Court Opinion

ID: 9763957
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 03:04:19.308931+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:51.048651
License: Public Domain

O’CONNOR, Justice,
dissenting from denial of en banc.
I dissent from the en banc court’s denial of the appellant’s motion for rehearing en banc on the panel’s resolution of the appellant’s points of error six and seven in his brief (points one and two in the motion for rehearing en banc). I agree with the panel that the trial court erred when it refused to permit the appellant to reopen, but I disagree that we can disregard the error because it did not affect a substantial right of the appellant. See Tex.R.App. P. 44.2(b).
A defendant in a criminal proceeding is entitled to due process of law, due course of law, and a fair trial. See U.S. Const, amend 5 and 14; Tex. Const. art. 1, § 19. Inherent in such rights is the right to present a defense by calling witnesses and presenting evidence. See Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284, 294, 93 S.Ct. 1038, 1045, 35 L.Ed.2d 297 (1973).
Texas Code of Criminal Procedure § 36.02 provides, “The court shall allow testimony to be introduced at any time before the argument of a cause is concluded, if it appears that it is necessary to a due administration of justice.” It is reversible error for the trial court to refuse a timely request to reopen to produce admissible evidence, regardless of its weight or the issue upon which it is offered, so long as it does not threaten to unduly impede the trial. Rogers v. State, 774 S.W.2d 247, 263 (Tex.Crim.App.1989). The trial court commits error in not reopening the ease when the following conditions are met: (1) the witness was present and ready to testify;' (2) the request to reopen was made before the charge was read to the jury and final arguments were made; (3) the judge had some indication of what the testimony would be, and was satisfied that the testimony was material and bore directly on the main issues in the case; and (4) there is *709no showing that introduction of the testimony would have impeded the trial or interfered with the orderly administration of justice. Tucker v. State, 578 S.W.2d 409, 410 (Tex.Crim.App.1979); Forbes v. State, 976 S.W.2d 749, 752 (Tex.App. — Houston [1st Dist.], n. pet. h.).
At trial, the sole issue was the identity of the assailant on September 14, 1995. Only one of the two witnesses identified the appellant as the person who assaulted and robbed them. That witness, an elderly lady, testified she was only able to see the intruder for a few seconds before her glasses were knocked off. She testified she did not notice any facial hair on the assailant on the night of the robbery. The drawing of the assailant, which she assisted the police in creating, did not show any facial hair.
Just after the appellant rested, the appellant made a motion to reopen his ease to present the testimony of Mike Pratt, who would testify that when he saw the appellant at a wedding on September 16, 1995, two days after the robbery, the appellant had facial hair. Through Pratt, the appellant wanted to introduce a photograph showing the appellant with facial hair, similar to how he looked on September 16, 1995. Defense counsel informed the court the testimony would take only five minutes. The court denied the motion.
On appeal, the appellant complains of both a statutory violation as well as a violation of his constitutional right to due process. The majority found “[hjere, we deal with a statutory violation ...,” without addressing the nature of the error. I believe the error was constitutional. When the trial court denied the appellant’s motion to reopen, it denied him his rights under due process and due course of law. Thus, the error was constitutional. Cf. Williams v. State, 958 S.W.2d 186, 194 n. 9 (Tex.Crim.App.1997). The panel should have applied Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 44.2(a) to address the issue of harm. Under Rule 44.2(a), the State bears the burden to prove that the error made no contribution to the appellant’s conviction or punishment.
Even if the error was merely statutory, as the panel opinion holds, I disagree with the panel that the error did not affect the appellant’s substantial rights. The appellant’s right to a fair trial, conducted under principles of due process and due course of law, was a substantial right that was -undermined by the trial court’s refusal to permit the appellant to reopen. When weighed against the short delay in the trial that would have resulted from granting the motion, the refusal to grant the motion was unconscionable. Compare with Wilkinson v. State, 423 S.W.2d 311, 313 (Tex.Crim.App.1968) (permitting defendant to reopen would have produced “indefinite delay”).
Because the evidence of identity was central to the State’s case and to appellant’s defense, we cannot conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the error in refusing to permit the appellant to reopen did not contribute to his conviction. See Phillips v. State, 878 S.W.2d 617, 619 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1994, no pet.) (case reversed because defendant was not permitted to reopen to introduce evidence that was relevant to defendant’s alibi and defense).
I would reverse.