Court Opinion

ID: 9772052
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 17:05:55.551883+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:41.887804
License: Public Domain

BAIRD, Judge,

dissenting on State’s Petition for Discretionary Review.

We should use this case to establish the following bright line rule: Under Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 1.14(b), an objection to a charging instrument is timely if made on the day the case is set for trial so long as the trial on the merits does not commence on that day.
I.
A brief recitation of the facts is instructive. Appellee was originally indicted in Cause No. 629,838. That matter was scheduled for trial on November 30, 1992. However, the case was not reached on that date and was rescheduled for trial on March 8, 1993. On January 11, 1993, appellee was re-indicted under Cause No. 653,846. The State dismissed the original indictment on January 13, 1993. On March 8, 1993, the scheduled trial date, appellee filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, contending the prosecution was barred by the statute of limitations. At *310the hearing on appellee’s motion, the State argued the motion was untimely under art. 1.14(b). The trial judge rejected the argument, granted the motion and the State gave notice of appeal. Thus, we are called upon to determine whether appellee’s motion to dismiss the indictment, heard on the day the ease was set for trial, but prior to the commencement of trial on the merits, was timely under art. 1.14(b).
II.
Art. 1.14(b) provides in pertinent part that a defendant must object to a defect in a charging instrument “before the date on which the trial on the merits commences.”1 Because the Legislature did not define when “trial on the merits commences,” it is incumbent upon us to determine what constitutes trial on the merits in determining whether appellee’s motion was timely.2
In holding appellee’s motion untimely, the majority presumes “trial on the merits” and the date a case is set for trial are synonymous. Ante, at 306. However, because the mere scheduling of a case for trial and the actual “trial on the merits” are conceptually distinct, the majority’s conclusion that art. 1.14(b) requires an objection before the scheduled trial date is erroneous.
A.
As noted above, the phrase “trial on the merits” is not defined in the Code of Criminal Procedure, nor does the phrase appear in the eight chapters grouped under the title “Trial and Its Incidents.” See, Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. chapters 32-39. Within the Code of Criminal Procedure, the term “trial” embraces all proceedings from voir dire to verdict. See, Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. chapters 33-39. But the Legislature’s use of the word “merit” to modify “trial” evinces an intent to use the phrase “trial on the merits” as a legal term of art. “Merit” has a specific meaning in the context of a “trial.” Webster’s Dictionary lists as one definition of merit: “the intrinsic rights and wrongs of a legal case as determined by substance rather than form.” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, at 719-720 (1977). Thus, the phrase “trial on the merits” designates the stage of trial where the substantive facts of the case are presented to the factfinder. Compare, Tex.Gov’t Code Ann. § 54.005(b).3 In a jury trial, this stage occurs after voir dire has been completed.
Moreover, this interpretation is consistent with our use of the term “trial on the merits” in past opinions. For instance, in Decker v. State, 717 S.W.2d 903 (Tex.Cr.App.1983), we stated:
“The jury selection continued, the State and defense made their peremptory challenges, the jury was sworn, and excused for lunch. After lunch but before the trial on the merits commenced there was a hearing in which L.J. Rich, the juror who had been selected, impaneled, and sworn, testified.”
Id., 717 S.W.2d at 904. Similarly, in Joines v. State, 482 S.W.2d 205 (Tex.Cr.App.1972), we stated:
The record reflects that on April 19, 1971, the Hon. Frank H. Crain presided over the proceedings, which included hear-*311mgs on several motions, and the voir dire examination of the veniremen. On April 20, 1971, trial on the merits commenced, the Hon. Joe E. Kelly presiding.
Id., 482 S.W.2d at 207.
B.
Finally, in Hinojosa v. State, 875 S.W.2d 339 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1994), the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals addressed the comparable issue of when trial on the merits commences under Tex.Code Crim. Proc.Ann. art. 28.10. Art. 28.10 provides for amendments to charging amendments and employs language identical to art. 1.14(b), e.g., “... an indictment or information may be amended at any time before the date the trial on the merits commences.” The Hino-josa Court, relying upon double jeopardy analysis for guidance, explained:
We have found no definition for “trial on the merits” as it is used in article 28.10. We have also found no authority stating when “trial on the merits commences” under the statute. When we interpret statutory language, we attempt to further the legislative purpose while staying as to as possible to the plain meaning of the words, (citation omitted).
We note that article 36.01 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which governs the “order of proceeding in trial,” requires that a jury first be impaneled.... Even though no appellate court has determined when “trial on the merits commences” under art. 28.10, the Court of Criminal Appeals has stated:
The federal courts of appeals have determined that a trial “commences,” under contemplation of R. 43, “at least” from the time that “the work of impaneling jurors begins” (citation omitted), and this is true regardless of the fact that for purposes of double jeopardy analysis, jeopardy only attaches once the jury has been impaneled and sworn. (Citation omitted.)
Miller v. State, 692 S.W.2d 88, 91 (Tex. Crim.App.1985); see also, Fed.R.Crim.P. 43. (Footnote omitted.) The federal rule that jeopardy attaches in a jury trial when the jury is impaneled and sworn is an integral part of the constitutional guarantee and is binding on the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Crist v. Bretz, 437 U.S. 28, 38, 98 S.Ct. 2156, 2162, 57 L.Ed.2d 24 (1978).
We hold that trial on the merits commences at the time that the jury is impaneled and sworn, i.e., at the same time that jeopardy attaches....
Hinojosa, 875 S.W.2d at 342.
