Court Opinion

ID: 9766678
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:56:34.454789+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:24.600134
License: Public Domain

W.C. DAVIS, Judge,
dissenting.
The majority concludes that appellant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel was violated when police officers required appellant to sign his confession after he had requested appointed counsel during his arraignment. Because I believe the analysis to be incorrect, I dissent.
The majority relies heavily on Michigan v. Jackson, — U.S. —, 106 S.Ct. 1404, 89 L.Ed.2d 631 (1986). In Jackson when the defendants were arraigned they requested appointed counsel. After this arraignment and before being allowed to consult with their attorneys the defendants were given Miranda warnings and interrogated. The police interrogation led to confessions by both defendants. As the majority points out, the United States Supreme Court found this to be a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and agreed with the Michigan Supreme Court that the confessions should have been suppressed. In the instant case appellant had already given his statement prior to being arraigned. The police officers did not interrogate appellant after he had been appointed counsel during arraignment. All the officer did was ask appellant to sign his statement, something clearly not constitutionally required.1 Therefore, Jackson, supra, which involved police interrogation after arraignment is inapplicable. Perhaps appellant’s signature should not have been introduced. But, the confession itself, given prior to appellant’s arraignment does not violate the Sixth Amendment which had not yet attached. See Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 101 S.Ct. 1880, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1981); Jackson, supra.
The majority’s application of Jackson, supra, to the facts of the instant case dangerously enlarges the scope of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Heretofore, this right to counsel did not attach until formal adversarial proceedings had been initiated, i.e., formal charge, preliminary hearing or arraignment. See Massiah v. United States, 377 U.S. 201, 84 S.Ct. 1199, 12 L.Ed.2d 246 (1964); United States v. Gouveia, 467 U.S. 180, 104 S.Ct. 2292, 81 L.Ed.2d 146 (1984). By holding that appellant’s confession, given prior to arraignment, should have been suppressed under the Sixth Amendment the majority holds that the right to counsel guaranteed by that amendment attaches prior to formal adversarial proceedings being instituted.
To this expansion of the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel I respectfully dissent.

. Under Texas law appellant’s signature on his confession is a prerequisite to admissibility. See Art. 38.22, § 1, V.A.C.C.P. However, as is pointed out in the majority opinion, appellant raised no state law ground of error but, instead, relied solely on the United States Constitution.