Court Opinion

ID: 9401155
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-06-11 07:10:59.720326+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:51.003117
License: Public Domain

Dismissed and Memorandum Opinion filed June 6, 2023.

                                       In The

                     Fourteenth Court of Appeals

                               NO. 14-22-00363-CV

                       TIPTON S. MCMAHON, Appellant
                                         V.
                       THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                    On Appeal from the 185th District Court
                            Harris County, Texas
                        Trial Court Cause No. 1272892

                          MEMORANDUM OPINION

      Appellant, Tipton S. McMahon, appeals an order of recommitment
following acquittal by reason of insanity signed and entered on March 8, 2022.
See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 46C.270(b)(3). Appellant’s notice of appeal states
that the order was “handed down” on April 18, 2022, and the docket sheet reflects
that the trial court ordered Appellant recommitted on April 18, 2022. However,
the signed order in our record shows that it was signed and entered on March 8,
2022. See State v. Sanavongxay, 407 S.W.3d 252, 259 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (in
discussing State’s statutory right to appeal pretrial suppression order, court of
criminal appeals stated that “our precedent requires that an order be in writing”);
see also State v. Rosenbaum, 818 S.W.2d 398, 401-02 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991) (en
banc) (holding that for purposes of appeal, trial court “enters” an order when it
signs the order). Appellant did not file a timely motion for new trial. Thus, his
notice of appeal was due by April 7, 2022. See Tex. R. App. P. 26.2(a)(1).

        A court of appeals may grant an extension of time to file a notice of appeal
if, within 15 days after the deadline for filing the notice of appeal, the party files
(1) the notice of appeal in the trial court, and (2) a motion for extension of time in
the court of appeals. See Tex. R. App. P. 26.3; see also Tex. R. App. P. 10.5(b)(2)
(governing motion for extension of time to file notice of appeal).          Here, the
fifteenth day after April 7, 2022, was April 22, 2022. But Appellant filed his
notice of appeal on May 17, 2022 — a date that is not within 15 days of the due
date.

        A notice of appeal that complies with the requirements of Texas Rule of
Appellate Procedure 26 is essential to vest the court of appeals with jurisdiction.
See Olivo v. State, 918 S.W.2d 519, 522 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996) (en banc). When
a notice of appeal is not filed within the 15-day period, the court of appeals can
take no action other than to dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. See id.

        On June 24, 2022, we notified the parties that the appeal would be dismissed
for lack of jurisdiction unless a party demonstrated that this court has jurisdiction.
After we issued that notice, we determined that the trial court had not yet appointed
appellate counsel. We abated the appeal for appointment of counsel. On August 9,
2022, the trial court appointed counsel. On August 18, 2022, we reinstated the
appeal and issued another notice that the appeal would be dismissed for lack of
jurisdiction unless a party demonstrated that this court has jurisdiction.

                                          2
Appellant’s counsel did not file a response to our notice.

      On September 26, 2022, Appellant filed his appellate brief in which he did
not address jurisdiction. On December 29, 2022, the State filed its appellee’s brief;
it also filed a motion to dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction contending
Appellant failed to timely file his notice of appeal within 10 days after the trial
court signed the March 8, 2022 order citing Texas Health and Safety Code section
574.070. See Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann. § 574.070(b). On January 24,
2023, we requested a response from Appellant to the State’s motion to dismiss.
Appellant’s counsel failed to file a response.                On April 14, 2023, we again
requested a response to the State’s motion to dismiss. Appellant filed a response
on April 24, 2023, in which he did not dispute his late-filed notice of appeal.

      Because Appellant failed to timely file a notice of appeal and comply with
the requirements of Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 26, we lack jurisdiction
over the appeal. Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction.1

                                              /s/       Meagan Hassan
                                                        Justice

Panel consists of Justices Bourliot, Hassan, and Wilson.

      1
          In light of our disposition, we overrule the State’s motion to dismiss as moot.

                                                    3