The Hinojosa Court’s reasoning is applicable to the instant ease because arts. 28.10 and 1.14(b) were enacted as part of same legislative package. Studer v. State, 799 S.W.2d 263, 266, n. 3, 271 (Tex.Cr.App.1990).
With regard to timely objections under art. 1.14(b), fixing the commencement of trial on the merits at the moment jeopardy attaches is most rational given the principles underlying the Double Jeopardy Clause. Simply stated, a defendant has not been put to “trial” in the constitutional sense until jury selection is complete, and the jury has been impaneled to hear the merits of the State’s case. Crist, 437 U.S. at 35-36, 98 S.Ct. at 2161 & n. 13 (1978); United States v. Jorn, 400 U.S. 470, 479, 91 S.Ct. 547, 554, 27 L.Ed.2d 543 (1971); and, Green v. United States, 355 U.S. 184, 188, 78 S.Ct. 221, 224, 2 L.Ed.2d 199 (1957). Consequently, prior to the time the jury is impaneled and sworn, there is no constitutional impediment to dismissing or delaying the proceedings. See, Fields v. State, 627 S.W.2d 714, 720 (Tex.Cr. App.1982) (Jeopardy principles do not prevent trial judge from declaring mistrial prior to impaneling the jury). Under this interpretation of trial on the merits, an objection to the charging instrument is timely under art. 1.14(b) if it is brought to the trial judge’s attention before the date jeopardy attaches.
In the instant case, appellee filed his motion to dismiss on the day of the case was set for trial. By granting appellee’s motion to dismiss, trial on the merits never commenced. Consequently, appellee’s objection to the indictment was necessarily “before the date on which the trial on the merits commence[d]” and art. 1.14(b) did not preclude consideration of appellee’s motion.
*312III.
Moreover, the majority’s reading art. 1.14(b) to preclude objections to charging instruments on the day the case is scheduled for trial is doubly problematic.4
A.
First, the majority fails to recognize that hearing objections to charging instruments on the date scheduled for trial is a common practice necessitated by increasingly crowded trial dockets.5 See generally, Is the U.S. Justice System in a State of Crisis?, The National Law Journal, August 2, 1993, at 23; and, Randall Samborn, Courting Solutions; Rising Caseloads Spur Judiciaries to Seek Solutions, The National Law Journal, July 1, 1991, at 1. In Harris County, as in many large counties with burgeoning criminal dockets, trial judges often lack the time to hold pre-trial hearings before the day scheduled for trial. As a result, trial judges typically schedule a number of cases for trial on the same date. At that time, the trial judge calls the docket and many eases are disposed of either through plea bargains or dismissal of the charges. From those eases that are not resolved, the trial judge will select one for trial and the remaining unresolved cases will either be rescheduled or carried day-today until the trial court’s docket permits time for trial. For the case that is selected for trial, the trial judge may entertain and resolve a number of pre-trial motions, including, but not limited to, motions to quash the charging instrument, motions for continuance and motions in limine. Following and depending on the resolution of those motions, the trial judge will proceed with voir dire or the presentation of evidence if a jury is waived.
In light of the burden facing trial judges in managing their dockets, the practice of hearing motions on the scheduled trial date is expedient and does not frustrate the policy of art. 1.14(b) in eliminating defendants “sandbagging” the State by remaining silent over defects in the indictment, and then raising those defects on appeal. Studer, 799 S.W.2d at 270-271. See also, George E. Dix, Texas Charging Instrument Law: The 1985 Revisions and the Continuing Need for Reform, 38 Baylor L.Rev. 1, 91 (1986). An additional consideration of art. 1.14(b) was to prevent defendants from waiting until the last minute to challenge the validity of a charging instrument. But this is no longer a consideration in light of the State’s right to appeal an order dismissing a charging instrument. Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 44.01(a)(1). Indeed, that is what occurred in the present case; the Court of Appeals thoroughly reviewed the State’s arguments on appeal. State v. Tur*313ner, 868 S.W.2d 351 (Tex.App. — Houston [14th DistJ 1993).
B.
Second, by precluding trial judges from hearing challenges to the charging instrument on the scheduled trial date, the majority interferes with the discretion of trial judges to manage their dockets. Cumpian v. State, 812 S.W.2d 88, 91 (Tex.App. — San Antonio 1991); Dancy v. Daggett, 809 S.W.2d 629, 630 (Tex.App. — Houston [14th Dist.] 1991); State v. $8,353.00 U.S. Currency, 809 5.W.2d 344, 347 (Tex.App. — Austin 1991); and, State v. James, 494 S.W.2d. 956, 959 (Tex.Civ.App. 1 Dist.1973). Art. 28.10 grants to trial judges discretion to hold pre-trial hearings, Callaway v. State, 743 S.W.2d 645, 649 (Tex.Cr.App.1988); and, Cantu v. State, 546 S.W.2d 621 (Tex.Cr.App.1977), including hearings on exceptions to the form or substance of the charging instrument. Art. 28.01, § 1(4). In light of the majority opinion, art. 28.10 is no longer discretionary. But see, n. 4, supra.
As a result defendants will be forced to demand pre-trial hearings on their objections to the charging instruments. If the trial judge refuses to hear the objections until the scheduled trial date, the defendant must seek mandamus relief from this Court to compel the trial judge to hold a pre-trial hearing. Mandamus relief would be appropriate because the majority’s interpretation of art. 1.14(b) creates a ministerial duty on the trial judge to hear such objections before the scheduled trial date and the defendant would have no other adequate remedy at law because untimely objections waive appellate review. Art. 1.14(b). Consequently, another unfortunate result of the majority opinion is to threaten clogging this Court with needless requests for mandamus relief.
IV.
Consistent with our decisional authority as well as that of the courts of appeals, I would hold that for purposes of art. 1.14(b) “trial on the merits commences” the moment jeopardy attaches. Under this holding appellee’s motion, heard on the scheduled trial date, was timely. Unfortunately, the majority holds otherwise and either deprives trial judges the of authority to control their dockets, part III, supra, or raises more questions than it answers, n. 4, supra.
With these comments, I respectfully dissent.6

