Court Opinion

ID: 4056999
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-09-29 08:21:59.301217+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:32:09.215717
License: Public Domain

RECEIVED IN
           i           .    NO.    PD-1068-15
                                                      COURT OF CRIMINAL Af>Pe/i[e
                                                                            '"
                                                                                     <*? / /
CHRISTOPHER ALAN LAWRENCE               §                   Oct 14 m 5
                                                   IN THE COURT                    jYq'y
                                                                                  ^j
V.                                      §          CRIMIim^'A'BP/ErALS^toP-    fe^ V         , /
THE STATE OF TEXAS                      §          AUSTIN, TEXAS                             ^ 0
                                                                                             e1
               PETITIONER'S OMNIBUS MOTION FOR LEAVE TO                                  \
      OBTAIN A FREE COPY OF RECORD ON APPEAL AND BRIEFS FILED,
                            WITH   A    "SECOND"
     EXTENSION OF TIME TO FILE PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS:

     COMES NOW, Christopher Lawrence pro se, in the above-styled
and numbered cause, and respectfully moves this Honorable Court

to proceed with this action seeking free copies of the record on

appeal in the Third Court of Appeals under no.03-14-00192-CR. And

further moves this court to grant an extension of time to file the
                                                                       FILED IN
PDR to a date of atleast 15 days after receiving gggRfIg^^mi^tiJB^iPE&BS
documents, and in support would show the following:                   «px i•• ?X«5
                                       II.

                                                                    Abel Acosta, Clerk
     Under the authority of the "OPEN COURTS" mandate of the Texas

Constitution Art.l,§13, and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United
States Constitution, this Honorable Court has the POWER TO GRANT

the relief requested herein.

                                       II.

     Petitioner has GOOD CAUSE to show that he has been denied his

Sicth Amendment Right to the effective assistance of counsel on
appeal, and that a failure to grant this motion would prejudice the
petitioner by foreclosing reversable errors and the ability to
challenge the sufficiency of evidence to support the conviction.

                                       1.
  Hence, petitioner shows that the Record on Appeal is necessary

to prepare a Petition for Discretionary Review to address the Court

of Appeals decision and the failure of court appointed counsel to

raise the plain errors within the record on appeal. But is unable

to effectively present the claimed errors to this Court without

supporting references and documentation.

                      Draper V. Washington, 83 S. Ct. at 781
          "In terms       of   trial   records...   the State must afford
          the indigent a 'record of sufficient completeness,'
              to permit proper consideration of [his] claims."

      This motion follows the holdings in Bounds V. Smith, 97 S. Ct.
1491 (1997) as it relates to "post conviction" remedies. In Bounds

the Court was referring to a Habeas Corpus action. The effect is

the    same   in   this   case.

                 Bounds V. Smith, 97 S.Ct.1491 (1997)
          "It is now established beyond doubt that prisoners
           have a constitutional right to acess to Courts."

      More recent decisions have struck down restrictions and required

remedial      measures     to insure     that   inmates'   access   to Courts   is

adequate,      effective,       and meaningful.

                                        Id.    Bounds
              " Thus in order to prevent effective foreclosed
               acess, indigent prisoner's must be allowed to
                     file.... habeas corpus petitions."

      However,     this is impossible without proper records.

                                        Id    Bounds.
              "....    is impossible without trial transcripts."

                                               2.
    The Supreme Court held that destitute defendants must be afforded

adequate review just a defendan||s who have money to buy transcripts.
See Griffin V.       Illinois,76 S.Ct.at      591.   Therefore   the State must

furnish the indigent defendant with a free copy of the documents

necessary for the purposes of direct appeal,               however,   the Griffin

principle of equality was not limited to transcripts for purposes

of direct appellate review. The Supreme Court later in Lane V. Brown,

held that it is made clear that the Griffin principle also applies

to state collateral proceedings. See Lane V. Brown,                83 S. Ct. 768 at 773.

(1983).

                                       III.

     Petitioner contends that if he           is denied a free copy of the re

cord on appeal,        such a denial would be denying Petitioner his right

to file a Petition for Discretionary Review.                Said denial would be

a   violation   of    the Fourteenth   Amendment     to   the U.S.Constitution.

Moreover,   to impose any financial conditions between an indigent

prisoner of the State and his exercise of a State right to have

remedy by Due Course of Law for an injury done to him,                 and deny

that prisoner Equal Protection of Law as provided through the Texas

Constitution.

     In Garner V. California the Supreme Court held that....a

laymen acting in his own defense or his own behalf needs the

Court Records even more than an attorney acting on his behalf.

See Garner V.        California,   89 S.Ct.582 (1969). Therefore movant

avers that the documents requested herein are essential and are re

quired to present Petitioners case to this Honorable Court of

Criminal Appeals.
                                          IV.

      Petitioner would show that in his initial request for an

extension 'of time     to    file his PDR,      he made reference        to   the       fact

that his appellate counsel has failed to supply him with redcords

on appeal.

      The first extension of time to file was granted on 8-18-15.

The court assigned a due date of 10-27-15.

      Based on the inability to obtain records from the attorney or

the Court of Appeals free of charge. Petitioner is unable to

meet the current due date for filing his PDR unless he makes

assumptions from the memorandum opinion of the Court of Appeals.

      WHEREFORE PREMISES CONSIDERED, Petitioner humbly and respectfully

moves this Honorable Court to GRANT this Motion in its entirety

and further order the Third District Court of Appeals to forward

a free copy of the Records filed in that Court under Cause No.

03-14-00192-CR; Christopher Alan Lawrence V.                 The State of. Texas.

And    further GRANT   the    extension    of time    to   file   his   PDR   to    a    date

no l'ess than 15 days after receiving a copy of the records from

the Court of Appeals.

                                                Respectfully Submitted,

                                 This #th day of October, 2015

                                                                  Z^/L^?V
                                                      opher Alan Lawrence
                                                           #01923479
                                                    3001 S. Emily Dr.
                                                   Beeville,      TX 78102

                                      4.
                          INMATE   DECLARATION

   I, Christopher Alan Lawrence, am the petitioner in the fore

going motion seeking documents and an extension of time to file my

PDR.   I am currently incarcerated in the McConnell Unit in Bee,

County,    Texas. I declare under penalty of perjury that according

to my belief,    the facts stated in the above motion are true and

correct.

                                   Signed on tf&jkls' &"**              2015

                                       Christopher Alan Lawrence

                        CERTIFICATE   OF   SERVICE

   I Hereby Ser-tify that a true and correct copy of the fbregoing

motion has been forwarded by U.S.Mail First Class postage paid,

to Comal County District Attorney, Jennifer Thorne,          100 Main

Plaza, New Braunfels, TX 78130 and Lisa Mcminn, State Prosecuting
Attorney,   P.O.Box 12405,   Capital Station, Austin, TX 78711. On

this 8th day of October, 2015.

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