Court Opinion

ID: 9630283
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 10:07:20.325324+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:35.434730
License: Public Domain

TOM GRAY, Chief Justice,
dissenting.
Contrary to the position taken by the majority that Blocker requested findings of fact and conclusions of law, no such request was made. Further, if such a request was made, Blocker did not complain to the trial court about the trial court’s failure to make the findings, nor draw that failure to the trial court’s attention, nor raise an issue on appeal regarding the trial court’s failure to make the findings. I have no reticence to applying the Court of Criminal Appeals’s decision in State v. Cullen. State v. Cullen, 195 S.W.3d 696 (Tex.Crim.App.2006). That holding makes our job of reviewing the trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress more focused. Normally a more focused review is an easier review to make. However, Cullen did not eliminate the need for the non-prevailing party to preserve error by complaining of the failure of the trial court to make the findings or to document that the trial court refused to rule on the request. Id. at 699 (“the requirement is: upon the request of the losing party on a *599motion to suppress evidence, the trial court shall state its essential findings.” (emphasis added)); Tex.R.App. P. 33.1(a)(1) and (2). In fact in Cullen, the State, which was the non-prevailing party on a motion to suppress, specifically requested findings of fact and “the court respectfully declined” to make the requested findings of fact and conclusions of law. Cullen, 195 S.W.3d at 696.
Because the issue was expressly preserved by an adverse ruling, Cullen did not address the manner in which the issue must be preserved for review. There is, therefore, no reason to believe or hold that the rules regarding preservation do not apply. But Cullen did expressly state that failure to preserve the issue, specifically by failing to make the request, would not forfeit the right to review the suppression ruling. But the right to review does not give the appellant, or this Court, the right to require the trial court to make the findings long after the trial court proceeding is final. Specifically, the Court stated:
Nor do we intend to make appellate review of the trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress evidence contingent on the non-prevailing party’s request. The non-prevailing party does not forfeit its right to appellate review of an adverse ruling by failing to request findings of fact and conclusions of law. If the non-prevailing party fails to make the request, and the trial court does not enter findings of fact and conclusions of law of its own accord, the non-prevailing party can still appeal any adverse ruling [on the motion to suppress].
Cullen at 699 (emphasis added). The downside for the non-prevailing party is that without the findings of fact and conclusions of law, it is more difficult to show error on appeal.
Specifically, as to this appeal, after the trial court asked if the parties had worked out a plea agreement with the right to appeal after the motion to suppress had been denied, defense counsel responded: “Right. And we’re going to ask for findings of fact and conclusions of law.” The statement implies a request will be made in the future as opposed to being a present request. But such a request was not subsequently made. In fact, the court and counsel went on to discuss who was going to prepare the paperwork to document the plea agreement. But an actual request to make findings of fact and conclusions of law was never made orally or in writing. And if this statement and otherwise silent record satisfies the notion of a request for a ruling, much less a formal request, many statements about what judges and attorneys say they intend to do will have to be reevaluated to determine if, under the new concept, error is preserved.
In Cullen, the Court of Criminal Appeals specifically stated: “We look to Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 297 to provide guidance to the trial courts about the time to file requested findings of fact and conclusions of law.” Id. at 699. I note that Rule 297 also provides guidance to trial counsel as to what needs to be done in the event the trial court fails to file the requested findings, which assumes a request was timely made. To properly preserve the issue of the trial court’s failure to make the findings, trial counsel must timely draw to the trial court’s attention its failure to make the requested findings. Tex.R. Crv. P. 297. This is nothing more than an elaboration with a specific timetable of the existing rules regarding preservation. Cf. Tex.R.App. P. 33.1(a)(2)(B). That was not done in the present case.
I would hold that this Court is not authorized to abate this proceeding for the trial court to make findings of fact and conclusions of law, particularly when, as in this case, Blocker never made such a request, obtained a ruling, or complained of *600the trial court’s failure, and, further, because Blocker has briefed the issue without requesting that we abate this proceeding for the trial court to make the findings that a majority of the Court is now pursuing on behalf of Blocker. As briefed by counsel, we can, and should, review this appeal without the findings of fact to be made by the trial court; and it is error for us to abate this proceeding at this late date.
I respectfully dissent from the abatement of this proceeding for the entry of findings of fact and conclusions of law.