. All emphasis is supplied unless otherwise indicated.

. Prior to enactment of art. 1.14(b), the Code of Criminal Procedure did not specify the timeliness of an objection to an indictment. By judicial construct, we held such an objection was timely if made before parties announced "ready” for trial. Wilson v. State, 398 S.W.2d 291, 293 (Tex. Cr.App.1965) (citing Bond v. State, 171 Tex.Crim. 119, 345 S.W.2d 520, 523 (App.1961)); and, Truesdale v. State, 107 Tex.Crim. 105, 296 S.W. 320, 321 (App.1927).
Although the Legislature's use of the phrase "trial on the merits” in art. 1.14(b) evinces an attempt to establish a bright line statutory rule for when an objection to a charging instrument is untimely, it is readily apparent that the phrase contains latent ambiguities. Accordingly, the majority’s contention that it is not incumbent on us to determine when trial on the merits commences, Ante, at 306 n. 4, is odd when considered in light of its own recognition that this case concerns the interpretation and application of art. 1.14. Since "trial on the merits” is the operative phrase, how can the majority purport to interpret and apply art. 1.14 without determining the meaning of that phrase?

.In the context of civil cases, § 54.005 defines trial on the merits as "any final adjudication from which an appeal may be taken to the court of appeals.”

. Perhaps the majority implicitly holds that appellant's objection was not timely because it was filed on the scheduled trial date and not before. If this is the majority’s holding, it should be clearly stated in order to prevent any future confusion. If the majority opinion is predicated on when the objection is filed, art. 1.14(b) is complied with so long as the objection is filed before the scheduled trial date. Such a holding would provide the State with notice of the objection and the trial judge would have the discretion of hearing the motion at either a pretrial hearing or on the day scheduled for trial. However, this implicit holding appears to conflict with established precedent. Previously, the date of filing was irrelevant to the determination of whether an objection was timely because the filing of the motion does not, in itself, preserve error for appellate review. See, Allison v. State, 618 S.W.2d 763, 764 (Tex.Cr.App.1981); Martinez v. State, 565 S.W.2d 70, 71 (Tex.Cr.App.1978); American Plant Food v. State, 508 S.W.2d 598, 604 (Tex.Cr.App.1974); McDonald v. State, 379 S.W.2d 349, 351 (Tex.Cr.App.1964); and, Uresti v. State, 167 Tex.Crim. 189, 319 S.W.2d 340, 341 (App.1959). Rather, a defendant had to receive an adverse ruling on the objection to preserve error. See, Allison, supra; Martinez, supra; Ur-esti, supra. Consequently, prior to the majority opinion, the focus for whether an objection was timely was determined by the date the objection was heard and overruled, not the date the objection was filed. If the majority implicitly holds the filing of the motion determines the timeliness of the objection, the majority has sub silentio overruled this precedent.

. The Office of Court Administration reports that Harris County had 61,980 cases on the felony docket in fiscal year 1994; Dallas County had 45,217 felony cases; Tarrant County had 25,087 felony cases; Travis County had 23,504 felony cases; and Bexar County had 20,575 felony cases. Office of Court Administration, 1994 Texas Judicial System Annual Report, 444, 356, 682, 696, 272 (1994).

. As previously noted, the majority believes the issue of when trial on the merits commences is not before us because it was not addressed by the Court of Appeals. Ante, at 306 n. 4. However, by remanding this case to the Court of Appeals for further proceedings, the Court of Appeals is now free to determine what constitutes "trial on the merits” in determining whether appellee’s motion was timely.