 (Tex.Crim.App.1990), reasoned that the State may not “bolster” its own witnesses unless they have first been impeached on cross-examination. Yount v. State, 808 S.W.2d, at 636. After the court of appeals’ opinion was handed down, however, we held in a similar case that relevant expert testimony that has the effect of “bolstering” a witness is admissible under Rule 702 even if the witness has not been impeached. Cohn v. State, 849 S.W.2d 817, 818-820 (Tex.Crim. App.1993). We further explained in Cohn that “bolstering,” as an evidentiary concept, barely survived the promulgation of the Texas Rules of Criminal Evidence. Ibid. Indeed, three members of this Court expressed the view that a naked “bolstering” objection is no longer even tenable under the Rules. Id., at 821-822 (Campbell, J., concurring).
Since the court of appeals did not have the benefit of our decision in Cohn, we should follow our usual procedure and summarily vacate the judgment of the court of appeals and remand the case to that court for reconsideration in light of Cohn. Not only is that what we usually do, it is what a discretionary reviewing court should do. To the majority’s failure to vacate and remand for reconsideration, I dissent.
McCORMICK, P.J., and WHITE and MEYERS, JJ., join.