Court Opinion

ID: 9395503
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-18 07:11:06.054775+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:09.224384
License: Public Domain

COURT OF APPEALS
                                       EIGHTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
                                            EL PASO, TEXAS

    IN RE:                                                    §                   No. 08-23-00141-CR

    SAUL RUBALCAVA,                                           §            AN ORIGINAL PROCEEDING

                                       Relator.               §                     IN MANDAMUS

                                                              §

                                                              §

                                         MEMORANDUM OPINION

         In this original proceeding, Relator Saul Rubalcava filed a petition for writ of mandamus

challenging a jail magistrate’s purported order requiring his presence at a hearing to address

Relator’s claim under TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 32.01. This Court does not have

mandamus jurisdiction over the jail magistrate in this proceeding. TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN.

§ 22.221; In re Flores, 08-07-00305-CR, 2007 WL 4214435, at *1 (Tex. App.—El Paso

Nov. 29, 2007) (mem. op., orig. proceeding) (court of appeals lacked jurisdiction to issue a writ

of mandamus against a jail magistrate). 1 The mandamus jurisdiction conferred to this Court under

1
  While Texas Government Code 22.221 was amended effective September 1, 2017 (Acts 2017, 85th Leg., Ch. 740
(S.B. 1233), section 1 eff. Sept. 1, 2017; Acts 2017, 85th Leg. Ch. 1013 (H.B. 1480), section 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2017) after
our decision in In re Flores, to include statutory county judges, statutory probate county judges, and associate judges
of a district or county court appointed by a judge under Chapter 201 of the Family Code, it did not expand its scope
to include magistrate judges.
Government Code § 21.221 is limited to writs necessary to enforce the jurisdiction of this Court

and further “writs of mandamus, agreeable to the principles of law regulating those writs, against:

(1) a judge of a district, statutory county, statutory probate county, or county court in the court of

appeals district; (2) a judge of a district court who is acting as a magistrate at a court of inquiry

under Chapter 52, Code of Criminal Procedure, in the court of appeals district; or (3) an associate

judge of a district or county court appointed by a judge under Chapter 201, Family Code, in the

court of appeals district for the judge who appointed the associate judge.” TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN.

§§ 22.221(a), (b). Because Relator does not seek relief against a proper party under § 22.221, we

dismiss Relator’s petition for lack of jurisdiction. See id.; In re Flores, 2007 WL 4214435, at *1.

                                               LISA J. SOTO, Justice

May 12, 2023

Before Rodriguez, C.J., Palafox, and Soto, JJ.

(Do Not Publish)

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