Court Opinion

ID: 9612024
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:02:53.506891+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:33:05.071833
License: Public Domain

Justice CARTER,
Concurring.
I concur in the majority opinion, but I believe there is another reason to hold the trial court did not err on the issue of self-representation.
Even though Cooks had rejected the attorneys appointed to represent him and manage his case and insisted on self-representation, the trial court provided him with standby counsel throughout the entire course of the proceedings. Is it error to fail to admonish a defendant of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation when he is provided standby counsel? The Fourteenth Court of Appeals addressed this issue in Robertson v. State, 934 S.W.2d 861 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1996, no pet.). There the defendant rejected his court appointed counsel and invoked his right of self-representation, but the trial court required the attorney to remain in the case in the event the defendant wanted to utilize his services. The defendant conducted the trial himself, and the attorney did not participate. On appeal, the defendant complained that his waiver of counsel was not knowingly made because the court failed to admonish him of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation. In analyzing this issue, the Fourteenth court explained the differences in full representation by counsel, pro se representation, hybrid representation, and stand-by counsel. Before the Robertson opinion, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that a defendant electing hybrid representation was not entitled to the admonishments concerning the dangers of self-representation since counsel was available to the defendant and participated in the trial to some degree. Maddox v. State, 613 S.W.2d 275, 286 (Tex.Crim.App. [Panel Op.] 1980) (op. on reh’g). In Robertson, the court held that, although it was preferable to admonish a defendant when standby counsel is appointed, it is not required. Waiver of counsel and the need to admonish arise only where a defendant waives counsel in the sense of having none available; in other words, when the situation neither involves a hybrid representation or standby counsel. 934 S.W.2d at 865. Because both hybrid representation and standby counsel involve the defendant’s assuming control over important tactical considerations and deciding the extent to which the assistance of counsel will actually be invoked, no basis exists on which to treat standby counsel differently for purposes of admonishment. Id. Therefore, the court held that the failure to admonish Robertson of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation was not error since he was provided standby counsel. Id. at 866.
The holding in Robertson has been followed by the Houston First Court of Appeals in Walker v. State, 962 S.W.2d 124 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1997, pet. ref'd). Walker conducted his own trial, but did have standby counsel available, and the court held that the failure to admonish him concerning the Faretta factors was not error. Id. at 127. Unpublished cases have adopted the reasoning of the *298Robertson ease. Young v. State, No. 05-98-00036-CR, 2000 WL 2676, 2000 Tex.App. LEXIS 15 (Tex.App.-Dallas Jan.4, 2000, no pet.) (not designated for publication); Ivory v. State, No. 14-97-00421-CR, 1999 WL 548234, 1999 Tex.App. LEXIS 5590 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] July-29, 1999, pet. ref'd) (not designated for publication). For this additional reason, I concur in the Court’s opinion.